-=Martina's Point of View=-Just like they said, it was easier said than done, and that was exactly what happened to me.I thought it would be breezy to get the study room's key from Zeke, but it seemed that it was almost impossible.I've been keeping an eye on Zeke every now and then, and in none of those instances did I even see the key from him. It also made me wonder if maybe he wasn't bringing that key all the time, which really frustrates me because if he didn't have that key, then where else could I find it?"Is there something bothering you, Martina?" I was startled when I heard Annie's voice wake me up from my deep thoughts.For a moment, I forgot that she was with me in my room as we were casually talking about things and plans we had for the future."No, it's nothing," I replied with a shake of my head. I heard Annie sigh, and when I looked at her, I saw understanding on her face."You don't have to lie, Martina. I know what was bothering you," she said, making me feel nerv
-=Martina's Point of View=-I took a deep breath while looking where Lucy, the keeper of the keys, bedroom was. I was feeling so nervous that I had half the heart to turn around and forget the whole thing, but I was reminded that Kian needed my help.I honestly didn't remember meeting someone with that name, but then again, there were a lot of helpers in this castle, and it was impossible for me to remember all of their names or even recognize their faces. For all I know, I probably hadn't met her before, or maybe I did, during my arrival on the island, but since I was so nervous, I didn't take a good look at her face.I arranged my visit to Lucy's room without alerting Annie, making sure she was busy charging her electric bike outside the castle and Zeke was nowhere in sight to avoid generating suspicion.I'd wager everything that if he found out I was going to meet Lucy, he'd already know what my goal was, and he could not know it, or else that would be the end of my investigation.
-=Martina's Point of View=-I secretly glanced in Zeke's direction, who was busy giving instructions to one of the maids in the dining room, while I ate in silence.I was trying to gauge if he knew about my visit to Lucy's room. I was kind of worried that Lucy actually told Zeke about it, and the result was Zeke having doubts about my real reason for meeting Lucy. Didn't he already catch me trying to approach Zion's room already?I kept monitoring him, but I didn't notice anything different from him, or maybe he was just good at pretending."Or maybe you were just overthinking, Martina," I cascaded myself, and maybe I was just overthinking things, but can anyone blame me?I mean, I felt like what I was about to do was a make-or-break for me. If I succeeded, then I would be able to help Kian, but in case I am caught, I can already say goodbye to helping Kian with his condition.I had no idea what Zeke had hidden in the drawer on the table in the study room until now, but this instinct
-=Martina's Point of View=-"No, it was definitely not me," I thought to myself after a few minutes had passed.We may have shared the same face, but I was sure that the girl in the picture wasn't me; she was wearing old clothes, which were probably in style during her time, and I was positive that I didn't wear such clothes.I would know if such instance happened when I wore this kind of clothes, but even thought I tried to rack my brain, I couldn't think of such instance.I was positive that I hadn't seen her in my entire life, but for some reason, there was this warm feeling inside me, a feeling akin to meeting an old friend.I had no idea how long I had been staring at the photo; my mind had gone blank, and all that mattered was the picture in my hand.Ten enthralling minutes passed before I could break out of my daze, and when I finally looked back at the picture, my eyes grew wide as I tried to comprehend the truth it was showing.I was feeling at a loss while I tried to make se
-=Martina's Point of View=-Even though I was looking at him, lying in bed with his eyes closed, finding him here felt unreal. Given that he was meant to be elsewhere, I couldn't figure out what he was doing in this room. It was here, of all places, that I found him."Kian..." I tried calling his name, but his eyes still remained closed.I wanted to approach him, but I was scared that he would disappear when I got near him, making me realize that this was all a dream.I pinched myself in my arm and immediately felt the pain, making me understand that this was no dream, and if that was the case, then why was Kian in here, in Zion's room?"Did Zeke know that Kian was here?" I wondered.Despite my fear, I mustered the courage to approach Kian's bed, where he lay unconscious. Initially, I was filled with dread, fearing the worst. However, as I watched his chest rise and fall, my anxieties altered, and the idea that he was dead began to recede.As I looked at Kian's stunning face, a wave o
-=Martina's Point of View=-The word shock was such an understatement to describe how I was feeling right now. I mean, how would you feel if you saw the man you love who was supposed to be a young man turn into someone older, and that person turned out to be your husband, whom you were supposed to be cheating on with the same man you expected to be?I stood there, dumbfounded, staring at Zion until he opened his eyes again after a few moments. His tired features were accentuated by an expression of guilt and apprehension on his frail face."Martina..." he said, barely audible but loud enough for me to wake up from my reverie.I wasn't prepared to talk to Zion, Kian, or whoever his name and identity were at that point because I was so bewildered at the moment. I still couldn't believe the transformation I witnessed just a few minutes ago, from the youthful Kian to the elderly Zion. a young man to an elderly Zion.What I saw felt like something out of a fantasy movie, and my mind couldn
