Chapter 29 Girl on a Ledge

===FLASHBACK====

October 14, 2015

The Palace Hotel

Mr Jacob Hernandez's eyes were fixed at Thera for a couple of moments. She was sitting on a couch while the old man remained seated on his swivel chair, his elbows rested across the long working table.

How is she going to start asking her questions? What if everything she heard was just a rumor? Why would he even waste his time and money for her in the first place?

But the way Mr. Hernandez was looking at her, he sure had a lot of things to say.

"Perhaps, it's time to know about the truth, miss Thera."

Her heart was pounding like crazy. She had watched this kind of scene in a movie many times over. Will she be able to cope with whatever he's about to say?

"Before you met Sean, I had sent someone to keep tabs on you. On top of that, it's true that five years ago, I talked to him. I was the one who—"

"H-hold on," she interrupted him. She could still feel how her heart pounded in her chest. She had not heard his entire statement just yet but she felt like her gut was turning upside down. Confused, she stood in her seat.

A part of her brain wanted to refuse the information she's receiving. It felt like another storm was adding more to her distress. And she wasn't ready for it.

"I'll be back…"

She spun around, about to walk away when Mr. Hernandez added something.

"It wasn't Sean's fault, miss Thera. I was the one who did it. I was the one who urged him to offer you marriage. He refused a couple of times but I persuaded him."

Thera looked up, slightly turning her head so that he would not see the tears threatening in her eyes.

"I have no bad intentions, Thera."

"What did you get in return?" she spoke in a hushed voice.

"Thera…"

This time, she turned to face Mr. Hernandez. A noticeable hint of pain was welling in her eyes as she tried to suck the tears back in. "I am asking you what did you get in return after marrying Sean?" there was a sense of firmness in her voice.

Hernandez fell silent.

"Share of stocks? Power?" she shook her head in great bitterness. Without a warning, tears burned her eyes. "Is that so?"

"I believe that your husband loves you…"

She wagged her head in disagreement. The husband he was talking about was sleeping with her best friend in the same room. How is that love?

"I meant well. Believe me or not but I cared nothing but your well-being…"

Thera's gaze turned sharp. She felt like she had already reached her limit. Like a bomb, she's about to blow up if she won't be able to diffuse the pain out of her chest.

"My well-being?" she scoffed. "Who do you think you are, Mr. Hernandez? Who are you to decide for me? Was I an orphan and you're my real father? Are you my grandfather? Care to explain? Make me understand. Make me understand why all of you..."

She tried to catch her breath. The man avoided her gaze by closing his eyes hearing her outburst.

"I deeply apologize, Thera. Allow me to explain…"

Thera shook her head, her eyes filled with tears. She spun around and stepped out of the office, ignoring Mr. Hernandez's calls.

Forgive him? Why is it so easy to say? So, it was all his doings after all? Now, she was the one who suffered in the end. He sure had the audacity to ask for her forgiveness after what he did.

And Sean. How could he pull this off on her? For five years, she was fooled. She waited in vain like a stupid. She clung to the fact that he will love her in the long run since he was able to marry her. She was wrong.

Even her best friend's concern towards her was a lie. It took her five painful years to know. What the hell was she doing all those years? Why couldn't she tell who's genuine and who's not?

The employees were throwing weird stares at her as she walked past them. People held such a dirty perception of her; that she was nothing but a mere opportunistic woman. The one who valued money more than anything else. Instead of sympathy, she got filthy verdicts.

She felt her knees starting to get weak. On top of that, the pain she felt in her stomach worsened. She tried to shake them off. Her steps went faster.

A few more steps and she would finally reach the exit when someone bumped into her. A tall man wearing sunglasses. She ignored him and continued walking quickly as nothing happened.

"Doctor Top…" another guy called his attention.

"I'll follow you through, Jaime."

As soon as she settled in the driver's seat. Thera turned the engine on. Tears continued to cascade down her face. Her hands gripped the steering wheel very tightly, trembling. After a few minutes, she began driving towards the main road. She could not even tell which part of her body felt so much pain. It must be her head or hips. Maybe it was her empty stomach. Or maybe it was her heart that was shattered upon hearing everything.

