Chapter 105

Chapter 105
"Catherine was still alive."

The cool breeze grew colder as I observed Rafael, wide-eyed at what he saw in front of him. The letter I wrote was waiting for him to read it, but he stayed motionless in his seat opposite me.
And, in order to allow him uninterrupted reading time, I needed to go for a stroll, so I stood to leave him at the table. But he instantly grasped my left hand and prevented me from fleeing.
"Return to your seat, Monica," he said, his voice deep and hard. He didn't seem to be feeling anything. And he still had the ability to control me, so I returned to my seat.
He inquired, "What is the meaning of this letter, and who wrote it?"
I wasn't expecting him to stop me from leaving and ask further questions.
"I specifically wrote the letter for you."
"Why did you write something that you could simply achieve by speaking rather than writing?" he scowled as he scrutinized me.
Again, I felt compelled to give him the truth, and I objected. I can't stand watching his expressions change into something frightening after reading the contents of my letter.
"Please read it and think about it before you react," I said, as I took a step back. "And please let me go."
But his grip on my wrist was so firm that I shivered. As he went on, I felt like puking.
"Please read your letter to me, Monica," he implored.
"What?" I spluttered, wide-eyed.
He fixed his gaze on me, saying, "I want to hear your message right from your mouth."
I stuttered. "I can't."
"What are you afraid of, Monica?" he asked, gripping my hand tightly.
The guitar man had vanished from where he sat with his instrument. He was terrified of seeing the impending dispute. In the sky, the moon was still teasing me. Rafael, on the other hand, was waiting for me to tell him everything.
And then I blurted out what needed to be said.
"My name is Catherine Regner," I said once, then remained silent.
We fell silent as he slowly removed my hand from his grip and opened the letter, reading it softly.
I assumed he was reviewing the letter as he stared at it for a few minutes. When he glanced at me, I shuddered even more.
He cracked a grin. His eyes were melancholy, and he peered out into the water, deep in thought.
It was agony for me to wait for his reply and opinion on what I had revealed and what he had read in my letter. I want to yell at him and push him to tell me what he was thinking.
"I'm telling you the truth," I continued.
"I know, and this is exactly what I was hoping for," he added.
I was taken aback by his unfazed reaction. I was expecting some kind of conflict and yelling from him, but I didn't see anything.
As he continued to remain silent, tears began to fall down my cheek.
He was behaving strangely toward me. And I'm curious why.
"I'm sorry if I misled you by telling you lie from the very beginning," I apologized, but he remained silent.
Rafael seemed to be keeping something from me. But I couldn't think of anything. So I stood up again, and he didn't bother to stop me from walking away from him.
I strolled barefoot along the beach as the moon began to disappear behind the heavier clouds in the sky. I sobbed quietly. I couldn't figure out why Rafael remained mute during my admissions.
Perhaps he didn't believe what I said.
And then, when I returned to where I had left Rafael, I noticed another individual. I recognized a woman's figure as his wife. Madam Mea.
And they were having arguments. It was dark where I stood, and I didn't move for a few moments because I was taken aback by what I saw. Madam Mea had discovered us on the island. How could she know where we were? "
"You'll pay for this, Rafael!" Madam Mea's angry voice carried to my location with the wind, and I quickly moved to the larger woods where I could hide.
The moon had already left us, leaving a dull light in my surroundings, and the debate was heating up.
My knees began to shake, and I leaned against the tree's body for support. I don't want to attract some attention from them or from other guests on the beach.
Rafael drew Mea into the cottage, possibly to avoid embarrassment. Then I made the decision to leave the island. I don't want to entangle all of the innocent individuals that are present to see our conflict.
I returned to my room with caution, and as I walked by Rafael's doorway, I heard Mea cry.
"I will kill your son if you don't come back with me!" She screamed furiously, as if she was already insane.
Mea's comment jolted me awake. She threatened Rafael with harming my son, so I had to go to Rafael's relatives' house, who was keeping our boy safe from Mea.
However, another statement heightened my anxiety.
"I kidnapped Rafael Junior from Leonora!"
"What?" Rafael yelled.
