CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

WHEN Martin entered to visit his child, Sharlene was there, watching over her child.

"We have a visitor again." That's all she heard from Vivianne. Sharlene just looked at him now and didn't say a word.

Martin caressed his child's face. 

"So, what did you gain from coming back to the town with your man?" he began to ask.

Sharlene furrowed her brow at the tone of his speech. 

"Can you please stop, Martin? I'm getting annoyed with you. Didn't I tell you he even said that to you, right?" Sharlene just looked at him.

Martin just smiled. "Whatever, Sharlene." He actually said that to her.

"It's fine if you visit the child, but if you tell me that I did it, I won't allow you to speak to me like that anymore, Martin. Maybe you forgot that we are no longer married?" Sharlene reminded him.

"Not married? Have you had the chance to sign the divorce papers yet?" He asked Sharlene again.

"Wait, I'll sign it so you can be quiet. Are you here to discuss that?" Sharlene asked him.

He sat down.

"What did you find in Carmela and Leah's past?" he asked her directly.

The three of them exchanged glances. "Are you here to find out what I discovered?" Sharlene asked him in return. 

Martin just smiled. "Let's not pretend to be blind to the truth anymore, Sharlene. What do you think? I won't be able to track every move you make there. You are currently gathering information about Manuel Santiago's father, and I am keeping a close watch on you. With the help of Lawrence." He said.

He asked many seasoned writers and journalists who chose to remain silent despite knowing the information and evidence, fearing they would get caught up in the conflict of the three factions. 

When he asked and learned the evidence, she was surprised to hear from those who said someone had also asked them the same thing, one being a lawyer about a past long forgotten by time. 

"What is your connection to the Gonzalez family, Sharlene?" Martin interrogates Sharlene.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore." She replied to him.

He knew that the person in front of him was being stubborn again. "Do you know that her grandmother was involved in a big syndicate?" Martin continued asking them.

"Oh, I wouldn't be surprised if Vivianne already knows about the facts regarding her grandmother." 

He looked at her. "Isn't that right, Vivianne?" Martin asked Vivianne, who was quiet.

"I know your grandma's secrets, and I can find out more, so tell me." He challenged them.

"You know, Martin, I don't understand why you're trying to meddle in the problem, and besides, your clans were silent when the three clans were having a dispute, weren't they? Why are you meddling in this case? Is it because you're hiding something, or does your family know who was in that big syndicate back then?" Sharlene asked him.

"There's only one reason I'm getting involved here, Sharlene. I just want to protect my child. You said that before, didn't you? I am the father of that child. I can do whatever I want, so I must protect that child's welfare. You don't know who the person behind all this turmoil is."

"You don't know the trouble you've gotten into and who you're going up against." 

"Is that why your clan was silent back then? Is that why you remain neutral in the conflict involving the three clans?" Sharlene asked him.

Martin sighed, knowing that he was not only protecting the child but also Sharlene.

What is the reason to protect my child? If I couldn't protect her stubborn mother. He could only say it in his mind.

"I will find out what I want to know, Martin. Especially about Grandma, especially about Leah, and why the Martinez properties ended up with Grandma even though the family who owned the house she used to live in died?" 

"You know? After you find out, what will you do? Will you have him imprisoned? Do you want to make your life easier, Sharlene?" Martin couldn't help but ask Sharlene.

"So you do know something, Martin. You know something," Vivianne even said to him.

"Yes, I am well-informed; that is why I am interested in the reason behind your actions. Do you want Ashley to lose her mother? Think about it." He said while looking at the three.

"I'm also doing this to clear the name of each side. If you want to help, you're free to do whatever you want." Sharlene added.

"Sharlene, why don't we just say why we're doing this and why we're getting more and more entangled in this mess?" Vivianne spoke up and looked at him intently.

"Sister." Tashia shook her head at her sibling.

"No, so that he can remain silent and that annoying man will not cause any further trouble." That was the only insult he heard from Vivianne.

Vivianne confronted him. "You believe I have the ability, don't you? You believe in spirituality, don't you? Hold on, I'll explain why we want to put an end to this situation."

"Bring it on." 

He took this action for his own mental well-being. He observes events unfolding around him.

"Oh, why did you bring that man here?" He heard a woman dressed in mourning pose the question.

"He wants to know so he can stop." Vivianne couldn't help but say.

"What is this place?" he asked Vivianne. He scanned his surroundings; the place was very dark. 

"Can you bring Ashley here?" Vivianne asked the woman who was in mourning.

He was trying hard to dig into his mind where he had seen her, and suddenly he remembered, and he knew her very well.

"Leah Martinez?" He recognized her.

She raised an eyebrow. The woman didn't speak to him.

"Daddy." He heard a small voice; he turned to it. 

"Ashley." 

The child hugged him. "Dad, please don't fight with Mom for now." That's all he heard from little Ashley.

He couldn't speak back then. 

As he held Ashley's child's palm, a series of memories flashed before his eyes; they were brief, but his mind made sense of them.

"You locked up my child?" he asked Leah.

"Father, please do not be upset with her; she is acting in my defense because Grandma placed a curse on me, stating that if I emerge, I will face consequences. However, she is seeking a way to return to my body." Ashley explained to him.

"Won't we be able to go back there together?" was all he asked the child.

Ashley sadly shook his head at him. Ashley just hugged him. "So, please, don't fight with Mom for now, because Mom is also going through something." That's all he heard from his child.

"What do you want to do, Leah? So that Ashley is set free? Name it!" he said to the soul.

"Can you fight against what's behind all of this, Martin? Your family has gone silent, haven't they? I don't know if you can do that." Leah even said it to him.

"The child already told you that it's as well for her safety here."

"Don't worry, Dad. Mom is doing everything to find out all of that, and then she will free Aunt Leah and Grandma from their anger and resentment."

"Ashley, I'll come back here; I'll take you, okay?" Martin asked Ashley.

Ashley just nodded at him. "You two, come back here. I'll be waiting, Dad." She smiled sweetly at him. 

He suddenly returned to the hospital, and Sharlene and Tashia just looked at him in silence.

He left the private room without a word, ready to take a step, wanting to hug his child tightly again.

Damn this karma of mine. When he discovered the truth, he couldn't help but feel regret, especially since the child had become entangled in the chaos.