Between The Lines and YOU

Thirty One

"You're finally home, Ace." I did not know how or how quickly I managed to rise and run toward the door.

"Do not come closer. I will scream." Despite the fear and trembling inside me, I forced my voice to remain steady. I felt as if I were losing my mind, wondering why I had been brought here, why she was here, and what she wanted from me. She straightened the bed, folding it neatly, then picked up the pillow lying on the mat. A soft laugh escaped her.

"Why are you afraid? With beauty like mine, you are afraid?" She made a move to step forward, and I clutched the doorknob tightly. Truthfully, I did not feel genuine fear toward her. It was almost as if I were facing myself, speaking with my own reflection, because we looked so much alike. Yet knowing I had been forcibly taken and brought here terrified me. My mind spun with awful thoughts that perhaps they were organ traffickers who would sell my body parts.

"Why am I here? Why are you here? What do you want from me? Please, I do not have any money to give you. Do not hurt me, I beg you." My tears flowed freely as memories resurfaced, being abducted before, the beating I endured. Once again she laughed, as if I had just told her the funniest joke she had ever heard.

"Why would I do that to my younger sister?" My crying stopped instantly. It was as if an angel had passed between us. What did she just say?

"W-what d-do you mean... what are you saying?" The words tangled in my mouth, my saliva choking me as if it blocked my throat. Where was my mind? Someone please bring it back. I needed to think clearly.

"We have been looking for you for almost twenty years. From country to country, even in remote places. I know it is difficult to believe, confusing, overwhelming, but if you allow me to tell you everything, I will. Since the day you were taken from us. But before anythi—"

I wanted to stop her, yet my thoughts clashed violently in my head. Everything replayed. The comments of people who said I looked nothing like my family. That I looked foreign, that I was an illegitimate child. For the second time, darkness swallowed me whole.

When I opened my eyes again, I was still in the same room where I had woken earlier and seen Shane. Now she was gone, leaving me staring into nothingness. I shut my eyes tightly. It must have been a dream, those words I heard. They held no truth. But no, it was real. I had seen her here, with my own eyes, and she had said those things. My head throbbed painfully. I was lost in a storm of confusion. I needed to get out. That was it.

I rose and composed myself. I refused to believe what she had said. They must have mistaken me for someone else. Slowly, I stepped out, glancing around for any possible exit. Was this the White House? This place was enormous. Was this really Shane’s home? There. The stairs. I took each step carefully. The floor was carpeted, and I was barefoot. Even if I ran, I doubted my footsteps would be heard. Still, I had to be cautious. I had no idea how many people might be here.

Spirits of—

"Ah! An enchantress! Dear God, are you going to kill me?" I blurted out when I turned and found myself staring at a smiling maid. Wrong again. Embarrassment flushed through me at my own overreaction.

"Señorita, they are waiting for you downstairs." Goodness. Señorita? What in the world was happening? Why were people treating me this way? I cleared my throat and straightened myself. She looked elderly, judging by her appearance and bearing.

"You are mistaken. I just got lost here. Actually, I was about to leave. Could you show me the way out?" She studied me, her eyes clouded with some emotion, perhaps longing.

"This way, Señora. Please follow me." I scratched my brow, a habit I never usually had. Maybe I looked wealthy to her, which was why she kept calling me Señorita.

I followed her. At least she did not speak much, only guided me patiently to the exit. I felt like a lost child, turning my head left and right as I took in the vastness of the house. It was so grand. I was not ignorant, only amazed. It looked even larger than Knox’s mansion. I froze midway down the stairs when I saw Shane and a woman with her, who looked very much like her mother. Both of them were staring at me. How could I possibly hide now? I wanted to curse that woman. I thought she would show me the way out, not straight into this. With no choice left, I forced myself to keep walking down.

I wanted to strangle Shane right then. I had only seen her at the stadium yesterday, and now this? She even dared to joke that I was her sister. If this really was hee mother, I would report her to her. As soon as I came close, the woman’s face broke into a sweet smile. Shane mirrored it.

