CHAPTER 20

But it looks like the word "happy" is not for me.

"W-what did you say, aunt?" I stammered. I looked at Uncle Andrius in confusion; his face was hard as he looked at the people in front of me. We were at a private restaurant, and I was hoping that all the problems would be over, but they weren't. I looked at Aunt Kiara; her eyes were still not on me. Just like his wife, his face was hard as he looked at the people in front of us.

"Why don't you sit up first, Kia?" Aunt Serena stated. At the last minute, my relatives were still standing; they didn't even bother to sit down. They immediately showed me that what I expected to happen that day would not happen.

"No need; we won't last long." You know this conversation is going nowhere. Aunt Kiara spoke sternly. I tried to approach Rezoir when Dalea grabbed my arm.

"W-what are you doing?" I stammered. "Uncle!" I shouted to their eldest son, Papa, and uncle Andrius.

"One more step, my niece... young man, I swear this is the last thing you can face," uncle Andrius said, his gaze fixed on Rezoir. Rezoir did nothing but stop, and tears formed in my eyes again. Rezoir clenched his fist and washed his face. Some profanities slip off his tongue. I looked at Theo, who like me couldn't understand what was happening, and Dalea, who was still holding my arm. making sure I don't try to run to the other camp.

I smiled bitterly, glancing at my aunt Serena. Is this what Aunt Serena is saying? But why is this so difficult for me to deal with?

Now that I can't see my grandfather and father, it's the same with the Hillarcas. I haven't even seen Don Sebastian, now that their presence is gone. I have triumphed over what heaven and earth have fallen to; this can only mean one thing. Our family will not get along, and my tears have completely fallen.

"Where's Cessair, Andrius?" To be honest, my hair was raised when Rezoir's uncle, Uncle Ezequiel, spoke. I just saw them today, but they introduced themselves while we were at Rezoir's house.

"He doesn't know anything about this," my uncle Andrius said, looking at me."About how his daughter fell in love with one of the Hillarra." You know how he is despite your family; do you think he will know about this thing? "What do you think his reaction will be?" The uncle told them.

I didn't immediately respond to what he said. The words he said entered my brain one by one.

Daughter.

Fall in love.

Despite.

Family.

My lips trembled, and my tears flowed more. Is this it? Are words like these the answers to my questions? It's not a single feud between families—there's something deeper. As far as I could see, I was right. I felt right.

"I love her, sir." Rezoir stammered.

I don't want to go back to the conversation that took place with my aunt Serena. But he mentioned that at first, he thought Rezoir was taking revenge. Yes, I said I would believe him. that I will trust him, but now that we are in this situation again, why? Why did he say that he thought Rezoir's actions were just revenge? If so, does this mean he's planning to take revenge on me?

I felt my eight-month-old stomach, thinking I was short of breath.

"Azeria? "Are you okay?" Theo worriedly called me, who was already behind me. When I didn't speak, he removed Dalea's steel-like hands from my arms.

"What are you doing, Theo?" he said.

"She's pregnant, for goodness sake! "Can't you see he's having trouble breathing?" Theo snorted at Dalea. The volume of his voice was just right for only the three of us to hear.

"No. "You are not doing anything." He firmly promised Theo.

"Fuckin' really? Are you nuts? Don't say you believe what they said."

"Why not? "After all, it's your father who tells us the truth!"

"How did you even know that it's the truth, huh?"

"It's not because Azeria always spoils you that you'll put aside the truth, Theo!"

"Dale!" shouted Theo. I don't know where to turn my eyes on the two of them; when they were fighting next to me, I became even dizzier.

"They can't because..."

"Fuck!"

Rezoir's cursing was the last thing I heard before I passed out.

How many times will I go through this?

I just fell in love; I just made a mistake. But why do I get such a burden? Why does everything become a problem? Why does fate seem to be slapping me because we can't? that we are not meant for each other?

Why can't we be together?

That's the question I want to know. But I had no idea that when I opened my eyes, it would be my grandfather's face rather than Rezoir's. There were tears in his eyes, and he couldn't stop them when my tears didn't fall either. He didn't say anything; he just held my hand. kissed softly, but he couldn't meet my eyes. My heart ached at the sight. Here it is—the person I know can answer all my questions is in front of me. After all, he was the one who had the idea to change my name. Even now, I still don't know the reason; now that she is in tears, there is regret etched on her face.

I shed more tears. Even though there was something stuck in my throat, I asked anyway.

