My eyes were swollen as I stared blankly at the two coffin in front of me. Everything happened so fast. It felt like I had lost a leg because of what happened. It was as if my soul had left me, and worst of all, I felt like I'd lost the motivation to keep living. I wiped away the tears that streamed down my cheeks. I felt Bernadette's presence beside me. I don't know if I should be thankful that they're with me, especially at times like this, because all I wanted right now is to be alone. Although Bernadette and Noah weren't forcing me to talk, I preferred not to interact with anyone for a while. I felt so tired from everything I had gone through. Up until now, I still can't accept the fact that I lost my parents. The parents I depended on. How can it be this hard to be dependent on parents? It felt like my life ended when my parents were taken away. I can't even find the will to keep living. I don't know if I can continue; I felt incomplete, physically, mentally, and emotionally
"I'm not trying to cause trouble, Noah. I just want to know who did this to my parents. They deserve justice," I said to him over the phone when he called me. "Come on, Aurora. You know it's better if you stay home. You need to rest, mentally and physically. Don't forget that you have a baby inside you—" "I know—just after this one. I'm not neglecting my child. I just want to seek justice for My parent's death, especially since we all know it wasn't an accident." "Even so, you should just let it go—" I ended the call and quietly watched the highway as we drove along. Our conversation kept going in circles, and it was getting irritating. "Is the evidence we gathered still not enough?" I asked Sergeant Torre. Another police officer was with us. We also had the investigator for the attorney who would present the case in court.I don't know, but something kept telling me... urging me to keep an eye on everything. I needed to be hands-on, even if just in this aspect, because I felt l
"Can you play it again?" I asked. I needed answer. I can't deny the fact that a part of me was still hoping that Lucas had nothing to do with it, even though it was crystal clear in the footage. But my hopes falls down like a water on mountain when, in just a few seconds, I saw how Lucas unleashed a hail of bullets, and the next thing I saw was the shattering of my parents' car window. I could hear Geneva and Vince arguing, but I couldn't understand what they were talking. I felt like a ghost that was just standing there. My mind was in haywired, it was unable to process what I have just found out.I kept staring at the monitor, where Lucas was still firing repeatedly with his gun. Even though he was slightly turned sideways, I could see the darkness in his eyes. It was as if he saw nothing, and he wasn't fully satisfied on what he's seeing when he pulled out another gun after his first one ran out of bullets. I felt like my breathe will stop any second now. The officer who's wit
Trembling, I staggered out of Lucas’s apartment, my hands smeared with his blood. I could feel the eyes of people on me, yet no one dared approach because of the knife I was holding. Feeling nauseous, I called Noah. I didn't know what else to do. I was terrified after what had happened. They couldn't blame me; I was just fighting for my life, to save myself from him. Lucas was the one to blame. "Can you pick me up, please?" I pleaded when Noah answered the call. "What happened? Where are you?" "Please, hurry," I urged. I threw the knife away, feeling sick, and grabbed at my hair. I covered my ears as I looked around. Even now, I could hear Lucas’s voice, though he wasn’t there. What scared me more was hearing Iris’s laugh, as if her mouth was right next to my ears, driving me insane. I shook my head with my eyes closed to dispel the sounds, but a harsh blow to my head was the last thing I felt before everything went dark. "Hurry up! Make sure she doesn't escape, or you'll be n
"Upon checking the van, they found a cellphone. We're calling to ask if this phone belonged to your parents." I took the familiar cellphone from Daddy as they handed it to me. There were blood stains on the back of the case. "This is Daddy's cellphone," I answered weakly. I felt Noah's gentle touch on my back as I examined the cellphone in my hand. "Alright. Although, we cannot give it to you yet. We are formally asking now for your permission to keep it for the mean time... while the investigation is still ongoing. We just want to make sure if there's possible evidence inside of it that could help to solve this case even faster," he explained. I looked up slightly at Noah, who was standing nearby. A small smile crossed his lips, as if letting me decide. I managed a small smile back. "Can I check it by myself first?" I asked, a question they seemed to anticipate. "Yeah, sure. I'll leave you here for now," he said, then stood to leave. I watched him until he disappeared from my
The days felt like they dragged on, as if a year had passed when it had only been almost a month. My days went too busy that I couldn't even remember when was the last time I rested. I find it hard to sleep because, as the investigation continued, I felt like I wasn't getting any closer to finding justice for my parents' deaths. "We will win this, we got this, Aurora," Noah said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. I gave him a faint smile and exhaled. We were finally here, but I felt nervous about something. I didn't know how this would turn out, but I believed we could win this case. I wouldn't let all this go to waste. This was for my parents, and I would sacrifice everything I had just to get the justice they deserved. I was occupied up until now. There was no relief in me. I admit that I am kinda feeling scared that all of the effort, time, and tireless days will result to nothing. Few moments when I saw Lucas's face. I felt my blood pressure spike instantly. He wore a three-p
