*

aux.monten

o.montenegro

: Where

rently. Your guards get Doctor Liza here every night, but they couldn't last night. It was raining hard, and Julio called in, telling us that the bridge they had

*

reread the last seven words of her email. Then, as if something had woken her with a s

ur maid, Alberta, gav

ns on the kitchen counter, calculating if she had noticed the lie she had jus

couldn't type at all. One of her hands reached for her head and began massaging her temples. As if it wasn't enough, she grabbed t

ouse, she realized that it was indeed her mother's villa when they came in. Their dusty family portrait

, the doctor from the previous night. Margaux could tell that it was her, despite the paper bag on

or alive. However, she still couldn't do anything wh

he unconsciousl

rm body on her back. The sponge bath incident la

feet mindlessly stopped before his room. She didn't kno

m, delirious and burning with fever. With no one with them there but her maid

ect he felt under the wet towel. How her fingers run

d! Stop!" she blurt

"What's wro

ndering stare. She blinked multiple times, bowed her head, and sil

ick? You l

trying to act normal. She felt worse than a child caught stealing cookies. For Pete's sake! How was sh

mind just wouldn't stop. 'I should not have seen you. I shoul

rga

at. Then she turned to the old wo

vily visible. "I said, your papa has just called. He wanted to know how the man he sent

argaux cut Alberta off w

or a while. The old woman bit into her bread and then forked s

question. Thus, she snorted and pressed

but to answer, the old woman look

nce?" asked Margaux

aux and tried to change the topic, "How was your stay in New York?

ill dwelling over how her father hadn't asked about her. Didn't he care about hi

y echoed inside the dining room, followed by the old woman's bombarding voice. "What? H

ly. Her lips opened and closed as if she were about

lew to New York City. However, were those things enough for Alberta to question her like this? Margaux knew that Alberta wouldn't e

raised her chin and asked, "Who are you to

e to remind Alberta where to stand. Then she watched how Albert

ng between them, and the pr

Margaux slammed her hand against the table, picked up her

fore rolling to her side. She cracked a smile and looked down at the gold-colored field below the h

free-fall to the ground, sending some dried leaves flying everywhere. Although it was raining like crazy last night, the sun was scorchi

laptop. She stood up and briskly walke

and dirty, with some of its wooden parts falling off. Its paint was chipped, and it was easy to tell

childhood

mother. She used to play here with Alicia all day. This was where Alicia taught her to dance to various music, and she performed her ver

er, she had always been jealous of other kids. Why are other fathers coming

a preferred to take care of her personally every day. She read her stories, drove her to dance school, and played with her. She was never tired o

ux was hungry, so she shuffled to her mother's room. It was late, and she had already missed h

vant's quarters. She wasn't just hungry-she was already starving. Hearing her cry

still s

her to the kitchen. Doing her best, Alberta cooked her a super-late brunch. However, the food she served wasn't as good as Alic

t time. She could still remember how the knocks started almost soundlessly and then gradually turned into

black suits. All of them were frantic and anxious as they shouted

lung open. The first thing her bright eyes landed

losed. For the first time, her mother didn't care to answer her question, even after she pulled the hem of her dress. There

had turned into an angel. She had never known what angels were, so she just bobbed her baby head and tried to

erstand why someone as gracious and beautiful as her mother decided to kill herself. More

argaux ran her fingers through its

as her feet tiptoed on the ground. She copied the fierce ballerina stance Alicia alway

She loved Alicia deeply and missed her with all her heart. However, all she could do now was

ired, starving, and dirty from all the leaves stuck on her shirt. N

without rules and expressed her fears through every stomp of her

ciously stopped before one of their guest rooms doors. Hesitan

oon as she walked into the room. She hated how dizzying

man who was innocently lying in the middle of that king-sized bed. Then, with s

. He had a sinfully sculpted body paired with a f

half of his face and quickly tugged it down. She closed her eyes and the

ting to deepen the kiss, she pressed her lips harder against his and tried to open his mouth furt

rom him, then nervously put the oxygen mask in her hand back on his

oom. Then, without further ado, she twisted the shower knob a

ing water, Margaux clenched her teeth and chanted, "D