Chapter 8

CHRISMITH decided to go home, even though his friends was still enjoying the night party. But, before he could arrive at the house, someone that he was not expecting at the moment was calling on his phone. "Is there a problem, mom?" Chris worriedly asked his mother. He knows it is too early at where his parents are and to call him at this time, he supposed there was a problem. "There's no problem here, hijo. I just called you to ask how was the mother of your girlfriend?" Chrismith's forehead furrowed after hearing those words from her mother. "You woke up early just to ask me about them?" he knew that her mother and Margaret are close friends, but he still felt confused by his mother's behavior as of now. "Hijo, what kind of boyfriend are you to not know the problem that she has right now?" "Mom, wait," he cut off his mother to clarify everything. "First of all, I and Janice are not in a romantic relationship." "What?" He automatically put his phone away from his ear when his mother's voice raised from the other line. "I thought she already said yes to you?" Luisa asked to his only son, not believing in what she heard. "Mom!" He sighed. He cannot find the right words to say to his mother to avoid hurting her feeling. He figured his mother should know what the real score between him and Janice is, but he also knew that Luisa is expecting that they will have a good relationship more than friends. Before, he simply did whatever his mom wanted to please her. Janice and he became friends because of Luisa, along with Margaret that was her Amiga at zumba dance and at a casino. Apart from that, his father is a good friend of Mr. Alfonso in business. "Please go and comfort Janice. She has no one to lean on at this moment, her father is out of town. She unintentionally called me because she was nervous." "Sorry, mom, but I don't know what happened to her and where she is." He is even more worried about his mother's restlessness. "She brought your Aunt Margaret to the hospital." "All right, mom. Please take a rest now and leave this thing to me. I will go visit them." He said in a low voice. "Call me later, okay? I really feel pity for Janice, she's so kind and soft-hearted, unlike her sister." Chrismith sighed deeply while listening to his mother on the phone. "That's why I like her to be your..." "Ma, I know it's too early there. You must go back to sleep." He interfered with his mother's sentence. He was a bit sad because of the thought that his mother knows nothing but the bad sides of Nica. "Chris?" Shock was visible on Janice's face when he appeared in front of her. "How did you know that I was here?" "Hi," the only word that he said. He was speechless when he saw how distressed Janice looks. It was the first time he saw her without makeup. "Mom called and told me what happened." "I apologize for bothering you and Aunt Luisa!" She bent down her head to hide her face the moment she realized how bad her look was. He smiled at Janice while touching her hair. "Don't worry, you still look beautiful." He said to make her feel comfortable with his presence. "What a fawner you are!" Janice smiled even though she was still embarrassed and she could not meet his stares. "What happened?" Chris changed the subject. "Mom was injected with before they treated the broken bone in her hand." She replied with sadness in her voice while she slowly walks with him toward her mother's room. "The damage in her arm was that bad?" Chrismith asked with shock and disbelief when he saw the wrapped bandage on the elbow of the middle-aged woman. Janice smiled bitterly at the young man as she nodded. "Why did she do this?" he referred to Nica who was the reason why Janice's mother is in the hospital today. According to her mother's story, the two allegedly had an argument. He never expected Nica to hurt someone severely, especially an elderly person. "I don't know what made my half-sister angry. All I know is that she was drunk. Apart from Mom, I also worry about her. She became an alcoholic and she hurts people whenever Mom preaches her, although it was for her own sake." "She was drunk?" Chris asked incredulously. "Yes. I was grateful because our maid saw them when she hurt Mom. If our maid had not caught Mom, she might've had her head hurt because of the force of Nica's push." "I am sorry to hear that," Chris replied. He admitted to himself that he indeed feels disappointed. He did not know that there was a place Nica goes to aside from his bar and resto. He stayed at Janice's side until their maids came. He also sent her home so that she could change her clothes and take a rest. "Thank you," Janice shyly said after she got out of his car. "Anytime. Have a good night." Chris smiled at Janice. "Chris." Chris paused