-=Martina's Point of View=-While on the ship that would carry me to the main island, I continued to stare out at the immense ocean. I have chosen to board this ship instead of accepting Zeke's offer to fly me to my destination in Zion's chopper.Not because I'm being difficult, but rather because I enjoy the solitude and the opportunity to reflect. I'm assessing everything that happened while aboard this ship.I still can't believe what happened this morning when I saw a picture in Zion's study area that looked exactly like me, which I assumed was Esmeralda. Then I decided to go to Zion's room, where I was surprised to find Kian. Kian's transformation turned him into Zion within a few minutes, if the mystery I already uncovered wasn't enough.That's when I realized the person I love is also my husband, whom I believed I had cheated. Maybe that's why my feelings for Zion are so strong, similar to my feelings for Kian, since they are the same person."Father and son," I whispered with
-=Martina's Point of View=-I automatically turned around to look for the source of that voice, and when I saw who it was, my eyes became watery from the tears that started to flow from them.I couldn't believe I'd run into him at this moment, right when I needed someone. My feet seemed to have a mind of their own, rushing toward him, and I found myself in his open arms before I could even think.Tears poured freely from both of my eyes as I tried to draw strength from the one I knew would never abandon me or hurt me, and most importantly, would never lie to me.He kept whispering near my ear, as if trying to encourage me that everything would be alright, assuring me that everything would be fine. But could things really be fine and return to the way they used to be?I tried to think of my life now that I don't have Kian or Zion in it, and the words that popped into my mind are empty and hollow.I didn't know if I could really go back to normal after everything that happened; it wasn'
-=Martina's Point of View=-The beating of my heart began to beat faster as I could finally see the island from afar."Wait for me, Zion," I silently said, feeling the sorrow and longing of a woman who was away with the man she loved.Ever since I left Nancy's province and experienced that bizarre and mysterious event, bits and pieces of my previous life memory came back to me, but not enough for me to know everything, but enough for me to know that I was Esmeralda and Zion is the man I loved during that life.I remembered telling him from my previous life that I would remember him whatever happened, but I betrayed him since I didn't even recognize him and worse I thought of leaving him.I felt so ashamed to see him again, but my desire to be with him won me over, and I promised myself that I would never leave Zion again.While looking at the island, it felt like some invisible hand was pulling me closer to the island as if the island recognized me, and I recognized it as my home, Zio
-=Martina's Point of View=-I kept feeling this ache ever since my visit to that place, and as I awaited our arrival back at my dad's place, this ache was getting more intense."Can you tell me what's really going on, Martina?" I heard Nancy ask."Nothing; I just needed to go home," I answered.Before, when I thought about home, I always referred to my dad's house, which had been my home ever since, or at least before Fionna and her daughters arrived, but now, when I thought about home, I couldn't help but think about the island and Zion's mansion.The pain I felt intensified when I thought about Zion. I couldn't help but feel guilty knowing that he wasn't feeling well when I left him after I found out the truth.I felt ashamed of what I did; yes, it was shocking to learn the truth, but I promised Zion, or rather Zion, that I would love him forever, and yet, in the first instance of the test of our love and my faith in him, I disappointed him.I could still feel Nancy's gaze on me fro
-=Martina's Point of View=-It has been ten minutes, but still, nothing happened. I was really expecting something to happen considering that I came to this place without my full consciousness.I stood up from the big rock where I was sitting, waiting for something to happen, but it didn't."Esmeralda..."I tried calling her name; maybe there was something that she wanted to tell me, but even after uttering her name in the air, still nothing happened."Esmeralda!"This time, I yelled louder, but after holding my breath and waiting, nothing peculiar ever happened.A bitter smile appeared on my lips when I realized how much of a weirdo I may be if someone found me there.Imagine a guest wandering in this part at this hour. People may think that I actually lost it, and they would probably send me straight to the asylum if I told them how exactly I came here."Anything?" I thought to myself when another ten minutes had passed, and when still nothing happened, I took a deep breath and fina