"Grandpa, why can't we?" Aunt K-Kia said…" I started to cry. He stroked my hair, sighed, and eventually stood up. I watched him go to the window, his gaze far away. I was stunned when I realized something; my whole body went cold when I realized that I was in my room—me. I'm no longer in... Manila because I'm at the hacienda. My mouth is open; I know I lost consciousness, but why am I here all of a sudden? Where is Rezoir? What am I doing in the hacienda?

"I'm sorry, Cara Mia," she sighed. "You need to stay away first; I'll make sure everything will be fixed." It looked at me.

"What should we fix, grandpa?" To be honest, I'm very confused! I don't even know where I should be; I thought it was fine. "Why fix something again?"

"A-Azeria… sweety..." All he did was call my name.

"Enlighten me, grandfather. Please." I closed my eyes and gently wiped the tears from my eyes. "Tell me, what's the fuss about me and the first grandson of Hillarca?" Why are they telling me that we shouldn't be together? Why? "What's the reason?" Only my crying could be heard in the room. It was a few minutes before Grandpa answered me. Instead of relieving the pain in my chest, I was hurt more by his answer.

"If you two love each other, then you are meant for each other."

"Are we?" Is it enough? Do we know enough that we both love each other even though the people around us try to keep us apart? Nope. Even if we decide to walk away, something heavy still runs through my chest. So why else? What's the point of our love if everything is getting in the way? What other words will destroy my world?

I’m so very tired.

"W-why did you run away, Cara Mia?"

Now that I'm at the hacienda, I know this is not the only time I will be asked with words like this. I'm worried about a lot of things, but now that I'm at the hacienda, What I should do is correct the mistake I made in the family, because maybe if I do that, I can also fix the mess between the family and the person I love. Yes, even if he is not physically present... for our two children. I must be brave.

"D-because I'm shy, grandpa," the first time Rezoir and I met was like a picture playing in my mind, "with the knowledge that I refused to stay here at the Hacienda." "When Papa forced you to stay in Manila, then I did something that you would never have imagined that I could do."

"To fall in love is not a mistake," he said. Aunt Kia's words came to my mind.

"They will never be able to!"

When I heard that, I turned pale. Because of the tone of my aunt's speech, it was a great folly and sin that I fell in love with a Hillarca.

"But to fall in love with the wrong person... isn't that a mistake, grandpa?" I stammered. Grandfather came to my side and gently knelt in front of me, and he gently wiped the tears from my eyes.

"I'm relieved to know you're safe, Cara Mia," he said, his gaze falling on my lap." I heard what happened to Metro," he said, and my breathing came to a halt. I closed my eyes when I remembered that scenario again.

"I know you're not running away because you're pregnant. It's because of what happens to you... that you know when you come to see us. You will be ashamed, and you will be ashamed for people to know that you got involved in that incident. "Because you want to run to this place." What he said made me cry all the time. "You should have known all along... that's why I'm so sorry, grandchild. I'm sorry that you are carrying the burden that we don't know," he breathed. He hugged me, and I hugged his waist like a child and cried even more.

"Don't ever think that we couldn't understand you. "Because we are also your family, Azeria, and we will understand you," we explained.

I know.

I'm the only one who's afraid, so I'm leading everyone. So I can't even tell them about the things I can't do. I know I am not a perfect person, but here I am... I grew up without a mother. As I grew older, I could see the sadness in Papa's eyes. I can't fight the feeling that, for me, I don't deserve the things I enjoy.

After all, it's my fault that Mom isn't there. That when I came into the world, he was the one who lost him; yes, I was angry at first with the world... then I was even angrier with myself. Why did Mama have to disappear when I came into the world? Why do I have to see the sadness in my parents? Why... does it appear that it is difficult for someone like me to exist? Yes, I know that no one can understand me. But now Grandpa tells me that they understand me.

Should I say anything? Should I have expressed my true feelings?

That's what I did.

Can I never think that I will stay in Manila? I won't force what I want in the end; I know that's not what my heart is crying out for. To make sure that all of my decisions were correct, his brows always met... his eyes that I never tired of looking at. If I can't recognize him, my tears will never stop coming out. I cry a lot now that he is no longer by my side. Is this all we've got? I can't... run, now that I'm at the hacienda.

And the pope

Now that they know I'm pregnant, the family of my future child won't accept me. Does that mean they won't accept my child either? With that thought, I turned pale, and I immediately separated from Grandpa. My stomach was full, and I looked at Grandpa.

"How about my baby?" Will Papa accept him? "Will our family accept him?" I asked, crying.

