C47: Megan

"Meg, we're coming home in a few days. I hope you'll be a little more patient. I have some important things to discuss with you, but don't worry, it's nothing negative. Is there any way for me to make it up to you? We've been away for quite long. What kind of souvenir do you like?" Arthur's low, yet gentle voice sounded music to my ears. He calls me almost daily, and if not, he'll check on me by chatting. Something that he didn't use to do, and it's the reason why I'm getting convinced that he's already serious with our relationship.

However, it breaks my heart to see Vincent suffering as he sees Arthur and I have a healthier relationship.

"Sure, thanks. Don't worry, I'll be fine. You don't have to bring me souvenirs of any kind, I'm not exactly a materialistic person. I can be happy as long as I'm talking to you." Assuring him that everything's fine is the best option I can think of, although all this time, I keep on wondering how Vincent is taking all these. The last time we talked, he was upset – something that isn't so him, because the Vincent I knew was a complete jerk. Now I pity him for giving up everything, accepting defeat.

"Very well, I'll have to hang up now. It's pretty late here, and my eyes are killing me. Have a nice day. Take good care of yourself, okay? And if something happens, just tell me."

"Alright. Have a good sleep. Goodbye."

As I put my phone down, I logged in on Facebook and browsed the group where Evangeline and I met – Home for the brokenhearted girls where Evangeline shared her frustration after knowing that Lance was the one who took her cousin's life. She didn't, however, discussed the details but simply said,

'I'm here just to vent. I've been struggling for the past few months when I figured that my cousin died, and found out that the person I like was at fault.'

Her post received 40 comments, and yet, she didn't give any reply at all, and when I asked, she didn't bother to discuss it, but simply said, 'Let's not talk about a case that's already closed.'

Evangeline … what are you planning? You wouldn't let a murder just slip through your fingers, won't you? You're not supposed to be THAT kind.

Surprisingly, I saw the green circle appear next to Evangeline's name, and I immediately pressed the call button, and she picked up immediately.

"Hey, Meg, what made you call?"

"You're hiding lots of things from me. I have a feeling that there are lots of things that I should know. You trust me, right? You've been distant since you left the country. How can you not say anything to me? I'm your best friend!" I paused, realizing that I was already out of the line. "I'm sorry, I got … carried away. I didn't mean it."

"It's fine, I can't blame you for being curious. I'm sorry if I didn't talk to you that much, I was gathering myself together after everything that happened there. I needed some space from everyone, and thankfully, I had a valid reason to go back to the US. I wasn't far from going insane the last time I was there. The reason why I returned here was that my mom's already awake, and she wanted to see me. I'll go back there soon; I just don't know when. When that happens, I'll bring mom with me, and I won't have any reason to return here. I'll permanently reside there in the Philippines. I just need to focus on some matters." She explained, her voice in monotone.

"What are those matters, then?" I asked, hoping that this time, she'll spill the beans.

"I should sell my properties first. My car, the house, everything else. Once I managed to settle those, that's when I'll come back, and I'll probably start a new business. I don't know what, though. We'll see where this goes."

"Those are big plans," I commented, unsure of what to say next. "I hope you'll find some buyers as soon as possible."

"It's the right timing because my mother still needs to recover a bit, so it'll buy us time. Why do you sound like you want me to be there as soon as possible, though? You miss me already?"

"More than that, it's because of Lance. He's not acting like himself recently. He's unapproachable and more intimidating than usual, colder, his spirit is always down, he isolated himself from the world. He seems to be less stressed though this week. Still, I think you guys have something to discuss. What is he to you, anyway? Are you guys in a relationship? I've been curious about that all this time and yet, you never told me anything."

"You can say that he's a secret agent who had to deny himself to survive. There's the golden rule that he can't give lots of personal information about him because if he won't be careful, he can be traced for the crimes that he did. It's a sad life, but he's good at keeping himself safe. If you'll try to understand the big picture, he can't be in a relationship with anyone, because he'll put that person's life at risk. He stopped doing that business when he met me, after finding out that Giovanni's close to me. I befriended him from the very start because I had the thought that he needs friends. When he found out that my uncle was targeting me, he said he wanted to protect me. That's why we're always together. Since we go out together and spend lots of time with each other, we became close. We're not in a formal relationship."

"But you said in your post that you like him."

"Yes I did, and I do. Like is different from love, and it's too early for me to conclude what's what, especially now," she sighed. "I'll be fine; I'll figure things out."

"Okay, this is the last one. Aren't you planning to file a lawsuit against him?"

A long silence followed my question, but I decided not to press the issue. "It's okay if you won't answer."

"I see. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now. I still have things to do."