Chapter 30

(30)

I walked through the exit swiftly and sneaked out of the back of the restaurant as fast as my legs would carry me. I got rid off the excess clothing covering me to become less noticable and more casual.

I slumped against the thick trunk of the tree as my head momentarily fall back to rest against the rough bark. My legs shook and each breath burned in  my throat. Shit. I'm really out of shape after those years spent sitting on my ass in a confined space. I strolled further down the road in hope of getting a taxi. But I realized I didn't get any money.

Double Shit!

I desperately tried to stop a car. Soon a car was pulling up, revealing an old couple with concern written all over their faces. 'Come on, Vivan. You need to use your acting skills now.'

"Is everything okay, dear?" The old man asked.

I took in a deep breath and let myself be consoled by tears. "My mom, she is in the hospital. And I lost my uncle here. I really need to go to the hospital, please," I sniffed but soon tears followed as I sobbed, " I don't have any money on me but I would be grateful-"

The old lady shushed me, " Oh my poor child, come with us. You shouldn't be alone, come quickly,"

By luck or by coincidence, I was on my way to my mom.

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They dropped me off and I practically rushed towards the clerk. My ears were just ringing and I practically choked on my words as I forced myself to remain calm and recited my mom's name.

She gave me a look I couldn't quite decipher and pushed a pen in my direction. I impatiently scribbled my name and signature. She spat the room number and I was already on my heels, strolling down the busy corridor. I instinctively sucked my breath in as I digged my nails into my palms. 'Act normal, act normal.'

I looked down until I reached my destination. I hesitantly cracked the door open and the sight made me dizzy. The monitors beeping and my mother laying so lifeless on the bed but breathing ever softly. I struggled to keep my steps towards her steady. 'None of this should have happened'

I slowly reached to her fragile form. My fingers felt unfamiliar with the texture of her temple. It felt cold. She was always warm and at ease. Now I feel cold and tense. I gently eased my fingers in her hair, "Mom?"

I felt the muscles on my face tightening as I gripped on her palm. "Mom? Wake up!" I nudged her head with my own as if she would somehow complain me about the itchiness of my hair rubbing in her face. I nudged her shoulders to slowly shook her. 'Why won't she wake up?'

"Wake up,-" "Wake up,-" "Wake! up!"

She wasn't moving.

I longingly gazed at her chest rising and falling. I pull her palms against my cheek and for a while, I felt so safe.

I laid my head down the space and nudged her hand. She felt so cold. "It's all my fault. I'm sorry, mom."

My breath hitched as I snapped back at my back at the sound of door being click open. The sight made me froze, dad? Dad?????

He was holding a bag and staring at me as with his eyes wide as saucers. My legs were moving towards him unconsciously and found myself running into him.

I could feel the deafening heartbeats wilding in my ears as my body collided into his body.

Warm.

Familiar.

'Oh my god. Dad was still alive. Thank god. I'm sorry. It's all my fault.' I was saying gibberish at this point and dad's harsh grip on my face brought me back.

"-calm down, moonpie, breathe," a tear escaped from his soulful eyes and I was met with a sob followed by full blown cries that filled the room. It was an overwhelming feeling I couldn't suppress.

I was soon engulfed in his warm embrace. Dad's scent was the same, nothing has ever changed.

With a kiss on my forehead, he held my head between his palms while tears endlessly streaming down his face.

"Vivan. Is this you for real?" He heavily sobbed and pushed me into his embrace again. " Where have you been, all this time, my child? " His shaky voice shattered my heart into a million pieces.

I tightly held into his embrace... never wanting to let go of him.

"What happened to mom?" I was able to voice my thought after calming myself down.

With one heavy sob, I felt my world's fallen apart as Dad fell on his unsteady knees. The heaviness of my tongue aligned with the weight in my chest, I could only kneel down to his level and watch him sob hysterically.