I stared blankly at the ceiling, listening to the machine's rhythmic sounds beside me that iritates me. I begged to reschedule the hearing, but the court didn't grant it. I had no choice but to choose between witnessing the hearing or risking my baby's life. The thing was, I don't really know what happened after everything went black, my body gave out even before we reached the hospital. I was alone in the room, with no signs of anyone else. I tried to find Noah with my eyes but couldn't, so I returned my gaze to the ceiling. I gently touched my belly. I felt no fear. I don't know why, but I felt complete. It didn't seem like anything was missing; I hadn't lost my baby. Though, if anything had happened to my child, I don't know what I would do to Lucas. He was the root of all this chaos. No one should be blame but he. I looked toward the door as it opened. Moments later, Bernadette walked in. She gave me a small smile. "I brought you some fruit for our baby, she need to be heal
"Can't you understand? I said I'm not leaving until my parents get the damn justice that they deserve!" I argued with Noah. It had been two days since he told me to leave the country for my baby's safety. "I don't even know if you actually filed for another hearing or if you're just saying that to calm me down and get me to follow your orders to leave all of this behind!" He pulled at his hair, looking at me with frustration, as if he didn't know what else to do. "Don't you trust me, Aurora?" he asked. "You know I love your parents just as much as you do because they never treated me differently in the first place. They cared for me as if I were their own son, so don't please ever think that I'm lying or that I'll just let this case go!" I glared at him, not knowing what to say. He was determined to send me away even though I wanted to stay. Why can't he understand me? These were all about my parents—does he expect me to just obey him when he tells me to leave? I've missed so many
I was sore down there. When I woke up, Lucas was still sound asleep. I rummaged through his clothes to find something to wear and cover my body. My outfit was ruined from the outside down to my underwear. He was a beast! Even though I could barely walk properly, I felt no regret. I wanted it, and I won't deny it. He didn't stop until I was begging him to. I only managed to rest for a bit, but I woke up to him making love to my body again. I went straight to the kitchen to get some water. I must have run out of fluids in my body because of what he did. He was trying to hold himself back earlier, but when he laid me down on his bed, it was like he was going to tear me apart. I coughed when I felt his arms wrap around my waist and Lucas burying his face in my neck. "One more?" he asked, pulling me slightly, causing me to feel his hardness against my back. "I'll cut that off," I threatened him. I hadn't even had a proper rest! He just laughed while teasing my breasts, and
"You want more?" I brought the pasta closer to her that I hadn't touched. I was busy watching her enjoy the food I made. She hesitated to look at it. "Don't you want it?" she asked. I shook my head. "I'm not hungry," I replied. "You're wasting food. You shouldn't have cooked so much," she complained, although she was smiling as she took my plate. "Take it easy on the wine. You have low alcohol tolerance," I reminded her. She just smiled at me and gave her full attention to the pasta she was eating. "Does your fiancé know that I'm the one you're visiting here? Does he even know me? Who I am in your life?" She stared at me for a long time while chewing slowly, as if she was thinking. "Of course," she eventually answered. "Do I know him?" "You do," she replied affirmatively. "I'm just going to change my clothes," I said as I left her there. How I envy her for being able to move on and heal her heart that fast while here I am, still stuck on the day when she left me. I quick
"Put me down!" she complained as I carried her like a sack of rice. "Stop squirming!" I said, starting to get annoyed. When I opened my car, I finally put her inside. She looked at me with such anger in her eyes that it felt like she wanted to kill me. "I dare you to open that damn door. It is not funny, Aurora," I said seriously. "Why are you forcing me to go with you? I already said I want to go home—" "And I insisted to take you to your hotel. Yet, we need to talk first." "We have nothing to talk about, Lucas." I turned to the driver's seat. "Yes, we do. You haven't told me why you came here. Was it so important that you flew here when you could have just called me—" She laughed, which made me turn to her. "Call you for what? So I wouldn't see your girlfriend?" "She's not my girlfriend," I corrected her. "You kissed, and now she's not your girlfriend? Damn, what? Are you going to throw your girlfriend away?" "That was an accident, Aurora! I didn't kiss her," I defended