Thera wiped the tears from her eyes with her hand. The mild pain she was feeling in her lower abdomen started to become severe. But God help her, because aside from the physical pain, her chest was also filled with agony and fury.

Thera was about to change lane when a strange kind of pain from her gut and hips suddenly kicked in. She winced as her hand pressed onto that part, trying to suppress the pain. It was too late when she noticed her car was about to crash into the van from the opposite lane. She gasped in utter horror as she desperately fought the steering wheel for control and twisted to her left. However, her car weaved all over the road until it banged into the center island. Her head thrust into the airbag of the car.

October 15, 2015

The stored tears continued to flow in Thera's eyes as she dragged herself towards the hospital's top floor. According to the nurse who assisted her, a guy who introduced himself as a doctor brought her there yesterday. The nurse told her that he left to get his stuff and promised to be back as soon as possible.

Thera yanked the door open. She then saw an empty hallway leading to the top of the eight-story building. The cold wind brushed through her face as soon as she reached her destination.

Two hours ago, she talked to the doctor who checked on her. He said that she was seven weeks pregnant. And that he was sorry for her loss because her baby did not make it.

She just had a miscarriage. She lost her baby even before she knew about her existence. And that was the most painful part for her.

The pain was like a fixed stab wound to Thera's heart. The only way to remove the pain is death. If she wouldn't end it here, guilt and pain will forever haunt her.

She could not feel anything; her body refused to feel anything. These past few years, her menstrual cycle was acting irregularly. She thought that everything was normal. That the cause of nausea was just stress, hunger, and overthinking. She drowned herself in sorrow. She neglected herself. In a blink of an eye, an innocent life was lost. And it was ger fault.

For as long as she lived, her mind, heart, and body could never forget how and why she lost her child. She would never forget the ache, the pain, the grief. What was once a sign that there was life in her was now a reminder how cruel life could also leave her.

Thera was a few steps away from the end of the top floor when she saw a woman leaning against the ledge and climbed on top of it. Just like her, she was wearing a hospital gown. The wind brushed through her disheveled curly hair.

She had come to her senses. Her tears ceased from falling. Worry swept into her when she realized what she was planning to do.

"D-don't…" she tried to get her attention, but her voice was too low for her to hear. She hurried to her side, and the woman didn't seem to falter. She was staring blankly while the wind continued to sweep her pale face.

Thera felt like her anxiety intensified seeing how tall the building was. The concrete ledge was only as wide as her feet. One small step, and the woman will fall. Thera began to feel dizzy and frightened.

"W-what are you planning to do?" she yelled. Her heart was pounding like crazy. She did not even realize she was asking what's already obvious.

The woman glanced over her shoulder and stared at her. Thera stood speechless. The girl was in her teens; perhaps, seventeen or eighteen. Her face was severely injured, and her left eye was half closed due to a bruise.

Thera swallowed the lump in her throat. Her heart sank. Who did this to her? The young girl was crying; even though her other eye was shut, she knew that tears lay behind it.

"D-don't you dare take your own life,"

"Why?" she asked, her voice broken.

She gulped.

"A-actually, I was about to do the same thing. There was an old belief that if somebody's going to commit suicide at the same place and at the same time, it's going to be a bad omen. We're going to die ugly. We did not want that, do we?" It was funny and stupid, but she could not think of any reasonable thing to say.

Her mind went blank. The fact that the girl's figure was thin, the wind might blow her away anytime soon.

She saw the sad smile painted on the girl's face, which made her swallow hard. "Are you going to tell me it's better to live than to die? That life was too precious to be taken away? That our sufferings right now are just temporary? Then, tell me, when will it end? When all the bones in my body were crushed? When people grew tired of rushing me to every hospital?"

Thera felt like something blocked her throat. Her whole life suddenly flashed in front of her. What was the difference between her and the girl on the ledge? She had no idea, but one thing was clear: what made them similar to each other was they both wanted to end their sufferings.

Tears blurred her vision. A girl this young didn't deserve the cruelty in the world. She was too young to carry a burden on her sleeve.

Thera opened her mouth. "So, you'll take away your life just like that? While the people who hurt you are still alive, laughing, and having the time of their lives, you want to be buried and die young without giving a fight?"