from opening the door of his car when Janice called him. When he turned to face her, she was already in front of him and he was unprepared of what she did next. Janice attempted to kiss him on the cheek, but because of their timing, it went to the corner of his lips. "I really appreciate your moral support for me," her cheeks are slightly red because of what happened. "About the kiss—" "It's ok." Chris cut her off. "You and your mom are special to my mom, especially, you." Though Janice was disappointed in his answer, she still smiled at him. She was about to invite him in to have a coffee, but Chris spoke first. "I will go now. You should have a good rest." She went inside because that was what Chrismith wanted. She was somehow glad because he did not want her to be in danger. From a window where she could see the gate, Nica watches the scenario down there. While she watched them do lovey-dovey, she could not help but snigger. "What a pity that you will just be with a fake and toxic bitch." She directed those words to Chrismith, even though she knew he does not see and hear her. When she saw her half-sister come in, she gets out of her room and went downstairs. "Why are you still awake?" Janice was surprised to see her half-sister. "I just want to know if your drama queen mother is still alive," she grinned at Janice. "Let me guess," she said while placing her index finger on her chin. "Is her whole arm wrapped in a bandage?" "You will someday receive a karma for your wickedness!" Janice gritted her teeth in annoyance. Nica laughed crazily while pointing at her half-sister. "You believe in karma?" She laughed louder when Janice's face reddened because of anger. "Then why aren't you scared if you believe in karma?" She sarcastically added that made her sister angrier. "I have a clean conscience—" Janice could not continue with what she wanted to say when Nica laughed harder. She looks like she was out of her mind. "You?" She pointed at Janice. "You have a conscience?" Nica had a hard time stopping herself from laughing again. "Did you hear yourself, Bitch?" "How dare you—" "How dare you, too!" Nica yelled at her half-sister and this time, what could be seen in her eyes are but pure hatred. "Where is your conscience when you claimed my work yours? It was not you who worked hard for that!" "I don't know what you're talking about." Janice turned her back on her to avoid her. "You're not just your mother's doll, you're also my source of anger!" She yelled at Janice while clenching her fist. She is holding herself back from hurting her like what she did to her mother. Janice climbed the stairs in her running pace to get away from her half-sister. She suddenly felt afraid of Nica's anger at her. The two of them are the only ones in the mansion, thus she has to avoid her. Nica threw a pillow that was on the sofa because of her too much grudge against her sister. Her hatred for her stepmother and her half-sister, who has fake kindness, could reach Hades. The next morning, Nica was not surprised to see her father in the living room along with her stepmother who was just discharged from the hospital. She woke up late because she did not have enough sleep yesterevening. "Hon, please, don't chastise her anymore. She would just become more distant from me when you get mad at her." Nica felt the urge to vomit when she heard her stepmother's dramatic line. She stopped walking so she could watch them argue about her. "That's the reason why she is that hard-headed — you always go to her side even though you're hurting!" calm, but there was still anger in Alfonso's voice. "There was nothing serious that happened to me, so…" "Next time, I will make sure you would not even have the ability to stand up so that your title as the drama queen would not be worthless." She sarcastically cut her stepmother off when she could no longer bear listening. "I also wish your arm broke for real." She said with a smirk and was about to go forward, but her father got a hold of her arm. "You had crossed over the line, young lady!" Margaret quickly hugged her husband to stop him from his attempt to hurt Nica. "See?" Nica remarked while laughing and pointing at Margaret's arm that is wrapped around his father's waist. Her other hand was holding Alfonso's hand, so he could not slap her. Margaret quickly let go of her husband's hand and acted like her arm hurts because she forced it to move. "May your arm break for real!" She hissed at Margaret. Alfonso, who was containing his anger at her daughter to himself, was suddenly dazed. Even though Nica already left, he could not move his feet to reach and sit on the sofa. He felt disappointed in how his daughter acts now. He feels like she had now completely changed into a different person.