CHAPTER II
1560 Words
“What stupidity is this? You turn me off into your life and now you’re coming around saying that my former friends are missing?!” I can’t help myself from bursting my anger.
It seems like I have longed waited for this moment to finally scream back at him, No, to even go further than just yell. I wanted to scold and beat him, but that would make me look more dejected in his eyes. And I don’t wish to give him the pleasure of looking at an image of me being so miserable before him.
“Would you at least listen to me first?” Eugene held my arms and his words stunned me frozen before his eyes. Those dark brown pair of eyes that once looked at me with so much beauty are now covered with disappointment and irritation. How did it go this way on his end when in the first place he was the one who choose to dump me?
From the beginning, I have already sensed that Eugene never loves me. He admitted having to date me as part of his deal with Stefano. And worst, I even played like a b***h gal with him on our last day in Monaco. Partying to a full extent, enjoying the night as if it’s the last, and then ending up getting married to him recklessly. How stupid of me to drink so much to not even have the right thinking while Eugene’s lawyer friend jokingly weds me to him. What’s even more stupid is the fact that I thoughtlessly signed the wedding contract.
Eugene had to follow me back here in the Philippines a few weeks later just to file for a divorce. And though he did apologize for what happened and I am partly to be blamed, he is still in full responsibility for targeting me in the first place and taking me in as a bet.
“There is no need for me to listen to you because I don’t even care,” I answered him as I titled my head aside, completely removing my attention towards his face.
“I know you don’t want to talk to me but at least help me find them. Thalia and Emalia are gone alongside my brother, Stefano.” Eugene pleads. I was forced to look back and this was the first time I saw that kind of reaction from his face.
“So what if they’re missing?”
“What? Don’t you even at least care about your friends?”
“First, Yes, I don’t care at all. Why would I do that when they have forgotten about me in the first place? Second, even if I do care, what do you exactly wish me to do? Search the whole world for them? Go to the police and report it all you want for all I care.” I struggled to get off his hold as I quickly sprint my way inside the door. I am completely ignoring Eugene before I could break down further before him which I have been trying to avoid.
Soon I finally heard his engine starting and leaving the place. And then I realize that I am really not prepared to talk to him after all. But what suddenly bothered me more than that is the idea of his sudden visit. Could he be really telling me the truth that Thalia, Stefano, and Emalia are missing?
***
La Sobelle Travel & Tours
San Ildefonso
“What? Did he just say Emalia and Thalia were missing? Since when? But I thought they were on vacation?” Gab sounded so anxious that I thought I’d be pissed about his absurd reaction. He doesn’t normally give much interest to the two after not being invited to Thalia’s wedding. I suppose he still considers them significant after all, making his reaction a genuine one to assume.
We haven’t heard anything about them ever since the wedding and I don’t even mind either. It’s their choice to invite us or not. It is also their option whether they would distance themselves from us or not. It has been nearly a year now ever since Thalia and I argued and never did she attempt to come around and ask for forgiveness.
“Yeah. It is what he said so that’s it.” I told him while shrugging my shoulders. In my attempt to pretend that I don’t actually care, I then accidentally overpoured my cup with hot water. “Oh shoot! What a mess!” my hands were burning from the heat as I quickly set aside the flowing cup of hot water.
I look at Gab and continued saying, “Why are we even talking about these two anyway?” my irritation was triggered when my fingers were scaled by the hot water. Soothing it as I blew on my now reddish fingertips, I sigh at the thought of Gab’s expression towards me, “Now what?” I asked.
“I don’t think now is the time to act all stingy about the situation, girl. They are still our friends.” He reacted. His expression tells me that he will dig deep down to pull out the concern within me, and seriously, I don’t wish to talk about it at all.
If those two could mute us from their lives, then why can’t we?
And yet at the back of my head, something tells me that I should be bothered by it. That despite what happened between all of us, Gab’s words suddenly pierced through within me, giving me the tinge of care for the two.
I totally feel like everything is so unfair. Even if I wish to withdraw from them completely, something would later come up and will just swiftly pull me back to square one. My relationship with Thalia and Emalia has slowly turned into ruins ever since the Del Vecchio’s came into our lives.
My breakup with Eugene had bestowed an impact on all of us. This has caused so much chaos for me and my other two friends. I never thought it would eventually come into this moment when even Emalia and I will as well have our paths be separated because she has to choose Thalia's side over me. She technically didn’t say it but sticking with Thalia’s side after what she did is still a sign that Emalia has turned her back on me.
I shouldn’t be stressing myself over something such as what Thalia did to me back then. So many times I saw her hanging out with Eugene behind my back, she even attempted to step in just to fix my broken relationship—like a meddler of the scene—and that’s what I hate the most because I don’t want it at all. I can’t forgive Eugene for what he has done to me, and now I am more furious that my very own friend, Thalia, would go so much as to even make things work with me and Eugene again.
I hated what she did because I didn’t ask for it in the first place. But for some reason, a part of me was anticipating Thalia would talk to me about it, and yet, she didn’t even bother. To make things even worst, she dated Stefano—Eugene’s brother. And there’s nothing more irritating than to see your friend being all happy in the arms of the man who is also the brother of the guy who had hurt me in the past.
Looking back at it, those things were really the worst days that I don’t wish to look at anymore. But fate has always been playing a prank at me most of the time that it still manages to find its way back to hunt me. But like I have always been saying, I had enough hearing out Eugene. He has nothing left to explain because it will not change the damage that he has done to me.
I rested the cup on the front desk as I clean the mess from the dispenser. “Let us not talk about people who don’t have any concern with us anymore.”
“Will you stop acting all stingy about this, ‘Vina” Gab is already serious, I know. He has called me with my nickname already and that is the cue.
“I am not acting.”
“My goodness, Vina! They are our friends.”
“If you are so concern about it then go and start searching for them but don’t count me in because you can’t expect anything from me.” I finally said back as I headed for the pantry. I would prefer having my morning coffee there away from Gab than being nagged here about people I have already erased from my book.
“And where are you going?” Gab pulled my attention back.
“Away from your babbling tongue. Don’t you dare follow me?” I said as I turn my back at him once more. This time, I quickly head for the pantry so that I could finally escape this sudden interrogation and nit-picking session from Gab.
It would also be best if we don’t talk about them further. I don’t wish for Gab and me to actually start arguing just because of them.
*****
- Writer