“Hello—” I didn’t even finish. Her mother suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace, so tight it felt like she was crushing the breath out of me. Damn it.

“At last, we finally found you.” My shoulder grew damp. She was crying, and I had no idea what to say.

I wished someone would shout that this was all just a prank. I wished Shane would laugh and admit it was all a joke. I wasn’t amused anymore. I glanced at her, but she too had tears in her eyes as she looked at us. Her mother still clung to me, refusing to let go. Several minutes passed before she finally released me. She kissed me on the cheek and took both my hands in hers.

“I know you are confused about everything that is happening, but let your sister explain it all to you, my child.” My child.

This cannot be… how could it be?

I forced myself to find my voice. I wanted to tell them they were wrong. But on the other hand, fragments of doubt began to sink in. Thoughts of Mom, Dad, and my siblings rushed into my mind. Were they truly my family? They had raised me. We had family pictures together. I shook my head at them.

“You are mistaken. I have a family. I am not the one you are looking for.” I saw how the woman’s eyes hardened with anger.

“Mom, please rest. I will be the one to explain everything to her. Do not worry. She will not disappear from us again. I promise.” She kissed her mother’s cheek, then guided her upstairs. Before leaving, she cast me another long look and gave Shane a small nod.

I was left standing there in their living room, torn between running as fast as I could out of this place or staying to satisfy my growing curiosity. My mind was in turmoil, everything striking me like lightning. If this was a dream, I wanted to wake up. I felt like I was standing at the edge of nothingness, each step dragging me closer to truths that were never meant to be unearthed. Truths that should remain hidden, because I was afraid to face the possibility that maybe, just maybe, I had been blinded by lies all along.

“Do you drink?”

____________________________

My steps were brisk as I headed toward the address Dana had given me for the date. Shane had dropped me off and even lent me clothes and heels to wear. I knew I shouldn’t be trying to look good, but I also didn’t want to appear unpleasant to whoever I was meeting. This wouldn’t take long anyway. While walking to the place, I couldn’t stop replaying what Shane had asked me earlier.

“Do you drink?” I had shaken my head quickly. I didn’t want to drink. I wanted to hear everything from her with a clear head.

“I want to hear it all.” She had nodded and smiled.

“What you thought was your family is not your true family, Ace. Did you ever wonder why you look nothing like them? Why do they let you work yourself to the bone without lifting a hand to help, without ever giving you even a single cent?” I understood Mom and Dad’s situation. We were poor, and I never let that be a reason to question their support. But her words still made me think. Even now, I had received no texts, no calls from them.

“The woman you thought was your mother is only a laundress. Her family owes ours a great debt, and in exchange, they serve us. She did not even lose much. Mom and Dad still paid her salary for being a kind and hardworking laundress. October 13th, Tuesday, 3:45 p.m. You were two months old. She took you out of your crib. I was one year and one month old when both Mom and Dad had to leave us with her to attend to their family’s case. They were planning to withdraw the charges. But everything turned into a nightmare. You disappeared.”

No. I did not want to believe what he had just told me. Mom loved me. She would never do such a thing. I stopped in my tracks, nearly colliding with a lamppost. My chest grew tight. I could hardly breathe. I could not make myself believe her words. Yet tears threatened my eyes. A part of me feared that maybe Mom and Dad only kept me to settle a score.

“We checked every CCTV. That was where we saw everything. The man you believed to be your father was her accomplice. Ace, for twenty two years they demanded money from Mom and Dad, promising to return you. But what did they do? They never intended to give you back. They kept changing addresses, making it impossible to track them. They took the money and kept using you against us.”

Stop. I could not take hearing more. My tears fell freely, and Shane’s voice kept echoing in my head, every word cutting me like a blade again and again.

