Chapter 10

MY HEART raced when I heard my phone rang. When I glanced at it, I saw Austin’s name on the screen. I breathed heavily and just let it ring as I laid on the bed. I could feel my headache getting worse with each second. I got rained on yesterday when I visited the memorial park. I felt so confused that I needed to visit my parents to clear my head.

It had been four days since I last saw Austin. He said he needed to personally monitor the quarrying in Visayas region to make sure that the interconnected water system his employees built was working properly. It had also been four days since I’ve stopped taking his calls because my thoughts keep getting chaotic.

It’s been four months since Austin and I first met. Things were running smoothly. Austin promised me that he would introduce me to his parents next week. It seems like I will find Benedict quicker than Clarice.

When Yalena, Clarice, and I started this plan, all we had in mind was to destroy Benedict in whatever way we can. We didn’t give a damn who gets hurt in the process since we thought that Benedict and his sons had the same rotten personalities that we needed to destroy.

But my views changed when I met Austin. He was nothing like his father. He was not greedy. In fact, he was selfless. When he brought me to his mansion, I saw how the maids treated him with utmost respect. He was also respected in the business world. He was fair in every single transaction that he does. He was a good man through and through that it’s almost frustrating.

What happened to your promise to your parents, Maggy? I covered my face with my hands out of shame. But the second I closed my eyes, Austin’s face immediately popped in my head. He was smiling while looking at me with love in his eyes.

“For crying out loud, Austin, get out of my head!” I yelled as I gazed at my parents’ photo on the bedside table. “Mom and Dad, if you’re really guiding me, please help me focus. Yalena would hate me if she finds out about this,” I remembered saying before I passed out.

I woke up when I heard someone knocking on the door. Not long after and I heard Austin calling my name. I struggled to get up but I got dizzy. Damn it.

I took several deep breaths before I tried getting up again. And when I did, I slowly walked out of my room. Every single step was a struggle. I was running out of breath when I finally managed to open the door. And there, I saw Austin. He was smiling so brightly but his smile disappeared when he noticed my expression. He rushed to my side.

“What’s wrong?” he pressed his palm on my forehead. “God, you’re burning with fever! What have you been doing to yourself?”

I wasn’t able to say anything anymore. My knees turned to jelly and my eyelids were getting heavier. I was about to fall but Austin caught me. Before I completely succumbed to darkness, I remembered one thing. I remembered I was glad that he was here with me.

“YOU ARE making me worry, Maggy.”

I was about to eat when I heard Uncle Harry say those words. Two days before graduation, he asked me to have dinner outside. I was hesitant at first because I wanted my twin and Clarice to join us but Uncle told me that he had something important to say to me.

I lifted my face to meet his eyes. I will forever be thankful to this old man. We’ve encouraged him multiple times to try dating so he could one day have a family of his own but he declined saying that the three of us were enough for him. He devoted the past years of his life raising three girls while working as a nurse. Harry had served as our shield against the strong winds in our lives. Now that we’re graduating, our medals were our gifts to him.

“I don’t think I did anything that would make you worry, Uncle.”

“You’ve exceeded my expectations, princess, and now, you are graduating magna cum laude. I will always be proud of you, Yalena, and Clarice. The three of you are my daughters by heart. And I want to convince myself that I was able to raise you all well.” Uncle Harry smiled. “When I prayed to have a child of my own, God gifted the three of you to me. And it will be my greatest honor to be the one to put your medals on.”

My forehead creased. “Then what seems to be the problem?”

“You never mourned, not even once. You didn’t even cry when your parents died. You just hid everything inside and that’s the problem, Maggy. While the two were crying their hearts out, you were in one corner and kept yourself busy by studying. You’ve channeled all your energy to studying. And that was good, princess. But it will be even better if you just tell me what you feel.” He reached for my hand. “Clarice and Yalena were able to rise but not you. You remained stuck in the past. The two have managed to smile somehow but you couldn’t. Healing will take longer because you’re keeping everything inside. I’m worried that one day, you’d just explode and end up doing something you might regret.”

I evaded his eyes. “I will only cry and mourn once the thing with Benedict McClennan is over.”

“But it is already over, Maggy. We can’t do anything about it anymore.” Harry sighed. “All we can do right now is just to surrender everything to God and—”

“I can still do something, Uncle.” My eyes narrowed in anger. “I will take Benedict down. And when he’s fallen, only then can I say that everything is over.” I clenched my fists. “Karma is not doing its job very well because that person is still alive somewhere. Yalena, Clarice, and I made an oath that we’d be the ones to end him. McClennan’s downfall will end everything.”

It took a long while before Harry was able to speak and when he did, terror filled his voice. “What if by doing so, you’re the ones who end up destroyed?”