XXXV. What Happened to Lara?

I bid goodbye to Uncle Luis, but as I went down the stairs, I immediately bumped into a waiter, causing the drink he was carrying to spill on me. He kept apologizing, but I let it go since it was just a small accident. I simply asked him where the restroom was, and after he gave me directions, I headed there.

I didn't go inside right away—I was stunned by the voices coming from within because I recognized them.

"Lara, I also want to be angry, and I have so many questions for you, but I know that the hatred and pain Kaesu feels are beyond my control. Why did you do this to us?" I heard Alex crying as he spoke to Lara.

"I don't know if I even have the right to face you two, but I hope you'll listen to me. Kaesu chose to turn her back on me and refused to hear me out, but I understand her." Lara began.

"Via was my brother's girlfriend. She was the first woman to open his closed heart since our mother died. One night, I had an accident—I don't know who I ran into. I wasn't myself then, and when I woke up, I was at home, being cared for by nurses. When I fully recovered, my father buried everything in silence, pretending nothing had happened. From then on, my brother hated me. And then I found out his girlfriend was dead. I wanted to ask if I was the one who killed her, but no one gave me an answer. Instead, they just hated me." Lara's voice began to crack.

I felt like hundreds of needles were pricking me as I listened.

"If you only knew how miserable I've felt, knowing I might have taken a life. Thinking about it—did I really kill someone? I hated myself more than anyone else ever could. I wanted to bury myself in the same ground she was buried in. I kept asking myself—how dare I live while someone else died?" Lara's voice cracked even more.

A few moments later, I heard her sobs. I clutched my chest, feeling like it was being squeezed, and swallowed hard, trying to hold back my own tears.

"When I met Kaesu, I thought I could change everything. I hoped to find a way to move forward, but I never expected things to end up like this. When you and Kaesu came into my life, I finally found a reason to live again. And in the blink of an eye, everything was taken away from me. I lost everything, and now, everyone hates me. I don't know how to get back up or even how to apologize. Every day, it feels like I'm dying a little more."

I couldn't take it anymore. I rushed away from the restroom, dragging my feet as fast as I could. Tears streamed down my face as I ran away from the place.

I stopped in an unfamiliar area, struggling to catch my breath. My knees weakened, and I let myself collapse to the ground. Hugging my knees, I buried my face and finally allowed myself to cry. I wanted to scream, to curse, to let out all my anger, but I was too weak.

I was tired of hating myself for being weak. I had decided to be strong, yet I always ran away from my problems. Because the truth was—I was weak.

"Don't push me away."

I immediately raised my head, my tear-filled eyes locking onto the speaker. Antonio stood before me, a gentle smile on his lips—but it was a bitter one.

He cupped my cheek and wiped away my tears. "You can be weak with me. You can cry your heart out. You can curse, scream—let it all out."

I couldn't speak. I just looked at him, feeling helpless, like a lost child in the rain.

"Do you know how proud I am of you right now?" His smile remained. "Because even while crying and running, you didn't stumble."

His words only made me cry harder. He pulled me into a warm embrace, and I buried my face in his chest, allowing myself to drown in my emotions. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I drifted into sleep.

The sound of voices woke me up. Slowly opening my eyes, I realized I was back in my bedroom.

"Admit it, Antonio. Are you and Kaesu dating? I always see you hovering around her."

"C-come on!" Antonio responded jokingly.

I was awake, but when I tried to speak, my throat felt blocked. My legs also felt heavy when I attempted to move.

Antonio received a punch on the arm from Alex, who glared at him. Antonio just smiled, rubbing his arm and shaking his head.

"Anyway, Lara has something for her," Alex said.

Antonio's once playful expression suddenly darkened as he accepted the item from Alex. I frowned in confusion.

"What is it? And what's it for?"

"Shh. Just give it to her and make sure she never finds out who it's from. If she does, she won't even look at it." Alex's tone was firm. "Do we understand each other?"

Antonio nodded quickly, as if afraid to argue. Moments later, Alex bid him goodbye and left.

I had been frozen in place, unsure of what to do. But as Alex turned toward my direction, I quickly shut my eyes again.

When I heard the door close, I let out a quiet sigh of relief, but Antonio's voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Sometimes, I really don't know if Alex is good at pretending or just too stupid to realize you've been listening this whole time," he joked, stepping closer.

I tried to sit up, and he immediately supported me. I didn't respond, but he understood my silence. Clearing his throat, he spoke again.

"You look fine now. I'll be going."

I wanted to say no. I wanted to stop him.

But after all the hurtful words I'd thrown at him before, I would be selfish if I asked him to stay.