I gasped a breath before facing her. She was silently looking at me while I faced her. A mix of anxiety and fear consumed my system, but I didn't let it show. "Aurora," I said her name. "Lucas," she called me. I could see the surprise in her eyes as if she didn't expect to see me in front of her now. Her eyes pierced through me and looked behind. Even without looking, I knew she was looking at Justine. "You left your girlfriend," she said, now unable to look directly into my eyes. "What are you doing here?" I asked her. After four years, here she is... in front of me. I don't know how to act because I was too shocked by the situation and the fact that she saw me in such a bad state. If... If I could just hug her tight, I would. My attention shifted to her lips as she bit them, something she does whenever she is holding back from saying something. I tried to follow her eyes, but it seemed she was avoiding our eyes meeting. "I got a job offer somewhere here. The driver dropped m
I had been staring at her face for a long time. I was controlling myself not to make a move just to avoid scaring her. She was crying in front of me, and God knows how hard I was trying to hold back the urge to pull her into my arms. Seeing her cry made me want to cry too. As much as I didn't want to see her in tears, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't blame her because I knew she was carrying a heavy burden in her heart. She left the Pines without clarity about what happened before. She planted anger, and it seemed that it hadn't gone away until now. I am not asking her to forgive me anytime soon. I just want to apologize for what I did. I know that forgiveness isn't easy. I never planned to say goodbye to her. It was never on my list to talk to her before I leave, but I had no choice; it seemed this was meant to happen. "Goodbye," I love you. I could no longer hold back the tears streaming down my cheeks, so I hurried back to my car. I cried quietly as I watched her in front
"Aurora left her kids here. I can't leave them," Chris began as he answered my call. "Where did she go?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in concern. She still hadn't gotten over what happened before. She still leaves our kids anywhere. "I told you I can't leave the kids. How will I know? I am in front of Aurora's parents' house. The kids are playing outside," he reported. "I'm heading there now," I replied and ended the call. I turned the steering wheel to go back. Christian had said he was going somewhere, and I couldn't leave my children unattended. I wouldn't forgive myself if something bad happened to them. This is the only way I can ensure their safety. I had been away for a long time, though not literally since there were times I visited Sitel even when they weren't aware. "Thanks," I thanked Chris as he said he was leaving. "Superman!" shouted a familiar child's voice that made me turn. I looked back to see who was calling. Liam had a big smile on his face. Looking at his
"What are you doing here?" Noah asked. He was in front of me. If looks could kill, I would have been lying dead a long time ago. There were just some police around us, and I know how it feels like. The difference is that I was imprisoned because of Aurora's wish for me to be locked up, while this guy in front of me was here because he tried to kill someone. "Did Aurora visit you?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer. I was hearing updates about what was happening with Aurora. Chris was helping me keep an eye on her. It's not that I wanted to invade her privacy, but I needed to. The last time I decided to stop checking on her, in just a span of a fucking second, her life was in danger again. "She has already been discharged from the hospital, for your information. It seems your mother didn't tell you or give any updates about Aurora yet," I added. I smirked when I saw that he seemed to be interested in what I was saying. I felt pity for this friend of Aurora's. He had
I was left sitting here outside the house. Several hours have passed, and until now, Lucas and my children have not returned yet. I have peeked multiple times at the passing vehicles, hoping that one of them carries Luna and Liam. I wanted so much to rest, but I can't. I will wait for them to come back here. I can't bear it if my children were to disappear from me as well. They are my only family. Lucas cannot just steal my kids away and hide them from me. I have more rights than he does if we are going to talk about the kids, but what can I do if he has completely kept them away from me? I wiped the tears that flowed from my eyes. I am getting tired of crying. If I had known this would happen, I would have just stayed inside the house. If I knew that leaving my children just to talk to their father would lead to being separated from them, I wouldn't have left them. I messed up my hair again. Thoughts keep racing through my mind. I swear to God. I could spend all my money just to
I was almost ready to fly my car. The problem was that due to rush hour, I was having a hard time weaving in and out. I had been honked at by the cars I was overtaking, but my desire to catch up with Lucas prevailed. I couldn't explain why I felt anxious. I had just said earlier that I would keep my kids away from him, yet here I was, nearly crashing my vehicle just to reach his condo building. Why didn't he tell me he was leaving? If Noah hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known at all. After everything, he was going to leave? He would just abandon everything and bury it all? Did he want to start a new life and live more quietly? I exhaled forcefully through my nose. I grabbed my hair in frustration while staring at the car in front of me. Those few seconds felt like several minutes. "Damn you, Lucas," I muttered angrily. I kept glancing at my cellphone. I couldn't sit still as time kept ticking away. I didn't even know if I would still catch Lucas at his condo. My eyes we