"C-Cara m-mia..." she cried.

"Why are they so mad at him?" What did he do? What does his family do with our family? "Grandpa, answer my question," I said, taking his palms. My tears fall slightly on his hand; this time he can't meet my eyes. "Did they do a bad thing to us?" So Aunt Kia said we can't? "Please... tell me." I plead.

"I'm sorry," he said as he shook his head.

"Why are you saying sorry?" "How come you can't tell me... how come we can't be grandfathers?"

Grandpa is just crying; this is my first time watching him cry. I couldn't wait to watch his crying face and his repeated apologies. That I will never understand; even though I was weak, I immediately stood up.

"C-Cara mia." It called me. I ignored him calling me and continued to leave anyway. When I came out, the hallway was quiet, and in its silence, I knew that something bad was happening. I just feel it... I don't know where I'm going. I just kept walking until my foot stopped in front of the library. I use it as a restroom.

Upon seeing the library, plan to stay there for a few hours. I noticed the small opening in the door; there was someone inside. I couldn't face any of them yet, so I decided to quietly leave and find another place to stay.

When he said this... I was taken aback by what my uncle Andrius said.

"The kid is still here; he follows us."

Rezoir.

"You should tell us first that you finally found out about your cousin Theo!" Aunt Kia.

"I don't know what's the problem here; why are you saying that the two of them shouldn't be together?" Theo.

"I already told you they are—"

"That's bullshit, aunty!"

"Thaddeus!"

"And what, huh?" How about the child in her womb, huh? "What will you deprive the child of but the complete family?"

Azeria is a brave woman! "He can do it alone without a Hillarca by his side!"

"How can you say that, Mom?" "Do you feel what he feels?"

"Altair Redrick!" Tito Andrius' disobedience to the Son

"She is!" the aunt insisted. Red laughed a little. "My heart ached because of me." He was able to answer his mother.

"She will because that's what you want her to do!"

"Red," Lucas called Red full of threats.

"Why Ulric?" Theo called Lucas by his second name. "You are aware that Azeria is acting tough on the outside but broken inside."He's always unhappy. Now that he can be happy, why do you have to feed that to him?"

"Because they won't be happy if they are together!"

"How do you say so, aunty? "How exactly do you say it can't be?"

"No matter what the two of them do, Cessair will not accept him. He can't accept what they have, so this early... they should know they can't."

"Even if Azeria gets hurt, right?"

"You should understand us; you should understand your uncle Cessair."

"Where is Uncle Cessair then?" Why didn't you tell him until now? is.

"Theo," says Uncle Theodore.

"He's a hillary, and he's cursing."A coincide—"

"And you believe that?" Come on, they planned this. All along, they are planning to attack Azeria because they know when a Hillarca is already in Azeria's womb. "Everything will be fine, and that will never happen!"

My tears fell again.

"If only we hadn't been too late, if only we had warned him."

"You should tell her the truth," I said, clutching my chest. I'm having trouble breathing again. "That's not Tacata then!" I heard a loud slap.

"D-do you think that would be easy for us?"

"She needs to learn the truth! for him to understand why they can't because they are brothers!" I was nailed to the spot. Suddenly my impending tears receded when Theo said that I wanted this opportunity to get a slap too.

Is this a dream?

What did I just hear now?

Siblings?

Me and Rezoir?

When they saw me, their mouths widened the sooner I pushed the door open.

"Azeria," they said. Covering my mouth, they were stunned upon seeing me.

"W-what did you just say?"

"C-chaldene," Aunt Kia said.

"H-his my... w-what?"

"Fuck!" Theo spoke softly and gently kicked the chair next to it. I was in tears as I watched them all; their expressions hurt me.

"I'm not my father... daughter?" I laughed. I shook my head and stepped inside. "I'm h-his w-what aunt? "Say that again in front of my face, Theo!" Red immediately came to me. He wrapped his hand around my waist and hugged me tearfully. and my name is called.

"Tell me again that I'm not his damn daughter!" I cried at my own words. Red tries to comfort me, but I can't help myself; I keep crying.

"A-Azeria," that's why. That's why it's hard for them to tell me the truth because it's such a heavy thing for me to discover.

I'm not a Tacata. that in the past few years... I don't know the truth about personality either. Now that I know the truth, I must confront my childhood family. The family that is not my blood... I lost my strength. Fortunately, Red was by my side; this time I just wanted to pass out again. I can't meet their eyes; they only listen to my cries. Whatever they call me, I keep telling myself that I'm not their... blood.