Chapter 28- The Truth

I closed my eyes as I feel the wind blowing the strands of my hair. Every time I open my eyes, the pain of what happened keeps on flashing back. If only I could sleep until the pain is gone, I would.

Does love hurt like this? Because if it is, I don't want to feel it again.

I looked at the vast view of Magic World. That's why Alexandria Academy's rooftop is my favorite place here. The beauty of this world is a spectacular sight.

I was shocked when I felt someone beside me. Turning around, Hunter handed me his handkerchief. I immediately accepted it and that's when I realized that tears were still dripping from my eyes.

"Why are you here? The Enchanted Ball will be held soon. Won't you start preparing?" I asked him. He leaned on the railings and smiled.

"Someone is much more important than that." He glanced at me. We were silent for a moment and we both just looked away.

"It is dangerous, you know?" I said. "To fall in love and to be loved." He tore his hair using his fingers and his furrowing eyebrow showed up.

"But it's what makes us alive, Althea." I was shocked when he said that. "Love is what makes us keep going every day and falling in love means you exist. Being loved means you matter." I could not speak, and I just realized that I was sobbing, and he hugged me.

I'm not angry for I look like Rhian. I'm angry because Isaac and the others used me. They knew how hard it was for me to do all that adjustment I did for them. It was so hard for me to accept them in my life, but when I did, they broke me.

Hunter wiped away my tears. "You need to face them, Althea. You need to hear their side too no matter how painful it is to hear it. At the end of the day, you still deserve the truth." I shook my head in disapproval.

I feel like when I see at least one of them, I can no longer control myself and hurt them. I don't want that. I'm not like them. I will never retaliate no matter how much they hurt me.

"I-I can't..." I closed my eyes. I cannot do it. I don't want to feel all this pain anymore. I just want the pain to stop.

"Hey, you have to. You can't be calm until you hear everything." He smiled at me and caressed my hair. I stayed quiet for a moment to think, and Hunter was right. If I have to move on, I need to know the truth. Even if it means breaking myself again.

Hunter and I stayed on the rooftop and waited for my crying to subside. "I still don't have anything against Isaac, huh?" he said meaningfully before leaving. He offered to call Isaac here on the rooftop, so he left. After a minute or two, I heard a step approaching me. I turned to him.

"Stop. Don't get close to me," I said to Isaac who immediately stopped walking. He looked frustrated and tired. He messed up his hair.

"Let me explain--"

"Yes, that's why we're here. I will listen to any lies that you're going to say." He could not answer, and he just looked at me. The wind blew my hair again.

"Rhian Serina is your sister." I was stunned and my world seemed to stop again. "She's Elijah's daughter, too. We thought she's the girl we're looking for, so we kept her. Until we turned nineteen, and I started to like her. She did the same to me and then we entered a relationship. Everything in my life was perfect at that time. Until she decided to join the Tournament. She's the hoaxer, and she died inside that Arena..."

"...If you are wondering how you became her sister, your father was seeking for the love he never had. He wants to have a son to be his heir. So, he was looking for women he could have sex with. But they failed him. His first daughter was Rhian. So, he rejected it. The second was you. But you're still a girl so he pushed you away, too. Until he died, he did not look for you." He stared at me, the dark spots under his eyes seemed darker than usual. It looks like he'd having a hard time sleeping.

"I wanted to tell you the truth, but I can't hurt you anymore, Althea. I just want to protect you--" I stepped voluntarily, and I couldn't stop my hand, I slapped him. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"What right do you have to hide me the truth about myself, Isaac?" I was angry even more. How come he hid those things from me?

"I did that because I love you! And I don't want to lose you! Being away from you kills me. It wasn't my intention to hurt you, Althea." His voice cracked. His eyes started to water, and I could see how his tears fell.

"But you still did." It makes me feel even angrier. "You could have told me, Isaac. I will wait for you. Because I know that someday, you will also learn to love me for who I am, and not as someone else. Because I love you that much."

"I love you, Althea. Believe me, I love you--"

"If you love me why did you do that to me? If you love me, why are you hurting me? It's not like that, Isaac. Because I love you. And I know I'm not lying about how I feel for you."

He held my hand and he started to cry. "Just tell me what I should do. Just forgive me. Please, Althea..." I pulled my hand away and averted my gaze. Even after everything he did, I still love him, but this has to stop.

"Get out of my life, and don't you ever come back. Everything you said is enough, Isaac. I want you to go in my life. Please, just leave." I turned my back on him and was about to leave when he pulled me and hugged me from behind. He was sobbing and I couldn't help but cry. I held back every sob for him not to hear me.

"Althea, I don't want to lose you," he whispered. I laugh, drastically.

"The moment you lied to me, is the moment you lost me." I confronted him again. "Goodbye."

I ran away from the rooftop but was stunned when I met Lydia, Cath, Kristian, and Kurt on the hallway. They looked at me with full of concern especially when they saw my eyes.

"Althea, we're sorry--" I cut Lydia off.

"Nothing made sense to me even after Isaac explained everything. Now, I'm starting to regret everything I felt. Why did I even meet you? Do you know what I regret the most?” I smiled, drastically because of the pain. “Loving you all as my family.”