Chapter 225 - A Slipped Chance

Trisha looked around at first to see if there's anybody telling her that this was a trap. She already saw the lifeless face of her mother, it had already sunk and carved deep within her. 

Trisha had already acted as if her mother died.

Therefore, she gently pushed the 'woman' away in confusion. Her mother, the woman, didn't think too much of it. She already knew that her daughter right now is rebellious and Trisha must've been embarrassed, the mother thought.

"Stop with the misunderstanding. Your daughter thinks that you're already dead and you, your mother didn't die."

It took Trisha some time but the others realized what was the root of all this destruction.

"S-she didn't die?"

Trisha still asked once again as she looked at the person who can restrain her. Meanwhile, that person answered while looking at Teren who's lying there in a near-death state.

"No, this evil man just played a trick on you. If he really killed your mother, all his effort would go to waste."

That last part struck Trisha that hardest. She remembered Teren's words too on why he would never kill her. That should also be applied to her family, right?

Trisha looked at her mother again and slowly, touched her cheek. Her mother only responded with a smile.

Yes, I'm alive.

Just like the time Trisha learned of her mother's 'death', weakness evaded her body when she learned of her mother's 'survival' - it was strength-taking. She soon fell onto her knees and shivered. But this time, she cried and wailed out of great relief.

Teren sat up and had his head cast down without looking at anything.

"You planned it, you led her here, but why... why didn't you do or say anything at the end?"

"Dehian..."

Teren muttered. Yes, it was none other than Dehian who intervened at the end.

"Did you just think, at that last moment, that dying is will end it all? Did you just see that chance to escape everything?"

Dehian's words became heavy and a little angry.

But Teren didn't answer.

"No, this life of hell is created for your sins. You won't be able to escape it, not as long as I'm here."

"Who are you talking to exactly?" 

The first time Teren spoke, it was a question for which Dehian responded-

"I'm talking to Teren, not the other one or that monster."

"..."

While Trisha and her family have their own world, Teren and Dehian had their own too. Dehian was about to speak again when Teren was no longer replying but stopped when the latter stood up and faced her.

Without a say, he took a step forward and hugged her.

"Sorry, I'm just lacking the reason to live... now, I'm refilling it."

"... ah."

Dehian flinched but unexpectedly, didn't fight back. Teren hugged tighter shared body heat with the one he loves.

"You still love Iesa after all that?"

"Don't kid me, I love you."

"Tsk! Why is nobody believing that I'm not her...!?"

Dehian clicked her tongue but Teren just continued to hug her. Only after a while did she push him away. Teren complied and stretched as if he's revitalized.

"We've been next to each other day after day at school but I couldn't even talk to you. Is that the life of hell you're talking about?"

Teren jokingly asked with a smile but Dehian just stepped back and disappeared without saying anything back.

Teren's smile stayed for a while before it disappears. He glanced at Trisha and found that she was still in the midst of 'reuniting' with her family. Soon, he vanished too.

...

"So this is the reason why Teren wants us to sleep at a hotel this night."

Josh muttered with a ghastly expression. He looked at the ruins they once called home through the car window.

"Keeping our lives is much better. That house has insurance in the first place."

Jomar in the driver's seat tried to be optimistic. However, thinking about what could cause such destruction still kept them shivering in fright. Soon, they drove off, making them miss Teren's return.

Teren pushed the rubbles away with little strength he had left before getting to the basement. It was still filled with rubbles and fragments of the one whole house. One by one, he removed them. Even with a large percentage of his strength taken away, he was able to carry giant fragments. Every move made loud crashing sounds and that's when he realized that these crashing sounds doubled.

He looked at the second source and saw a girl with a blonde ponytail doing the exact same thing he was doing.

Seeing this girl, Teren was confused.

"I just wanted to come back here, that's all."

Trisha replied without looking at him.

Teren didn't want to think too much at that moment and just rummaged through the basement. An hour or so later, when the dark sky began gaining color, Teren finally found his backpack.

"So that's what you are looking for?"

Trisha leaned forward near Teren who was crouching. She combed her hair back with her hand as she wiped her sweaty face. Both of them have become dirty from removing all the pile of rubbles since earlier.

Teren took out the phone within his bag and saw that it received huge cracks on the screen.

"You shouldn't have left it there if you planned all this. Or maybe, what that woman said earlier is true. You saw this chance to die... from the start and that's why you didn't care about your possession any longer."

"You heard us?"

Teren stood up while trying to open the phone to see if it still works. Miraculously enough, it did, although the screen already have a lot of defects. It's hard to touch but Teren patiently opened it and went through its photo gallery.

"Yeah. What kind of relationship is that? I have no idea. She saves you but then she condemns you, then she accepted your hug but pushed you away a moment later? That's confusing."

"So you saw and heard everything."

"Basically."

Teren looked through the photos before turning his phone off and placing it in his pocket.