-=Martina's Point of View=-I awoke to the crowing of roosters, and as I looked out the window, I observed it was still dark. When I looked at the clock, I saw that it was only five o'clock in the morning, still early for me to wake up, however when I was about to go back to sleep, I was disturbed by Nancy who was already wide awake.I didn't even notice her waking up and leaving the bed."Good morning!" She said in a loud voice making me grimace."Could you keep it down, it's still early and I still wanted to sleep," I murmured."No, Martina, five a.m. is already considered late in the province because almost everyone wakes up around four and Mom told me to wake you up for breakfast," she added, and she didn't leave me an opportunity to go back to sleep as she pulled the sheets over my eyes."You're really ruthless," I said, which she just laughed at.I had no choice but to force myself out of bed, and before leaving the room, I decided to do some stretching first, to remove the slee
-=Martina's Point of View=-I awoke early the next morning, surprised that I hadn't dreamed of Esmeralda and Kian again. I hoped I wouldn't dream about them any longer.Who wants to dream about anything irrelevant to them, even if the woman in the dream happened to look like you and the man you love is always with her?I probably stayed in bed for a few more minutes before deciding to get out, and the first thing I did was double-check that I had everything I needed. Last night, I organized my belongings for my trip with Nancy, going to their province and going to that place.It probably took me about ten minutes to finish inspecting my bags, and then I started getting ready.I took a quick shower which probably lasted for fifteen minutes, and after drying myself with the towel in my bathroom, I walked naked back to my room and wore the clothes I had chosen earlier which was a pair of blue shirt and faded jeans with my favorite sneakers.I was putting on my shoes when I heard a knock
-=Martina's Point of View=-"What do you mean it's not real? Are you saying that my wedding ring is a fake?" I asked in disbelief."Unfortunately, that is right, miss. It may look real, but upon closer inspection, I confirmed that this isn't made of real gold and diamonds," he said.He continued his explanation, but to be honest, the details slipped my mind as my focus wandered. However, a feeling of suspicion washed over me as I spotted them exchanging secretive glances."Could it be?" I thought to myself."Well, there you have it; you heard it from the expert; your ring was indeed fake, and just as we agreed on, you would go out with...""Actually, I wanted to have a second opinion," I suddenly said, cutting him off."Come on, don't be a sour loser," Benz said."Perhaps I am, or perhaps the test results were incorrect," I said nonchalantly."Are you telling me that I tested your ring wrong?" The employee of the shop said indignation was written on his face."Yes, but was it wrong to
-=Martina's Point of View=-The following day, Dad decided to return to work, but before leaving, he made sure to share breakfast with me first."What do you plan on doing later?" he asked."Nothing much; I was planning to just stay at home, or maybe I could just go out and buy something," I said."Okay, if you wanted to leave, you could use the car instead of commuting; it's much more convenient that way.""Okay," I said.I planned to ask Nancy to drive me just in case I decided to go out; we could also buy the things we might need once we leave tomorrow. Speaking of Nancy, she continued addressing me as her mistress, and I didn't stop her anymore, since, in a way, I kind of missed hearing that. When I heard her calling me that, it made me feel like I was still in the castle.I walked with Dad and watched him leave, and when I could no longer see his car, I decided to look for Nancy so we could talk about our plans for tomorrow.I found Nancy in the kitchen; she was busy cleaning the
-=Martina's Point of View=-While gazing at Mommy's grave, I couldn't help but reminisce about the joyful memories we shared, but it didn't take long for the pain of her loss to resurface once again.I yearned to take advantage of this time to release all of my bottled-up emotions and let my tears run freely, but the fact that Dad was behind me kept me from doing so. I didn't want him to see my tears again, knowing that it would only add to the burden of grief he was already carrying after losing Mom and having been in an accident."Sorry, Mom, if I only got to visit now. I miss you, and Dad misses you so much," I said in a gentle voice.I felt my dad putting his arm on my shoulder as if he were giving me the comfort I needed because I really do miss Mom.After that, there was quiet between us; there were moments when words were unnecessary to express our emotions, and this is one of those instances.I was talking to Mom in my head, and when I caught a glimpse of Dad, I knew he was do
-=Martina's Point of View=-I didn't know how long I was asleep, and I didn't plan on waking up yet; however, I was woken from my sleep by a continuous knock on the door."Next would be Annie's voice," I thought to myself, but I was confused when I didn't hear Annie's voice but instead someone else's."Martina, are you awake? Your dad is waiting for you," I heard Nancy say, so I immediately opened my eyes.I awoke in the familiar surroundings of my room back in our old house, rather than the castle room I had become accustomed to. It occurred to me that I had left Zion's castle after discovering the truth."Martina?" I heard Nancy calling my name again."Yeah, I'm awake; just give me five minutes," I answered, and after that, I heard her footsteps.I took a deep breath and tried to remember everything that happened. I couldn't believe that it had only been more than twenty-four hours since I left the castle, and I couldn't ignore the sadness in my chest.I genuinely missed everyone on