“If not for Knox, I never would have found you. We have known each other as fellow stockholders in Vergara’s biggest clothing line. The siblings you thought were yours are not your siblings at all. Those children are victims like you. There are many of you. Some were taken elsewhere. Those people are filthy, heartless. Forgive me for being late. I knew you were in V.C.U., so I asked Knox to watch over you until I could find the right time to meet you. Everything was planned, even my being a guest at your school event. I wanted to make sure you were fine. I was not mistaken.” At last, I reached my destination. Vivi’s. I wiped the endless tears from my face. People passing by must have thought I looked pitiful, crying like a fool in public. I could not stop. Part of me wondered if Knox had deliberately drawn close to me because of some arrangement. But he loved me, didn’t he? Or maybe he didn’t. Nothing felt certain anymore.

Why did he let me look so foolish? But if he had told me the truth back then, would I have believed him? My thoughts were a mess. Though my voice faltered, I forced myself to ask, groping for control of my senses that seemed to have abandoned me.

My body trembled. I could not even identify what emotion consumed me now. From outside the glass door, I pushed it open. One step, two, three into the restaurant. My eyes immediately searched for the person I was supposed to meet. I wondered if I could even sit through a conversation without breaking down. I was already shattered. But I was here, so I had to do this. I would find an excuse to leave quickly.

It was as if my eyes had a mind of their own, guiding me toward the one I had come for. My heart clenched. I wanted to vanish. I was not ready to see him. Not now. He was already looking at me. He must have noticed me standing outside, trying to stifle my tears before coming in. Concern filled his gaze. He was still breathtaking, as always.

“He is Knox Aser Corazon Sandoval Kaguya. I did not know he still uses Sandoval until now. He is connected to the owner of the V. C. U.” I drew a deep breath. I was close, so close to the truth.

“Let me go home first. Do not let Knox know that I already know. There is something else I need to find out.” She nodded, then agreed to take me to Vivi’s.

Despite the heaviness pressing on my chest, I forced a smile when I saw him. He immediately stood to pull out a chair for me. I wanted to ask why he was here, but I already understood without words. The moment I saw him sitting there, I knew the person I was supposed to meet was not some stranger or another student from V.C.U. It was him. He always carried that aura that for him, anything was possible.

"You don't look fine. Do you want to go somewhere else?" I shook my head gently. I wanted to hug him, to pour everything out, but I knew I could not, not with so many people around us. I was certain the press conference already suspected there was something between us.

"I… I’m fine, Knox. It’s just a headache." I offered as an excuse. He looked straight at me, and I quickly turned my gaze away.

"Pria, you know you can tell me everything." At the sound of his voice, I almost broke down. I wanted to cry on his shoulder, but I could not bring myself to say the words. I was startled when he suddenly stood and left me for a moment. When he returned, he immediately asked me to stand and took my hand.

"Kno—"

"Let's go somewhere safe." I nodded quickly, and together we left Vivi’s. I caught sight of a few pairs of eyes watching our joined hands, but Knox seemed completely unconcerned with the stares around us. Despite the heaviness inside me, a hidden smile slipped onto my lips. He was driving a different car again, this time a white one. Once we were inside, I could no longer hold back. The weight in my chest was too much, and my head felt like it would burst from the pain. Surprised as he might have been, he pulled me into his arms.

He said nothing. He simply let me cry against his shoulder while his hand moved gently along my back. I did not know how I would face Mom and Dad. With everything I had learned, I felt as though I was dying little by little. If Shane’s words were true, how could they do this to me? How could they deceive so many innocent children? And yet, a part of me wanted to cling to the faint hope that none of Shane’s revelations were real. Mom and Dad could not have done such a thing to me.

I had no idea how long I stayed in his arms, crying against him. All I knew was that the next time I opened my eyes, we were already on the road. I had fallen asleep from weeping so hard. I felt a light squeeze on my hand, making me glance at Knox. Our hands were still entwined. He kept his focus on the road as he drove.

"Knox, where are we going?" My voice was hoarse.

"Palace del Rio."