Luna's Payback: Claiming My Fate!

42:

As Eduard Albert drove towards their house, he could already see his wife standing on the balcony of their bedroom. Her gaze was distant, and her eyes filled with sorrow.

He sighed inside his car. He had just come from overseeing one of their businesses, ensuring everything was running smoothly. Seeing the sadness in his wife's eyes now, he knew exactly what it was about—their daughter, Veronica.

He parked the car in their garage. Theresa didn’t even notice or look at him as he entered the house. This had become her usual behavior since they found out their daughter had gone missing and had been abducted.

Eduard found one of their housemaids and asked, “Has Theresa eaten?”

The housemaid shook her head. “I’m sorry, Sir Eduard. No matter how much I tried to convince her, Ma’am wouldn’t eat.”

He simply nodded. It wasn’t the maid’s fault if Theresa refused to eat.

He went upstairs to the second floor, heading to their master bedroom to join her on the balcony. She was still there, staring off into the distance, with deep longing and sorrow etched in her eyes.

Eduard felt like his heart was being twisted in pain. He felt utterly useless as a husband and father, knowing that even now, he still couldn't do anything.

He slowly approached his wife and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “Theresa… it's getting late, nearly evening. The air’s humid. Why haven’t you come inside yet? You might get sick…”

She didn’t respond. She couldn’t even bring herself to move her head.

It pained him—not because his wife was ignoring him, but because he couldn’t do anything to ease her sorrow.

“I heard you didn’t eat again? Why aren’t you eating, Theresa? You could get sick. What if you end up in the hospital? I know you’re sad, but please don’t neglect yourself. At least try to eat a little,” he pleaded with concern in his voice.

That’s when she finally turned to him. “How can you do that, Eduard?”

Confusion filled him. “Huh? What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

A brief flicker of anger crossed her face. “How can you stay so calm in a situation like this? How can you act like everything’s okay knowing that we still haven’t found our daughter? It’s been a year since she disappeared, but you act like nothing’s wrong!” She stood up, now facing him fully.

Eduard couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Is that how you see it, Theresa? Do you think I’m okay with the fact that our daughter is still missing?”

“Well, aren’t you? How can you go out every day and take care of those damned businesses while I sit here, restless, wondering where our daughter could be!” Her voice rose, and Eduard didn’t like the tone she was using.

It felt like she was accusing him of not caring about their daughter, which was far from the truth. “Hold on, what exactly are you trying to say, Theresa? Are you implying that I don’t care about our daughter?”

“Yes! Because even in this situation, you’re still focused on business! While I can barely sleep thinking about our child!” she shouted right in his face.

Eduard couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was the first time they’d fought like this in all the years of their marriage.

“What do you want me to do? Sit around and cry all day because our daughter is missing? Theresa, the world doesn’t stop spinning just because our daughter disappeared! If I don’t take care of our business, we’ll lose everything. How will we eat? How will we pay the bills? And more importantly, how will we continue searching for Veronica if we have no money? Do you think our daughter would want us to lose our home, be without electricity and water, all because of her?” His voice was filled with frustration.

But Theresa’s emotions were running high. She pounded her fists against her husband’s chest. Eduard let her. He knew she was letting out all her pent-up anger and grief.

“Even so! Why does it feel like our livelihood is more important to you than finding our daughter?” Tears streamed down her face.

He sighed deeply. “That’s a lie, Theresa. I’m just being practical. We can’t neglect ourselves just because we’re sad. You can be vulnerable, but as the leader of this family, I can’t afford to be as emotional as you. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love our daughter. That’s absurd!”

Theresa broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Her husband wrapped her in his arms, trying to make her feel that no matter how hard the situation was, they still had each other's back.

“I understand how you feel, Theresa. Veronica is our only daughter. Like you, it feels like I’m being tortured every time I think about where she might be. Is she okay? Is she eating properly? Is she being hurt? It drives me insane. But I’m doing my best to stay strong for our family. So, please don’t think I don’t care about our daughter.”

Theresa felt ashamed. She had hurt her husband in her emotional outburst. He was right. To find Veronica, they needed money. If Eduard neglected their small businesses, they could end up with nothing, sinking into the depths of poverty.

And the Fuentebellas? They seemed like they weren’t even looking for Veronica. But they didn’t want to focus on that for now. The priority was finding their daughter, as that’s where the answers would be.

