Part 13

"Fortunately, my father came back to the bungalow that day. He was also very scared because of your late arrival and Mrs. Serena's frantic behavior."

"My father searched for you like a madman, sister Amelya."

Her eyes were filled with tears. Those tears had added so much weight to my heart that I felt endless anger at myself.

"Knowing that you were not in the church, my father tried to find you with another young man who was there.. "

"Meanwhile, they have gone there to the sound of you screaming and crying in that deserted garden."

"What makes you want to go to that garden where no one knows, sister Amelya..?"

Having no answer to give her, I looked at the distant sky and let out a breath.

"You were moaning unconsciously..

Even though you came to the bungalow, you were unconsciously reading someone's name.. only after that.. the pastor of the church came here to bless you.."

After a few hours, you regained consciousness, sister Amelya.

Then she began to tell everyone everything that had happened.

'But the name I unconsciously read..? '

That question began to plague me once again.

'"Federica.."

"Um... what else does sister Amelya want to know from me..?"

As soon as I called her, she started asking me.

"Um...!"

"I want to know.. whose name I said unconsciously.. "

I asked her, catching the emotion in her eyes.

"Ah.. that.."

She is trying to free those eyes from mine.

"Federica.. help me solve this puzzle, children.. "

Sensing that she was trying to hide something from me, I demanded in a hoarse voice.

I am afraid, sister Amelya.. because you are in trouble.. "

She looked at me sadly.

"No, Federica.. Not knowing the truth is the beginning of a great disaster."

"Let's solve this mystery.. Help me, Federica."

I said, looking at her as I locked those delicate hands in mine.

"Hmm...!"

"Enrico..."

She said it with a deep sigh.

"Enrico..."

I looked at her with my eyes still closed and whispered. She nodded her head in approval.

But, of course, I have only the hollowest feelings about the dead Enrico. I understood from the notes in the maid's diary and from what Adriana said that both young women had suffered because of her. He has cheated Adriana. Hence, it is a great crime. It is certain that Enrico is responsible for the pain she is going through today.

'Also, the maid..? What happened to her? To Enrico's little angel in her womb

Indeed, what has happened..?'

I remembered it again and again.

'But what is the connection between his dead name and my thoughts? '

On the other hand, I started to think again.

So, despite completing all the day's work duties as usual, I still had no clear answer to the thousands of questions on my mind.

The very next day, I started cleaning all the dusty household appliances in the bungalow again, and by the time I was done with it, I had reached evening too. Federica had decided not to come to the bungalow today, mostly because I was recovering. I resumed my usual life and thought that I had finished all the work, but seeing that there was only one more room to clean, I was taking steps towards it. But suddenly I had to come to the front gate due to the bell of the bungalow ringing.

'Ah Giuseppe..'

I asked, looking at him, as he had come at an unexpected moment.

"Put this on your shoulders, children. When I went to church this afternoon, the pastor gave this to me.."

Having not spoken a word face to face for so many days, he really relieved me to speak like this today.

"Oh.. thank you so much, Giuseppe.. "

I said, looking at him with that paternal affection.

"Hmm..!"

"Be careful, children.. this is a very bad time.."

He said he was looking at the empty sky that was getting dark.

"Well, Giuseppe.. I'll be careful.."

Without hurting that feeling, I adjusted the words.

"I'll go then, children."

After saying that, when he was about to say goodbye, I nodded my approval and entered my room.

I thought of putting on the silver crucifix necklace that Giuseppe had brought as I packed it away in my jewelry box. Returning to the downstairs hall, I stepped into the old storage room in the bungalow that extended below ground level. The fact that no light was provided for the event, which was dark and dusty due to constant non-use, brought a kind of uneasiness to my mind. But when I didn't have enough time to clean the cabin, I remembered that Christmas was coming in a few hours. Then, after lighting a tall white wax lamp, I opened the doors of that dark room.

"Ja..braas…"

I had to struggle to even open the locks of the gate, which were opened by a loud sound.

For a moment, I thought that there might even be venomous sappers in the dusty, cobwebbed, dark room. I moved my eyes around the room, where there were many tall boxes and various broken antique household items.

I wiped the edge of a fairly large table, placed the candle on it, and neatly put all the smallest dust that had fallen on the floor to one side. But once I carefully picked up the few framed photos that fell from my hand in the dirty box and put them all on the table,

'What..!'

I couldn't believe my eyes and stared at it. Something undreamed of was unfolding in front of these eyes.

"God.. that means..!"

I mumbled to myself and scanned through all the photos one by one.

All those framed photos were of him and me, and I was still looking at them with haunted eyes.

"Where are you?!"

I struggled to fit the words.

There were many photographs here that had never been taken in the past year since I came to Italy. All of them had many photos of him and me embracing each other in love, as well as individual photos of him and me.

Picking up a single photo of Nicolo, I stared at him. Those blue eyes were as bright as today. That black, smooth head of hair falling on his face had increased his mischievousness even more. That handsome figure, who was about six feet tall, filled my heart with a feeling I had never felt before.

I picked up the other photo and looked at my image without blinking. At a moment when I think that there is no difference between her and me, I run my long fingers over the image with such incredulity that I think I am seeing a dream.