Book 2 : Chapter 23

All the scenes of my life since I met Sean ran through my mind like a live panorama. I remembered how he stared at me in the emergency room, where I first met him. That I was also the time when I felt attracted to another man. All my life had rotated around Eric, and his dominance in my life made me resigned to my belief that there would no longer be another man to take an interest in me. Or maybe because that's how Eric led me to believe that I was already unworthy for anyone.

Another meeting followed during the launching of Laminae, where I wondered why he didn't bring a partner. And why he seemed to have eyes only for me. He danced with me that night and even brought me to his room. He comforted me when I saw how Eric flirted with other women, and he even offered his shoulder for me to cry on.

All those series of events, where he always came in offering me those things I needed at the moment, rolled in. The house Philip offered the day I started to look for a new place to get rid of Eric. The position he offered me as the Chief of Clinics in Laminae when I applied for a moonlighting job. The expensive car he bought me, my appointment as the president of TAG Group of Hospitals, and his too early proposal to marry me.

I felt so stupid for having fooled and deceived again, but somehow, a part of me still screamed that all these were not true. To shake off my confusion, I broke into a cry until my senses had gone numb.

"Take me to the cemetery," I said. I wanted to know everything once and for all. I was just too exhausted at this one-at-a-time explosion.

Philip did not say a word, but I noticed him taking a different route. Watching how Philip knew everything, even those private matters like Grey's Estate and the cemetery, made me feel so sorry for Sean. He must have felt so down and betrayed. He lost his most loyal assistant, and now he's losing me. If everything Hazel and Philip told me is true, then he's not going to lose only me, but also his long-coveted fortune. Because while I am still alive, I am now determined to take everything that's mine.

Soon, we entered a private road where endless grassy plains rolled on each side. Giant pine trees were surrounding every parcel of land divided by cemented roads. I knew at one glance that we were already in the memorial garden.

After a few turns, Philip pulled off in front of a large, grey-painted mausoleum. Its textured tiled wall in contemporary mosaic design and the massive pillars at the corners showed that the ones inside were someone from the higher society. I also noticed no other buildings out there—only a vast stretch of green grass sprawling as far as my eyes could see.

"Shall we go in, Dr. Red?"

I nodded—all of a sudden lumps formed in my throat, pressing on my airways. I tried to breathe in slowly, holding the urge to break down and cry. Somewhere in my mind still insisted that Philip and Hazel were wrong and that this Albert Grey was not my father at all.

Hazel walked beside me while Philip led the way. I wondered why he still had the access, even the keys to the mausoleum. Yet, I didn't care anymore. I could no longer wait to see who really were the people inside.

As I stepped into the wide space where the crypt was, my eyes fell directly on the large photo frames hanging on the wall. It was of an older man in black-and-white color contrasts, with his thick glasses on. He was smiling at me, and his smile seemed so tender and welcoming. I moved on to the next photo frame, and here he looked much younger in ruddy appearance. I got fascinated at how this mausoleum somewhat turned into an art museum. Its because I saw that there were lots of portraits hanging neatly on the wall, each enclosed in elegant, rust-colored photo frames.

I moved to the next, and in this photo, the older man was wrapping his arm around the shoulders of a younger man. My heart then dubbed painfully against my chest because he was none other—than my father!

I strode to the next frame, and here he was with an old lady whose identity I could no longer doubt. She was my grandmother. She was so beautiful in her simple bodice-and-skirt set, and in her lap was a boy holding a ball. The couple looked so happy together while looking at their son. Drops of tears started dripping from my eyes, but I brushed it away while moving from one frame to another. These photos were enough to tell me the story of how happy they had been.

Philip then opened another door, and then my eyes landed on the crypt. Above the entombment was another photo of a young ship captain wearing his visor- less cap and his white, badged uniform. Staring into the gentle eyes of this unmoving man on the wall, the sense of grief and loneliness wrapped my whole being. That welling emotion I tried to hide then came surging up. He was indeed my father, the Albert Nelson I had always known.

I cried hard while staring at him, at the same time hating him for hiding his identity. Those men of few words were always appealing to me, but as I started to grasp the disadvantage of being so secretive, I was no longer pleased. Had he fought for his right, he would have been the one enjoying the fame and the power of Sean Mark Grey.

I moved to the next frames. To my surprise, it also included my mother during their wedding. I broke into a bitter smile, thinking about how she was so unfair. She left me at such an early age, leaving me to the care of a nanny.

I gave her my crying moment once again, lamenting over the fact that she was so cruel to deny me of a mother's love and care. Philip and Hazel gave me my full privacy, so I was able to wail my heart out until I felt so drained.

Just as I was about to turn and go out, my eyes fell on another wall that hung the memories of my childhood to teenage days. I looked at them one by one until I paused on the last frame. It was a portrait of Sean and me during our wedding day in Hawaii.