"I wasn't joking, Rafael. I have to do what I have to do. I can't just let you go without a fight. I'm your wife; don't you ever forget that? "
Hot flashes of rage climbed up my face, and I dashed to my room to retrieve my belongings. And as I tossed everything into my bag, my hands were trembling and my mind was racing with ideas for how I could get away from their clash and from the island.
I dragged my luggage out and walked around to the back. I left the larger bag to avoid the beach owner's suspicions. But one man managed to notice me pulling my suitcase. He worked as a gardener.
"What are you up to, miss?"
He caught me off guard. And I need to give him a good explanation.
"I need to go to the wash for some of my clothes."
He offered assistance, saying, "I can take that to the laundry early tomorrow morning if that's okay."
"No thank you, I can do it myself; in fact, I want to explore some areas at night." I didn't wait for his response and ran to the laundry house, which was a little way from the guest rooms.
I ran, not caring if I stumbled. All I wanted to do was go back to my old house and figure out how to find my son. This time, I had to give Carlo anything he wanted in exchange for helping me get my son back, and an idea came to me on how I would cross the sea to the mainland at night. Rico's face went into my memory.
It was darker in his place, but when I saw the house lights, I knew there was still hope. And I knocked on the door, a bit frantic.
After a few minutes of knocking, the door opened and Rico's facial expression was shocked to see me with my suitcase.
"What's going on, Miss?"
I needed you to take me to the mainland right away, before anything bad happened to my son. I could hear my own voice shaking with fear.
"Where's your companion?"
"He was not aware that I was fleeing." I stuttered, "I have some problems. I couldn't tell. Tomorrow you'll know. But for now, please help me. It's a matter of life and death for my son. "
After that, I mentioned my son. He hastily drew his paddle and stated, "I have to push my boat into the water because it's low tide now."
"Please let me accompany you," I pleaded.
He looked at me and nodded.
We hurried to the aforementioned boat, and he was correct. It was low tide, and we couldn't push the boat that was stuck in the mud.
"We'll have to wait for the high tide."
"And when would it happen?" I was frantic to get another boat and another boat man. But I know Rico was once a friend of mine, and he has a compassionate heart for others. So we sat and waited for the tide to raise. He was silent, preparing something in his boat. He loaded my suit case inside the boat.
He was glancing at me once in a while. And I need to give more information to pique his curiosity.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed your serenity in your hut, but I don't know where to ask for help on this island."
He nodded without comment. He continued what he was doing on the inside of the boat.
"You reminded me of Catherine, Miss." He finally told me what was on his mind.
"What prompted you to say that?"
"The way you talk, move, and walk, and your voice sounds like hers," he added.
I didn't have to tell Rico the truth because I wouldn't see him again after this trip.
"There were people who were slain because they resembled criminals," I stated flatly.
"I was scared when Cathy went missing because I knew something was happening to her from the past that she couldn't just divulge to me," he groaned. "When I realized she had vanished, I went to Maria's house and asked her where I could find Catherine."
"How come she was so important to you?"
"Because I was suspicious about whom she was," Rico murmured.
"And what made you think that?"
"Because a few days before she vanished, I noticed a man in a private boat traveling about this area."
"How did that relate to Catherine, and who was the man on the private boat?" I asked.
Rico was motionless for a moment before speaking again, saying, "He stated that he was looking for a girl named Cathy."
What he said rang a bell in my thoughts, but I didn't show him any fascinating reactions.
Did I hear it right? I thought
He was silent once more, as if attempting to recall anything.
"And why was he looking for Cathy? Do you remember what he looked like? "
"He had a strong personality, curly hair, a round face, and a hawk nose, "he said, smiling.
What he had described resembled someone I knew. And it made my heart skip in excitement.
All I needed was his approval.
"Did he tell you his name?" I became more curious.
He suddenly laughed and replied, "Yes, I remember his name; his name was Dave."
Deep in my heart, I exclaimed in delight at what he had just disclosed. It was impossible, yet I hear it directly from Rico's lips.
"And I believed the Cathy he was looking for was Catherine," he explained. "However, I was dismayed to learn that Catherine had left, and when the man returned, I told him that he was late."
Dave was seeking for me on a private boat?