Chapter 39: Rafael?

The morning sunlight filtered gently through the curtains, casting a warm glow on Midiana's face as she slept soundly.

The soft light slowly roused her from sleep, and she blinked groggily, her senses gradually returning.

As she stirred, the events of the previous night flashed vividly in her mind, and she suddenly became aware of her surroundings.

She was in her bed, not on the couch downstairs where they had been earlier.

"Did he carry me up here?" Midiana wondered, her cheeks flushing with a mix of embarrassment and confusion.

The memory of last night's actions left her feeling exposed and uneasy.

As she sat up, her thoughts quickly shifted to the day ahead.

She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and realized she was late for school. Panic set in as she registered that she had missed her first class.

"What's the point now?" she mused, feeling a wave of resignation.

With a sigh, she decided to forgo school for the day. She shuffled to the bathroom for a quick shower, the cool water refreshing her and helping to clear her mind.

Back in her room, Midiana sat at her desk, flipping through the math notes Christopher had helped her with.

Despite her best efforts, her concentration was fractured, her thoughts drifting back to her grandmother.

Her granny had been away for four days, visiting her mother at her father's mansion, and Midiana felt a growing concern for her absence.

Peering out the window at the clear blue sky, she wondered,

"When will she come back?" The stillness of the morning only heightened her sense of solitude.

Feeling hungry and restless, she decided to get up and find something to eat, hoping it would help distract her from the swirling thoughts and lingering embarrassment of the night before.

As Midiana descended the stairs, she lifted her head and was struck by a mix of shock and dread.

Her eyes widened at the sight of a tall man standing beside the entrance door. His imposing figure and the aura of elegance surrounding him contrasted sharply with the coldness in his demeanor.

His scarlet pupils seemed to pierce through her own blue eyes with an unsettling intensity.

"Brother!" Midiana thought, recognizing her older brother Rafael.

He was a man in his mid-twenties with light tan skin, black hair that reached his nape, and bangs swept across his forehead.

She heard his voice for the first time in years, a deep and chilling tone devoid of emotion.

"She's gone," Rafael said flatly, before turning his back and heading towards the door with an air of finality.

Midiana's gaze remained fixed on him as the impact of his words sank in. Her eyes widened further at the gravity of his statement.

A bittersweet smile tugged at her lips, a reflection of the pain and resignation she felt.

"Dead, you said?" she asked softly, her voice tinged with a painful edge.

Although her connection to her mother was minimal compared to her bond with her grandmother, the news stirred a sense of sorrow.

She continued, her voice carrying a touch of bitterness,

"And I guess you're happy too." Her gaze followed Rafael as he opened the door to leave.

The mention of their mother, a source of anxiety during her childhood in their father's estate, stirred memories.

Despite Rafael's absence due to his studies abroad and his involvement in diplomatic and business affairs rather than the criminal activities of their father, his presence now felt heavy and unyielding.

Rafael glanced back at his younger sister, Midiana, his expression as cold as ever. His scarlet eyes, sharp and unyielding, seemed to pierce through her.

There was a hint of disdain in his gaze as if he felt a tinge of pity for her existence beneath his stoic demeanor.

"You could say that," Rafael replied coolly, his voice devoid of warmth as he turned away from her.

"If only you understood, Midiana," he added, walking away and shutting the door with a firm click behind him.

Midiana gripped the stair rail, feeling the weight of Rafael's words and the gravity of the news about their mother.

Overwhelmed, she was flooded with fragmented memories of a woman she barely knew—her mother's insistence on securing their father's favor and her constant illness, especially on the nights spent with him.

"Poor woman," Midiana murmured, her voice soft with a touch of sorrow.

She stood there, her heart heavy with empathy for a mother who had endured so much.

"Living a life shrouded in unspoken trauma," she added, her thoughts laced with bitterness as she made her way back to her room.

Her resentment towards her father intensified, fueling her anger over the suffering and disarray he had caused.

"But to the world, she was simply living in luxury," Midiana reflected, her mind grappling with the disparity between outward appearances and the hidden pain beneath.

Midiana stared icily at the door of her room, her eyes reflecting a cold resolve.

"Then again, you're right, Rafael. I'm also happy," she said, her voice carrying a chill.