"... cardiac arrest... after seeing the old videos of you. She kept saying it was her fault. I tried everything...moonpie. I tried everything in my willpower to find you, or to comfort the suffering of her  soul, but it looks like ....I have failed," he shakily held out his hands.

I silently helped him up as he struggled to get up.

I guided him to properly sit down and stood up feeling numb as ever. 'Why did all of this happen?' I hang my head down in shame as I try to calm myself down. 'But what could I do? Now? How?'

"She is in stable condition now." Then silence fell upon again. I felt as though the walls are closing up on me. 'What should I do now?'

"Where have you been, Vivan?"

I was on the verge of crying again. I gulped thinking about the matters Damien had warned me. He said he didn't want me to expose anything particular about him or I would pay the price.

"I... I ran away...and there's a boy I really liked, so I ran away to be with him," I kept my gaze at Mom's pale face as I slowly formed the train of lies, " He rented us an apartment in that new neighborhood. He worked hard, he kept me safe, and he loved me. I ... I didn't expect it to be that hard to actually live by myself and someone I was in love when the one and only of my dependence never came home from work one day. I waited for two weeks all by myself with a cat that would probably be on the street by now," I took the sniffing sound as a cue to stop with the nonsense I've just said.

I had decided long ago to do anything in my will power to keep them in the dark for their own sake. I wouldn't risk them with the wretched fate of mine, I sure did start to believe I was cursed.

I flinched and gasped at the hand on my peripheral view, but quickly regained my posture as Dad's warm palm was placed on my cheek. His teary eyes wavering as he tried to contain his sobs in.

'You would never see me the same Dad, I'm sorry for everything, but I'll have to choose you two over myself,' I mentally recited.

I peeled his hand away as I turned my gaze back at Mom's shallow breathing.

"I am here to check in on Mom with a help of my friends, and I'll continue the search for him, because.... I can't lose him, I love him no matter what, so I'll be gone by the evening, I'm not coming...home...," I sucked in a breath as I anticipated about his reaction to my answer.

" Moonpie ..."

" Moonpie, look at me," Dad's voiced filled with concern as I kept my glare at the bedpost. I couldn't lie to him in his face.

" Moonpie... Please... ," I fidgeted on my clothes at his pleading voice, " Vivan... please,"

I wiped off the fat droplets of tears rather harshly as I stood up, " I'm gonna get some fresh air, I'll be back....." I stalked towards the door and swung it shut as I mumbled, " maybe I'll not...be back,"

I willed myself to keep taking leaps in an attempt to get away from the cries of a broken father.

Please forgive me.

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'The possibilities, even if Damien barge in, would he dare to make a scene in a place like hospital?'

When I finally made it outside the hospital, I struggled to stand straight as I quickly scanned the surroundings before walking to the masked man on the motorbike not so far.

Mateo,... His demeanor changed as he put the phone away seemingly ending the phone call he had been making.

I stalked my way to him getting off the vehicle with heavy steps as I wiped the rushed tears. I watched him stood before me...emotions swirling in his eyes...I could help but jumped into his arms. I couldn't stop the shaking and started sobbing in his arms.

"Please, Mateo, take them with you and keep them safe. "

"No, Sam and Lizzy would be here any minute and we would rather die than let his claws on you again, you're coming with us," his heavy breath hit the top of my head as his grip tightened.

"Please-"

"No! I can't! I can't believe why would you ever think this as an option, Vivan, that bastard is sick-fuck. He had manipulated you into thinking you're responsible for your parents while he couldn't do shit,"

For a second, I felt hopelessness hit me. Damein had always been pulling his strings strategically. Early in the mornings, he was always suited getting ready for his work, not a hair out of the place. He must have held some reputation to keep, he wouldn't get his hands dirty anyhow. All this time... My life has been nothing but fallen deeper into his twisted vines. He was always one step ahead.

" He could be here any moment, right? " I said as a matter of fact.

"Vivan-" I cut him off. " Damien demanded you hand me over or he would hunt everyone down, right?"

Mateo's face showed no emotion as he looked away. Silence deafening.

