“I’m sorry.”
I was just hurt by what he said. I don’t know what that sorry is for. Is it because of what you did to my sister? Is it because of how you made me feel? What for? I do not understand. I want to understand. I wanted to love you in the way I knew, but you were the one who pushed me then.
“I don’t know why you’re sorry. Please, I don’t want to hear that.” I remove the hand that was hugging me. While I continued cooking as well. For five years, we didn’t know what happened to each other. If we are both still breathing. How are Soleil, mommy Helena, and aunt Julia? All of them I want to ask you but in the five years I haven’t been able to show myself, I don’t know if that’s right.
When the noodles broth I was cooking was boiling, I turned the stove off. I cooked nothing else, I just mixed it with fresh foods to give it a unique taste. I turned off the stove, then would have lifted it without looking at him. Because deep thinking. I was burned when I suddenly touched what I was cooking.
“Ouch!” I quickly removed my hand from there while my reaction surprised him. He took my hand that was burnt, then blew it. I noticed my finger was a little red, so he immediately took me to the sink and then turned on the faucet. The water flowed there. I watched him seriously do that—washing my hands.
“Is this the person who killed my sister?” I asked in my mind as I looked at him seriously. I couldn’t help but marvel at the maturity of his face. Very different from the Hugo I had known before. Very Different from the Hugo I first saw. Maybe the woman will still chase him until now?
Tiarra suddenly entered the kitchen while Hugo was still holding my hand. I tried to take it back, but he didn’t let go while my hand was still stuck in the running faucet. Tiarra rubbed her eyes as if she had just been awakened. She walked over to Hugo and hugged Hugo’s leg. As Hugo’s attention turned to there, I withdrew my hand. I took a cloth to put the food on the table. He took the plates and spoons while he was carrying Tiarra for fear of breaking them. I took them from him.
We sat down at the table while he still didn’t take his eyes off me. I just ignored him and continued to eat my food. Fortunately, Tiarra knew how to eat on her own. No one speaks to us, only the sound of the plate can be heard throughout the house. The living room and kitchen are just next to each other. Because the kitchen was small, the table was already in the living room. This house differs from Hugo’s mansion. Now I keep thinking about where he will sleep. The sofa is too small for him to sleep on. There is only one room here, so I wonder where he will sleep.
I would have just asked him later where he would sleep when Tiarra spoke. “Daddy! Sleep next to me and mommy. We have a big bed so we can fit — the three of us!” Shee said cheerfully. I would have liked to forbid her from speaking. However, I don’t want her to think that there is something different about my actions.
Hugo and Tiarra looked at me as if they were just waiting for my approval. As I looked at them, I couldn’t help but notice they look so much alike. For the past five years, if Hugo still looks like his old self, he and Tiarra will be mistaken for siblings, even if I have been mistaken once.
I sighed and then nodded. I could do nothing but agree. I took a break after we ate. Tiarra helped me like she always does. Now Hugo could support her as she climbed into the chair. Maybe he was scared and she might fall off the chair.
I just cleaned Tiarra then went to bed. I turned off the light and then waited for Tiarra to fall asleep. When I made sure she was asleep, I closed my eyes. She is now between the two of Hugo and me. I was surprised when Hugo suddenly hugged me closer to him. Even though the room was cold, I could feel the warmth of my face. I pushed him because Tiarra might wake up. He doesn’t speak, so my breathing gets heavier.
“W-what are you doing?” I pull him away from me, but he tries to bring his body closer. I stood up because he didn’t want to let me go. After all, Tiarra would wake up again.
When I came out of the door, he still followed. What is this man’s problem? He pulled me and hugged me again. I was about to struggle when he suddenly whispered to me, stopping me. “I miss you.”
His voice was full of longing as I stood up straight. My heart was pounding again. The butterflies in my stomach are disappearing again. I don’t know if, over the past five years, my long-held hatred for him has vanished. Even a few years later, when he didn’t chase us, nothing. I’m still weak when it comes to him, and that’s unfair. I never felt that he felt the same way about me.
“Why did you leave?” His questions to me were like a dagger because I knew he knew the reason for all the actions I took. I want him to know that not everything has been easy for me. I pushed him away from me, then walked over to my newly purchased refrigerator. Take cold water, then look at him intently. I gathered all my courage before I confronted him.
“Why did you do that to my sister? Why did not you tell me?” It was as if blades were going down my throat because I couldn’t ask that directly of him. I didn’t want him to tell me he was the reason for my sister’s death!
His reaction surprised me. It was as if someone had pulled a thorn out of my chest with astonishment on his face. I can’t read if it’s because he’s wondering. After all, he doesn’t know I know or he’s wondering because he doesn’t know what happened and he has nothing to do with it.
“Huh?”
That was all he said.