"Happy that she's finally escaped the torment of that house," Midiana continued, her tone laced with bitter clarity.

She recalled her grandmother's stories about her mother's tragic fate.

"She endured so much—kidnapped, forced to bear Rafael and other children after him who died, then coerced into a marriage with father, and then blackmailed Granny into consenting. Then give birth to me eight years later, with countless miscarriages and infant deaths in between."

Midiana's expression darkened as she pondered her mother's wretched existence, her heart swelling with a mix of sorrow and rage towards her father's criminal deeds. A bitter smile played on her lips, a sign of her complicated emotions.

She hoped fervently for her grandmother's safety, who had been absent for more than three days, far longer than intended.

"If anything happens to her," Midiana thought, her resolve hardening,

"Walker will pay with his soul." Her gaze was steely, filled with a vow of vengeance and an unwavering protectiveness towards her beloved grandmother, viewing her as the only true family she had.

Midiana sat on the edge of her bed, her stomach twisting in knots. She had no appetite, her mind consumed by the overwhelming news of her mother's death and the growing fear for her grandmother's safety in her father's mansion.

"Why him, of all people, to break this news to me?" she muttered under her breath, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Rafael, her aloof older brother, had always been distant. He barely acknowledged her existence, giving her cold glares whenever they crossed paths, which had left her both fearful and wary of him.

His sudden appearance now seemed out of place.

"I don't even know anymore," she whispered, her voice heavy with uncertainty.

She lay back on the bed, her body sinking into the mattress as the weight of her emotions pressed down on her.

Normally resilient, today she felt fragile, a sense of helplessness creeping in as her thoughts circled her grandmother, who might be in danger.

Closing her eyes, she tried to block out the tension rising within her, willing herself to escape the whirlwind of stress.

But before she could settle into that brief moment of peace, her phone buzzed sharply, jolting her upright.

A message from an unknown number lit up the screen: "A driver will be picking you up tomorrow for your mother's funeral."

The words were blunt, devoid of warmth or empathy. Midiana immediately knew it was from her father.

"What a sick joke!" she thought, her grip tightening around the phone.

After everything Christopher had told her, after barely any communication, this was how her father chose to reach out.

It had only been a couple of days since Christopher mentioned her father might call soon, but this message? It felt cold, and transactional, just like him.

The thought of returning to that estate filled her with dread. The idea of facing her father, the man who had caused her so much pain, and her half-siblings, who were no less unsettling, made her skin crawl.

Yet, beneath the anxiety and discomfort, there was a strange, simmering desire to go back—not out of duty or obligation, but for something deeper, something she needed to confront for herself.

As the hours slipped by, morning gave way to the golden haze of afternoon. Midiana sat outside her grandmother's cottage, gently rocking in the old wooden chair, her mind a tangled mess of thoughts she couldn't quiet.

The crisp air did little to soothe the rising tension in her chest, the weight of the day pressing heavily on her shoulders.

Her gaze drifted aimlessly across the yard when, from the corner of her eye, she spotted Julie—Evelyn's maid—making her way toward her with a brisk, purposeful stride.

The cold expression on Julie's face matched her clipped tone as she approached.

"My lady requested your presence," Julie said, her voice devoid of warmth, her face an unreadable mask.

Midiana blinked, momentarily taken aback. "Oh, okay," she replied hesitantly, the confusion clear in her voice. Why would Lady Evelyn, Christopher's older twin, want to see her? Her heart pounded slightly faster as she stood, a sense of foreboding settling over her.

She followed behind Julie, her thoughts tumbling one over the other. The events of the morning felt like a whirlwind—her unexpected meeting with Rafael, the cold news of her mother's death, and the gnawing anxiety over her grandmother's safety.

Every second, the tension in her chest seemed to tighten. And now, Evelyn had called for her. The mere thought made Midiana uneasy.

Could Evelyn know? The idea of Christopher's sister discovering their secret relationship made her stomach twist.

"I just can't deal with this anymore," Midiana thought, her heart heavy with dread. The weight of her secret, already so difficult to bear, now felt even more dangerous.

She realized with a sinking feeling that after her inevitable meeting with her father, she would have to find a way to escape this tangled web. Evelyn's sudden interest only confirmed that she was running out of time.