" And you're not in the position to help me in any way because you couldn't step out of this state under his claws, am I fucking right, huh, Mateo?! " I couldn't stop the shaking as I cried my heart out.

Soon, my name was called after by Dad, as he came running towards me.

Dad approached me and pulled me away from Mateo. "Who are you? And what's going on here? " He stood before me completely covering me from the view as he puffed his chest with a strained voice.

I felt my heart broke a little more.

I needed to leave them...no I actually needed to get out of their lives...to keep them out of my own misery. It was my fate, maybe.

I understood how much this little time span should be cherished, just how much I may have taken for granted even if this would be the last time.

I silently tugged on Dad's shirt to keep his attention back on me.

" I'll find us a way out, I promise-"

I held out a hand for Mateo to stop. Suddenly realising the situation all too well, " I don't care why you're that much invested in this hopeless situation, Mateo, but I... I need you to do what's really necessary, "

His eyes filled with water as he looked at me, beyond insolace. He was devastated knowing what I had chosen and damn downright I wouldn't forgive him for what he had done.

Because it was Mateo Devins who had planned this out as to buy the time to smuggle me out of this country alone. He actually saw his sister and me as ones.

"Please take care of Mom and Dad,"

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'It is to bite the bullet and doing this as the last wish I could ever ask for. If it would cost everything left of me to buy the time to distract that devil, I would do it in a heartbeat.'

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I closed the door and sat down on the floor hugging my knees. The familiar feeling sank in as more tears burned through my eyes.

I was hyperventilating in an empty room, where I put up a fake bravado while walking Mom out of the hospital into the transfer ambulance, an hour ago.

It didn't take a fool to figure out where all these connections Mateo had, Lizzy Martin would be behind all of this. She surely must had unspoken histories with the ex-wife of Damien. And here I was a girl who happened to look just like that woman " Gabrielle Martin"

I felt used. They tried using me for their personal grudges against.... whatever the shit was... But they didn't seem to hesitate dragging my parents into this situation and using them as decoys to 'save' me.

I felt numb. I couldn't feel anything all of a sudden.

But... I could hear footsteps coming closer.

Soon after the footsteps were closer, I was pressed against the wall with a death grip on my wrists. That person was hovering over me with harsh assault on my lips and neck. I didn't need to know who it was, his brandy cologne proved that, Damien.

He pulled away and his minty breath brushed against my cheek. " Oh god, I missed you, did you miss me? "

My blood run cold at his dilated pupils. My body and mind went frigid and his hand went up to my neck holding with a tight grip. " Aren't you going to answer me, doll? " His voice muffled against my lips again.

I knew he was playing his sick games or else, he should be beating the shit out of me in any second. His grip was becoming tighter. I struggled to breathe. " Answer me. Uhhh. I hate it when you're like this doll, I really really really hate it, "

He suddenly let go of me and I crawled all the way back to the corner while trying my best to cover the area his leather belt would slash. I breathed through my nose as more tears rushed out and my vision blurred.

" Doll? "

" Doll, come here, "

" Doll, it's okay, it's not your fault, "

" Doll..."

" Doll! "

" Ughhh! Why?! Why?! Why?! Why can't you do the things I asked of you?! "

" No... No... don't make me do this, doll. Not you, my doll, I won't let You do this to me, "

Damien kept rambling nonsense which I supposed was the walls he had been aiming his fists. His hunch-over figure emitted the blood thirsty vibe. My lips started bleeding as I bit down hard to suppress my sobs. 'I'm scared, Mom, Dad'

He had moved his attention back towards me.

He was clearly in his own head and the familiar emotionless gaze directed towards me gave it all away.

'I'm going to be killed'

There he stood to his full intimidating height as he held out a gun.

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Those atrocious and cunning gestures with a cruel claiming of the enamored with that selcouth gore begged to differ from... Love.

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How's everyone doing? The edited version will be continued weekly.❤️ Miss you.