Chapter 34: A Promise Till Forever

Ram's POV.

It's too dark; I can't see any light. I tried to move my hand, but I couldn't move a muscle. I heard a man's voice, but I couldn't remember whose voice it was. His voice was so sad, and I couldn't understand what he was saying—only that he was very sad.

"Am I dead?" I asked myself. If I were, it wouldn't be so bad, because I didn't feel anything—no pain, no sadness, nothing. Perhaps it was better this way, to finally be at peace. So I let myself be consumed by the darkness that enveloped me.

Just when I decided to let go, I heard a voice again, but this time it was the voice of a girl.

"Please, Ram, you need to survive; just think about your dad and the friends waiting for you to wake up. I promise I won't bother you anymore, so please, I need you to survive."

Unlike before, I could understand what she was saying. Suddenly, I felt something wet on my face, accompanied by the return of the pain in my chest.

I wanted to tell her not to leave me because I couldn't bear it, but I couldn't say anything. I tried to lift my hand to reach out for something, anything. I didn't know why, but I didn't want her to leave me.

It was like being lifted out of the water I was drowning in, and after a few moments, I saw a very beautiful face full of grief.

Finally, I felt my hand move, and Atilla noticed it, showing surprise and joy on her face. But it was short-lived because I felt my eyes getting heavy again, and I tried to fight it, but the darkness was too strong.

"Atilla," I kept saying before falling asleep again.

When I woke up, I was in a white room. I looked around, trying to find Atilla, but instead, I saw my dad sleeping on the side of my bed.

"Dad..." I called out to him, my voice hoarse.

He woke up, and I saw the uncontrollable happiness on his face.

Everything was still a bit blurry to me, and when I tried to remember what had happened, my head hurt too much.

"Oh God! Ram, I'm so glad you're awake. Let me call for help," he said, pressing the buzzer on my bed.

The nurses and two doctors came quickly, and they checked me, writing things down on their charts. I was still confused about what had happened, and no matter how many questions I asked the doctors, they didn't answer.

"Are you feeling any pain in any part of your body, Mr. Santiago?" The female doctor asked.

"No...nothing, I'm just a bit dizzy," I replied.

"Do you remember what happened to you?" The other doctor asked.

"I just remembered that I was driving and then a light shone on me, and after that, there was nothing," I answered, feeling more confused.

I tried to remember why I was driving, and suddenly everything came back to me, I was driving to look for Atilla and to ask for her forgiveness; I needed to tell her how much I loved her.

I tried to move after remembering that, but the nurses on standby stopped me. Despite my weakness, I fought until I was overcome by sleepiness after being injected with something through the IV in my hand.

When I recovered consciousness, I saw light coming in through the window in my room, so it was still morning. I was about to stand up when my dad walked in, warmly greeting me.

"How are you, my son?" He asked, his eyes welling up with tears. I could sense his worry, so I didn't try to move to lessen his worry about me.

"I'm okay now. What exactly happened?" I asked because, even though some memories came back to me, I still couldn't remember everything.

"You had an accident. A truck hit the car you were driving, and I thought you were going to be gone for good...." he couldn't continue what he was saying because he suddenly cried.

"Don't cry, Dad. I'm safe now," I tried to smile, even though I felt pain in my body from that simple gesture.

"What about Atilla?" I asked.

"She was here yesterday to watch over you, but you remained asleep the whole day, so she decided to leave," he explained.

I also wanted to know something from him, but I didn't know how or where to begin, so after a series of sighs, I finally started to speak.

"Dad, why did you say that Sheila Mae was already dead when I was still a child?" I asked.

I tried not to make it sound like an accusation, but I couldn't help it as it came out just like that.

My dad's face showed surprise upon hearing my question. The accident involving Sheila happened a long time ago, and I only found out the truth recently, thanks to Miranda.

"I'm sorry, Ram. I didn't want to give you false hope, because I found out from her doctor that there was a low chance that she would survive, so I decided to lie to you and tell her that she's already dead," he explained sadly after a deep sigh.

"But Sheila is alive, Sheila and Atilla are the same person," I could see the shock on his face.

I understood why he lied to me, and even though he lied, my love for him wouldn't go away.

"I want to see Atilla," I requested, and he returned it with a smile.

"Don't worry. When she comes later, I'll talk to her and tell her that you want to talk to her," he promised.

My feelings lightened up a bit, but days passed, and two weeks had gone by, but Atilla still hadn't shown up.

I thought that maybe she was still afraid of me getting mad at her after the last time we saw each other.

I made her feel like I had no feelings for her other than extreme anger at her for fooling me and regret knowing her. So, when we finally went home that day, I asked our driver to take me to Henry's house.

It was a Saturday, and I knew that Henry and Ellaine were at home, as Henry's secretary told me.

Because I found it difficult to walk, I rode in a wheelchair once we got to Henry's place. Compared to our own house, I can say that this house is better built.

We waited a bit before seeing Henry emerge from the mansion's upper floor. My dad informed me that he continued to help our family and that he paid off all of our debts, for which I am really grateful.

However, I promised myself that I would pay off all of our debts, even if it meant owing him a single dime.

"Good morning, Mr. Santiago. What can I do for you?" He asked without even looking my way as he focused his gaze on my dad.

"We are here to thank you for all the help you have given us, and we promise to pay back everything we owe you," I replied, even though it appeared that he didn't want to talk to me.

Even though he didn't say it, I could sense his anger, which is understandable considering what I did to his sister.

"If that's all you came here for, then there's nothing to worry about because I have given your secretary the necessary papers. Good day to both of you," he was about to turn around, but I stopped him immediately.

"The real reason why I'm here, Mr. Cervantes, is because of Atilla. I want to talk to her, please," I tried to stand up, but I just fell back.

"For what, Mr. Santiago? You have hurt my sister too much, and I will not let you hurt her again. Besides, we have already released you from your engagement with Atilla, and you should be happy about that," he said coldly.

"I know I hurt your sister a lot because of my pride, and I regret it so much. When I thought Atilla would disappear from my life, that's when I realized how important she is to me. I can't lose the person I love so much. I love your sister so much," I begged.

"I'm sorry, Ram, but I will not allow my sister to be hurt again; she has been through too much because of you," he stated, shaking his head and sounding disappointed.

"Please, Henry, give me another chance to make it up to her, Atilla!" I yelled her name, getting up, but falling down since I hadn't entirely recovered.

That didn't stop me from crawling, though. I need to speak with Atilla. She should know how much I regret my faults with her; she needs to know that I love her.

I kept yelling Atilla's name, even though I wasn't sure whether she could hear me, partially because Henry's mansion was so enormous.

"Enough, Ram! Stop it because Atilla has been gone from the Philippines for a week," he exclaimed fiercely, which stunned me.

"You're lying. Atilla is still here. Don't hide her from me!" I shouted in anger, but when I saw the honesty on his face, I realized he was telling the truth.

"I will find her," I promised myself.

I know I can accomplish it, especially since I can hire a slew of famous private investigators to track her out.

"I'm sorry, Ram," he stated firmly, "but as I said, I will not allow my sister to be hurt because of you, which is why I will use my connections and wealth to ensure you never see her again. She deserves to move on, she deserves a life without you hurting her."

"I will never lose hope, Henry. I will do everything to bring Atilla back," I said in a determined voice.

This is the promise that I will hold onto for life.