Chapter 37 A Trip Back

PRESENT TIME

SPO4 Ralph Veneracion had a gentle smile when he went down to meet with Elaine in their wide living room in Makati. From the hotel she and Drew were staying in, she found herself in Marco's uncle's place.

For years, it hadn’t been easy for Elaine to go back and face the person who would remind her of the incident that almost ruined her life. But unlike before, it was easier now not to quiver in front of the former police officer.

Although her fingers are tightly locked together. She prepared herself for the reaction to the information he could give her. The same information that she refused to listen to and know about before.

Elaine quickly sat on the single sofa when Ralph signalled to her. He moved the lemon juice and cookies brought by the maid towards her.

The old man sat on the sofa in front of her. “I’m happy to see you again. How are you?”

Elaine cleared his throat. “You must be flustered. I wasn’t able to thank you before. My head was all over the place. I didn’t know what to say or think. I know it has been a long time but I hope it isn’t too late…”

The former police officer nodded. “You have been through a lot. I went back to the hospital several times to get your statement until I found out you insisted to be discharged even without your doctor’s go signal.”

Elaine lowered her gaze. She left for two reasons. First, out of fear of losing her sanity because of pain. Her heart was in chaos and she was scared. Two emotions she didn’t know how to obliterate. Every time she would close and open her eyes, the first thing she sees was the smirking faceless guy who was the reason she lost her child.

Second, out of worry that she would bring scandal to the family who treated her like a real family. It was enough that her father brought the De Marcos suffering before. It is about time to make up for it in the way she knows how.

“Aside from saying thank you, is there any other reason for you being here now?” Ralph asked breaking the silence.

She nodded, “You told me before, you received a call from a concerned citizen.”

Until those moments, Elaine wanted to believe it was Silverio who called the police to ask for help. She wanted to believe that there was this thing called paternal love. That no father or parent could put their own child in danger. Even her own father.

“Well, yes, I met her two days after we rescued you.”

“Her?” She felt disappointed. “D-do you know who she is? Did you get her name?”

Ralph thought for a while. “The witness went to the station to give her statement. She was in her mid-twenties. She saw you were unconscious when the two men brought you out of the car. She suspected something wrong so immediately called the hotline.” Answered the police though Elaine noticed the slight wrinkle of his forehead while recollecting what happened before.”If I remember correctly, Damara. Damara Fuego is her name.”

RELUCTANTLY, Elaine pushed the rusty gate of the old house. She shut her eyes when it made a creaking sound. Then she opened her eyes, breathed deep and stepped inside.

The two-storey house was the only thing she owned after decades of working in the bar, selling illegal drugs and selling herself to different men.

Elaine already felt a punch in her heart. Her mother threw away her self-respect just to raise her alone and she was the ungrateful daughter who misunderstood her, disowned her, chose to leave her during the time she needed her most.

Even before Bettina passed away, she already transferred the title of their house to her name. Sadly, Elaine never set foot in that house since she was gone three years ago.

The two-story house brought her pain and terror. She did not have any good memories there aside from their old picture where Bettina was holding her when she was a baby.

Elaine’s whole body went cold when she hesitantly walked inside the house. After opening the door with her key, her heartbeat kept getting louder and louder.

It had been three years, but she kept getting flashbacks from the things she didn’t want to remember anymore. Like a broken door that wouldn’t close however she pushed or pulled it.

Those painful fragmented memories and the excruciating flow of agony from her past were still there, stuck deep in her heart. She didn’t want to run scared her whole life. She wanted so much to close that painful chapter in her life and start new. If there was anything she wanted to go back to and run to, that would be Tan’s arms.

====FLASHBACK====

September 18, 2017

Elaine’s feet brought her to Mang Chito’s bistro. She had a travelling bag and luggage. She could not go to Bettina’s house. She would be sent away by her mother just like she did when she first got discharged from the hospital.

She cannot live under the same roof as her husband anymore. She started hating the very job he loved. There were times when the things that come out of her mouth were true. Subconsciously, she wanted to blame Tan for what happened to her.