The girl fell silent.

"Whoever did that to you, I am willing to help you. We will make them pay,"

Thera spoke not just for the girl. It was more to herself. Death… She could not be that weak. She survived way too long fighting for herself; she had thrown over and was left all alone. She could do it again. She will live to fight on behalf of her child, who she wasn't able to see nor touch.

The girl was still silently crying. Carefully, Thera edged near her despite the shaking knees. She won't let her die young. She'll make sure she's going to have a brighter future ahead of her.

"I'm Thera. What is your name?"

The girl glanced back at her. A slight smile curved on her lips. "Yumi. Will you really help me?"

She nodded, assuring her. "I have a lot of money. I can help you."

She offered her hand to her. Hoping against hope that she'd take them. "Come down here."

Yumi stared at her hand for a moment. After contemplating for a few seconds, she accepted it. Thera pulled her down. They both fell onto the concrete floor in chorus.

They found themselves hugging each other; a sob erupted from Thera's lungs. She could not believe herself. She just thought of death early on. How could she throw her life just like that? She might be dead, but the people who caused her pain would be left behind, happy as clams. She could not let that happen. Why would she give those people who tried to break her that power?

People would continue treating her like shit if she'll act weak. This time, she needed to fight.

“NURSE, where was the patient I brought here last night?” Top asked the nurse at the nurse station. He went to Thera's ward but the room was empty.

“I'm sorry, were you referring to the woman in 306 who got miscarriage?”

“Yes. Where was she?”

Top registered her under the name Thera Montero. It was too late when he found out who she really was.

“She insisted on being discharged, Sir. She left almost half an hour ago.”

Top's forehead creased. A heavy sigh escaped from his mouth.

June 16, 2016

The Palace Hotel

Chase and Charry’s Wedding Anniversary (Continuation of Bag 2)

Sean checked the wide-spaced function room. It was empty. No sign of Thera.

It had been three days since the last time he saw her. Just like what she said, she asked Yumi to set an appointment. But two days ago, he figured out that Thera didn't sign any approval regarding the matter.

“If you’re looking for her, she's in the rooftop bar.”

Sean looked over his shoulder. It was his mom. He was about to open his mouth to reply but she had already left. He decided to step out of the function room then rushed towards the elevator. His eyes landed on his fingers plastered with a band-aid.

He exhaled deeply. Right away, he saw the woman he was looking for. Across the bar counter, Thera was curling, her face pressed against her arms. She was wearing that red signature dress and a pair of red high-heeled sandals. Everything looks good on her, even the champagne she was holding in her hand.

He stepped closer while gesturing to the bartender to give them some privacy. He noticed the goosebumps forming on her exposed back. Removing his coat, he laid it down on her back carefully. She mumbled something inaudible.

He stood straight when she slightly raised a face. His eyes met hers. Then, her eyes squinted in disappointment when she recognized him. She scoffed.

“Sean… You look like him. That devil… That bastard…” she shook her head, raising the empty glass to him. “Drink up.”

“You are drunk…”

“Yeah, jerk. You’re right, I’ve had enough!” she laughed without humor.

Then, she faced him. “Six years ago, you just continued living your life as is,” her voice sounded half-dry. “You lived your life the way you want it to be. You flew all the way to America by yourself like you didn't have a wife waiting for you like an idiot back in your country! And me, as dumb as I am, waited for you in vain. You're lucky, aren't you? You lived there happily while I was left here swallowing all the judgment and insults that people threw at me. All the time, I have to wear my mask to show them that I'm not a pushover. That nobody can drag me down no matter what!”

She sniffed. Then when she spoke again, her voice started to tremble like she was about to cry.

“But do you know the most painful thing I did, Sean?” she asked, her voice bitter and her eyes were glistening with tears.

“I grieved for the loss of someone I hadn’t even touched! You filthy selfish bastard robbed me of the chance to be a mother to my child!” Thera began to shake at the memory of the pain.

Sean looked up, exhaling sharply. A look of anguish crossed his handsome face. He could feel Thera’s agony he wanted to hide his own.

He knew. Of course, he knew. And until now he couldn't afford to forgive himself.