BEING HERE made me feel conflicted. I liked the room; there was no doubt about that now. I liked the sea and I knew I would keep on liking more of this place. But not the owner. The scenery reminded me of how long I’ve been yearning for a vacation that I never got the luxury to have ever since I graduated from college and started working. And this would have been the kind of place I would think of visiting if ever I would go out on a honeymoon or a trip.
But the situation made it hard for me to appreciate the surroundings. I sighed before choosing a floral knee-length sundress in the closet. The paper bags were gone now. Manang Rosing clearly took the dresses out of the bags and placed them on the huge closet while I was sleeping. I must have been too tired that I didn’t wake up from the noise. I paired the dress with white flat sandals and opted to just tie my hair in a bun before going out of the room.
And when I did, I was amazed by how big and stylish the house was. Black and white were the dominating colors inside it. It was obvious that it was a man’s house because it lacked a feminine touch. There was a stunning vase in the corner of the staircase but there were no flowers inside.
I was in the middle of the stairway adorned by a beautiful black carpet when I smelled a wonderful aroma. I was sure it came from Manang Rosing’s food. Despite the negative feelings I had yesterday, I had to admit that the food Caleb brought to me was superb. I was about to follow where the smell was coming from when I suddenly heard a familiar voice from somewhere.
My brows furrowed as I looked around the first floor. That was when I noticed the room which was only a few steps away from me. The door was slightly opened that’s why when I came closer; I realized that it was a library. And in the center of the library was the owner. He was busy talking to someone over the phone.
From where I was standing, I could only see Caleb’s back. He was wearing a simple maong jeans and a gray cotton long-sleeved shirt but he looked like a royalty standing beside a huge mahogany desk.
“That bastard is a doctor, Evan. He can just cure his broken heart.”
It was obvious that Caleb was referring to his twin brother. The thought pierced my heart. Alaric was out there, worrying like crazy, and yet, here was his brother, talking crap about him.
“I can’t stop yet, man. Not until I’m sure that I’ve completely ruined him.” He inhaled sharply. “What Alaric’s going through right now can’t even be compared to the hell that I experienced because of him.”
“You jerk!” I exclaimed when I could no longer stand hearing him talk like that. Caleb immediately looked at my direction. Shock was visible on his face. “I don’t understand a thing about what happened between you and your brother because you don’t even bother to give me an explanation after taking me away. But in the process of ruining Alaric’s life, aren’t you even aware that you are ruining mine as well?”
“That’s exactly the point, Gianna. To ruin Alaric, I have to start with you because you are his weakness.” Caleb said nonchalantly before he slid his phone in his pocket. “And I don’t really care who gets hurt in this game as long as I get my revenge.”
I tried to pull myself together before forcing myself to speak again. “Stop trying to hurt others just because you were hurt.”
Caleb suddenly had a brooding expression on his face. “That was so easy for you to say because you were not in my shoes, Gianna. You were not the one who experienced what it felt like to lose someone very precious to you. But then again, what would you know about that anyway? What do I expect from a person who knew nothing about herself? From a person who was thrown away at the orphanage at a very young age? And from a person whose whereabouts are still unknown until now?”

“You are right.” I said, desperately hoping that I sounded as calmed as I hoped to be. Caleb hit me exactly where it hurts. Then and now, I think my past would always be my weakest point. “It was true that I was thrown away at the orphanage. The one who abandoned me could be my relatives or it could even be my own mother. And that was the reason why I know exactly what it felt like to lose something very important to you, Caleb. Because when they abandoned me, I felt like I lost half of who I am. I lost my real identity, my roots, and my parents without even knowing a single thing about them.”
I looked up to control my tears from falling before I tried to meet Caleb’s eyes. He looked stunned. “And just four years ago, I also lost Mother Annita, the person who loved me the most and who took care of me after I was abandoned. You see, I don’t have a past, Caleb. I only have a present...” I smiled bitterly. “And I am not even proud of it because of everything that I am going through right now, thanks to you.”
For a while, I thought I saw guilt crossed Caleb’s green eyes. But it was too swift that even I had doubts if what I saw in his eyes was real. For all I know, my eyes could just be playing tricks with me because I found it very impossible for a man like him to feel guilty towards the fiancée of the person he loathed the most.
“Now, go ahead and tell me again that I know nothing about your pain.”