Eduard kissed his wife on the top of her head. “Let’s not fight over this anymore. Do you remember the vows we made when we got married? Through thick and thin, right? We’re a team. We can’t afford to be weak because that will only make it harder to find our daughter.”

Theresa wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. She understood her husband’s point. “Eduard… but you know? I have this feeling…”

For the first time in a year, she was finally going to admit it. She had been hesitant for so long. “What is it?” he asked.

“I have this gut feeling that the Fuentebellas are involved in our daughter’s disappearance.”

Eduard was shocked, because whether he admitted it or not, he felt the same way. However, knowing that his wife often overthought things, he chose not to say anything. But he never expected that they were both thinking the same thing.

He took a deep breath. "You know, I feel the same. There's something off about that family. It's like they're hiding a secret. And not just that, you're right—we both have the same suspicion. It’s like they’re involved in our daughter's disappearance."

Theresa’s eyes widened, and she was ready to storm off. “Really? Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go confront them!” she shouted with bold determination.

Eduard rubbed his forehead in frustration. “But it’s not that simple, Theresa. We don’t have any proof. It’s just a gut feeling. They’ve been cooperating, and Angelo gave a statement to the police. They keep us updated. We can’t just go barging in there and accuse them of something. It could backfire, and we could be the ones facing charges. You know they’re different now. They’re wealthy,” he said, trying to be practical and calm her down.

Even though she was irritated, Theresa knew her husband had a point. What would they even say if they confronted the Fuentebella family? The conversation could easily turn heated, and they could end up in a dangerous situation, possibly even shot at. Given how they behaved, it wasn’t impossible for them to own guns.

“That’s exactly what makes them suspicious. We know how they used to live, right? They could barely afford to send their kids to college. Veronica was always helping Angelo back when they were studying. They didn’t have hidden assets. It was only after Angelo, Allen, and Anne got jobs that their lives improved. Sure, they earn a lot in the corporate world, but not millions. So how did they suddenly become millionaires?" Theresa’s face was full of confusion and doubt.

It was indeed a huge mystery to them. How did that happen?

"I think Veronica can give us the answers to that question. The only problem is, where is our daughter? She holds the key to all our questions."

Theresa leaned her head against her husband's chest, and Eduard gently stroked her hair. "I hope we find our daughter soon. It's already been a year..."

He exhaled deeply. "God is merciful. Sooner or later, we’ll find her. And when I discover who did this to her, I swear they’ll pay, even if it costs me my life," he said with emphasis on the last part.

Meanwhile, from a distance, Anne Fuentebella lowered the telescope she was holding. The Alberts' home stood in front of a vast piece of land, which allowed them to hide behind a large tree, spying on the family.

"Mama, I’m getting tired of this. I’m starting to itch, and my skin might get ruined," she complained to her mother.

Maria shot her a fierce look. They were camouflaged with mud to blend in with their surroundings. They had been there for hours, and it seemed like they were spying on the Albert family almost every day.

Angelo didn’t trust that Veronica's family had no idea what really happened to her. There was a chance they knew and were trying to frame them, so he ordered his family to keep an eye on them.

“Heh! You always have so many complaints! Just follow your big brother's orders,” Maria replied to her daughter, irritated.

Anne pouted dramatically. “What are we even doing here? My God, we come here every day. It’s so hot, my skin is itchy. Isn’t it obvious, mom? Look at Theresa’s face; she looks like she's about to die from depression! I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up in the hospital in a few months. She’s lost so much weight, and it’s clear from her face that she’s worried sick about her daughter!”

Maria paused. “So, what are you saying?”

“Duh, it’s obvious, mom! They don’t know anything about where their useless daughter is! Just look, those two are probably fighting. Their marriage might even end in divorce. Do they look like they know what happened to their daughter? They’re idiots; they’d never suspect that we know anything! Why are we wasting our time here?” Anne stomped her foot in frustration.

Maria’s face lit up. “You might be right, Anne. They really don’t seem to know anything. Well, they are fools after all. Why are we wasting our time here? Angelo has nothing to worry about. Don’t worry, this will be the last day we spy on them.”

Anne’s face relaxed in relief. “Finally! I don’t get why big brother even bothers with them. They're not worth it!”

Unbeknownst to the two women, the Albert family had already started to have doubts. Will Veronica’s family soon uncover the dark secret the Fuentebellas have been hiding?