Every day, she felt like she was already a rotten, damaged good that can’t be revived. No matter how many times she took a bath and scrubbed her skin, she could still feel that man’s rough and disgusting hands on her. As if it had been stamped on her skin.

Elaine could not allow Tan to touch her. She would get burned with a simple touch from him. And if she’d remain by her husband’s side, she’d only end up hurting and lying to him and perhaps blaming him more. Which she knew was unfair and wrong.

No matter how Elaine tried to convince herself, she could not bring herself to trust Tan and tell him the truth.

How could he accept her lies? She killed her mother in the story for she loathes her and she was ashamed of her job. Her father - Silverio, made her took a large sum of money from him. The obscenity did to her by the man who almost raped her. The loss of their child that she hasn’t introduced to him.

Tan didn’t even have the chance to touch and caress her flat abdomen before. Her lies robbed Tan of the opportunity to do all that.

Elaine blinked her eyes. The night Bettina sent her away, she learned of Silverio’s connection to the De Marcos'. Bettina told her everything.

Silverio was obsessed with Tan’s mother, Charry. And the reason for his imprisonment for decades was Chase. Silverio lost everything—fame, fortune, family—because of Tan’s parents. When he finally got out of prison, he started to observe them. He created a plan on how to slowly get near the De Marcos again.

Then he learned about her existence and her connection to the son of the woman he’s obsessed with. Silverio purposely tried to become close to her. He was a greedy person out for revenge.

From the beginning, he kept asking her for big amounts of money. And like a fool thirsty for father’s love, he was able to convince her to withdraw a million from her savings account. She even bought him his own house unknown to Tan only to find out he used it all in gambling and his other vices.

“Do you have any plans to eat? If you’d be like this, just go back to your husband, Elaine.” said Mang Chito who has been eyeing her.

Elaine stayed seated on the bed positioned on the rooftop of the bistro- hugging her knees.

Mang Chito sighed deeply. “Will you just let Tan believe he had shortcomings and he didn’t take care of you that’s why your relationship was destroyed? Do you want him to feel guilty over something he did not do?”

“My mother and I will leave and go somewhere far. I’ll have her treated using the money I’ll get from Tan. Her life might be extended,” she replied.

“And what about Tan?”

Elaine blinked her eyes. And what about Tan? She has no choice but to set him free. She was not that selfish to imprison a person in a relationship that’s one-sided. Tan trusted her. While she lied to him from the start. And she would keep lying to him...

She knew a relationship that lacks trust will go nowhere but to destruction. She just advanced it to save Tan and herself from greater pain. If they’re headed there, why wait any longer?

“Maybe you should rest, Elaine. I’ll bring you to your room,” Drew said and went near her before she and Mang Chito get into a heated discussion again. She let her friend assist her to stand.

Her cell phone on the counter rang. After staring at it for a few seconds she picked up her phone. She couldn’t understand the nervousness she suddenly felt in her chest when Bettina’s name registered on screen.

That was the first time her mother called her after such a long time.

“E-Elaine, help me… help me…”

Elaine felt as if her head grew when she heard her mother’s scared and rough voice from the other end of the line.

She hurriedly went down the rooftop of the bistro with her car. She did not listen to Mang Chito and Drew who were trying to stop her. She would’ve made her car fly just to get to where her mother was in no time.

Right when she opened the door to the house, she saw a body of a man lying face down in the living room. Blood was all over. She got pinned to the ground she was standing on.

From the sink corner, she saw Bettina shaking and staring blankly at the sprawled body. With heart beating loudly and weakened knees, she looked down at the knife at Bettina’s feet. There was blood on it.

“‘M-Mama…” Elaine uttered, not knowing what to do or think. Until finally, she was able to force her feet to step towards Bettina. She hugged her tight when she noticed her body shaking.

She didn’t even notice she was trembling herself. She dialled 911 with hands shaking. When her call went through, her mother spoke with a trembling voice.

“He deserved to die. He deserved to die. Die! Die! Just fucking die!”

Elaine was stunned. Unexplained nervousness again surfaced in her chest. Bravely, she brought her sight to the lifeless man lying on the floor. She covered her mouth to stop herself from gasping. The man bathing in his own blood is no one else but her father…

====END OF FLASHBACK====