Chapter 12
1650 Words
It was his moment when he was about to receive the vow of becoming a priest. Val Roberto is wearing a beautiful priest gown in a gold motif. It's just an hour and everything is ready and the ordination will begin.
Val Roberto gets inside the confession room and just takes his moment for a while. Indeed, for the past years, he was living in lies under the cassocks.
He can recall why he was in this situation. He is happy becoming servants of the church and the people but there is something deep down inside his heart, wanting to burst. What if the heavens punish him?
It was five years when he left Lorena, but he wasn't ready for the responsibility. He knows how powerful and connections Bianchi has and he wants to live freely. But he just made himself in prison for this unwanted responsibility.
He even hurt and used Maria. He saw Maria with a kid many times attending the holy ceremony. He wonders when she got married. He hopes for the best for her. But he is more curious about what his child looks like. Perhaps Lorena hates him so much.
The church was in a panic when the ceremony was about to begin and didn't find Val Roberto. The gold motif gown was found inside the confession room with a simple note, forgive my disappearance. It was understood that Val didn't want to go further from holding his true intention. Finally, he decided to leave without notice, just what he did to the two women who cared for him.
He was in the alley, wanting to find a club to release his frustration but a group of men chased him. He knew who these people were. This is Italy, where the mafia still exists. Whether they are mobsters and gangsters, he knew it for sure, he was being chased by Bianchi's men.
It was sudden that he bumped into Maria and her son. Maria was surprised but he knew Maria was happy seeing him. But he had no time to greet her as he was cornered by Bianchi's men. From the start, he never loved Maria purely, maybe because she was a woman who lived inside the convent and gave him a soft spot, he even got the idea to enter the seminary.
He was running from responsibility and at that time, he didn't want to be misunderstood. He acted like a caring lover but he wasn't planning on loving her while Maria thought he was in love with her. Lorena is the woman for her and they have a child. He hopes Maria will forgive him when she finds out everything.
He was captured since Lorena is so in love with Val Roberto. She begs with her cousin, Lorenzo, and clears their mess. As a family, Lorenzo can't stand his cousin's suffering, looking for his long-lost lover in Italy. Who would've thought he is just hiding in the church? Lorenzo was busy for the past five years and didn't give much attention to her cousin, begging for help.
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Lorenzo goes upstairs and calls his cousin Lorena, announcing the good news that he found Val Roberto. He wants to punish him but Lorena loves Val. Asking for advice is the best solution to end this problem.
After all, it wasn't Lorenzo's trouble but Val's connection to Maria that made him frustrated. How he will tell Maria that Val used her and hid. The person she is in love with, loved someone else even before they met. Will she be able to handle the pain?
Lorenzo prepares himself and pretends not to care and meets Maria and Morris for a while. He then prepares some papers and orders just in case his plan doesn't work according to his will, which he believes it will do.
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“Hey, Mommy will go somewhere. Be a good boy okay. Call Mr. Lorenzo as Daddy, he will like it.” Maria sits beside Morris, helping him build the lego blocks.
“But Mom, when will you come back?” Morris asked and continued to play with his toys.
“I don't know. Don't forget to visit grandma in the convent sometimes.”
“Yes, I will, right Aunty Laura?” Morris shouts to call the attention of the middle-aged woman who is busy in the living room.
Aunty Laura just smiled and answered loudly, “Yes dear!”
Unaware of the real situation between his parents, Morris hugged his mother and kissed Maria on her cheek.
“I promise, but you promised too, you will come back soon. I am just here waiting for you, Mommy.” Morris said with teary eyes. But as a kid, he doesn't know what exact feeling he has. He then continued to play with the toys.
After dinner and tired of playing, Morris falls asleep early. It was a perfect chance for Aunty Laura to talk to Maria before sending her to Lorenzo's room who instructed her to remind Maria.
“I am not against your will, Maria. All of us have our desires and decisions. I hope you will find your true happiness. You are most welcome if you choose to come back.”
“I...I.I am sorry. Please, take care of my son.”
With that, Maria left the mansion and chased her dream. She was sent to Val Roberto's house as promised.
Aunty Laura takes charge of everything. She knew, once Maria stepped out of the door and Lorenzo found out her final decision, this mansion would turn into chaos.
Maria was so excited. The Bianchi driver dropped her at Val Roberto's gate. Her heart is pounding hard thinking about what will be his reaction after a few years of no proper communication. Though they meet occasionally, as deacons, Val and Maria have no chance to talk properly, especially in the vicinity of the church.
It happened twice that during the mission, they met again and had a few talks but nothing formal at all as it was forbidden. Heaven knows how much Maria restrained herself, how much she missed the man she loved so much. She was glad that Val Roberto is just a deacon and just serves holy sermons sometimes. She hopes that time Val will change his mind and continue the relationship they had.
But a few days ago she heard the news that Val didn't receive the ordination and left the church. She is more than happy and planned to meet the guy but she didn't expect it in an unwanted sight. He was taken by the goons and brought somewhere and realized it was Lorenzo's doings.
She thought, offering her body to Lorenzo, in exchange for Val's freedom, was the best way. Without even realizing that Lorenzo has another plan and why he captured Val. For Maria, she thought Lorenzo is after Val to separate them and divert her attention to him.
She was wrong in her thoughts about it.
“M-Maria! Wait!” Val chased the woman who is now running downstairs wearing a bathrobe sitting in sweat with his activity to that woman.
“Val, I came here because I chose you! H-How did you,-”
“Maria, please hear me out. I know I tricked and used you, but Lorena is the mother of my child and I love her.” Val said, with a pitying eye for Maria.
“That's not true! I waited for you for I don't know how many years for you to change your mind, I thought you left the church because you wanted us to be together finally.." Maria said in a crying mess, still in shock at what she had witnessed minutes ago.
Maria slum her body down on the floor and cried suppressing her voice. She was hurt, very hurt. The time and effort she saved and intended for Val were gone in seconds.
Lorena approached and extended her arm asking Maria to stand. For a while, Maria realized why she didn't feel mad at the woman. She is crying without even knowing that she just didn't achieve her goal. She now realizes little by little that Val is just a person who made her life continue to live and hope.
Maria silently reached Lorena's hand and slowly stood up, wiping her tears and slightly smiling.
“Maria, right?” Lorena asked politely and pointed to the sofa asking her to sit.
“Y-Yes,” Maria answered, looking at Val who was approaching with a glass of water in his hand and giving it to her to drink.
“I am sorry if our path crossed, and I made your life miserable. I was running away but my conscience is not making me sleep.”
Nothing, no words to say, still in a daze of the happenings, Maria just cried silently.
After drinking the water, she just bowed her head and left the mansion silently. Val and Lorena watched her but they knew Maria came to her senses that Val wasn't for her.
The fact that she was crying not because she saw Val with another woman, was an awakening for her that she made a bad decision.
She was hurt to see Val and heard that Val loves Lorena instead of her but she doesn't understand why her heart suddenly feels light. As if a thorn was taken away and she can breathe properly now. For how many years, she thought, she only needed Val in her life, Val is everything. He is the man for him but why does she feel better now when she heard they had a child.
Maria came to realize that Val and she were on the same boat and seeking freedom and happiness out of their choices and wrong decisions.
What will I do now?
Maria's tears start to fall when the taxi reaches the city.
- Writer
