"Yan..."
With her soft voice, the woman kept calling the same name again and again. She looked around and found herself in a white room. The bed was white. The ceiling was white,and so are the walls and curtains. Several things was attached to her. Was she in a hospital? She tried recalling what happened to her but she can't figure out anything. The long sleep, the various dreams, the scattered memories, will seemed to mess up her mind. All she could remember clearly was a young girl's face smiling at her.
"Yan....where's Yan?"
From outside the room, a woman heard her call out the name and she came dashing inside. She ran towards the lady in white and hugged her tight.
"Dianna! You're indeed awake!"
Dianna looked at the woman absent-mindedly as if she didn't recognise her. But after a while,she was able to smile. "Cheh...." she whispered.
Hearing the lady call her nickname, the woman became more emotional.
"That's right! I'm your sister Dulceh. Do you know how much i missed you!" tears started falling from the middle aged woman's eyes. Yesterday, she was notified that her sister had awoken, but when she came to visit, her hope was almost shattered. Though her eyes were open, she was unresponsive. Like a lifeless doll with vacant eyes. Today, she expected to see her revert back to her sleeping state, but surprisingly, she's conscious now! Although she couldn't talk much and can only utter few words, seeing Dianna alive and smiling really warmth her heart.
"We already called Carl. He'll be here soon." Dulceh said while wiping her tears. Dianna only stared at her with a smile.
***
Arianna slowly opened her eyes and saw Yago sleeping soundly beside her. When she urged Yago to rest a bit earlier, she didn't realise she had fallen asleep as well. She stared at Yago's handsome face for a while, before she tried getting up.
"Stay for a while more..."
Arianna heard Yago's hoarse voice from beside her. Did she wake him up? "Stay for a while." he repeated. "I want to tell you about a story from long ago."
Arianna laid back down and Yago hugged her before kissing her head.
Arianna felt awkward but she endured the weird feeling. Yago would leave soon. She also wants to spend some time with him.
"There was once a wealthy but superstitious couple. Twenty eight years ago, the woman gave birth to a pair of twins. One was healthy, and the other one was sickly. As they were growing up, the parents' attention was all given to the sick child. He became the favoured child who got everything he desired. One day, they took their children to a trip, and during a temple visit, a monk told the husband and wife that they are destined to lose one of their child for the other. They didn't take it to heart, until the kids' seventh birthday, when the younger child almost drowned while he was in the swimming pool with the elder brother. It was then that they decided to separate the twins. They sent the healthy brother to a far away island to live with a relative. He lived there for a few years until one day, the man taking care of him died, and he was left to fend for himself. He wandered around until a syndicate group got ahold of him.... "
Yago stopped. It wasn't the end of the story, but he knew Arianna already knows the rest of it. Yes, he was the elder child who was abandoned miserably.
"They were destined to lose one child for the other...." Arianna repeated a phrase. "It did come true, but it was you whom they lost for your brother!"
Yago sighed.
" You said you're a villain. But I'm not any better. My parents thought I pushed my brother to the pool because I was jealous of him. They thought I'll keep hurting my brother, because I'm the evil child. My parents didn't want me. No body wanted me!"
When Arianna heard that, she immediately sat up.
"We loved you! My mother and I loved you!"
Yago sat-up too. He stared at Arianna for a while before showing a playful smile. " You love me? Are you sure?"
Arianna was stunned. She didn't know what to reply as she was afraid Yago would play with her words.
"It's alright." she heard Yago said as he stood up from the bed. "I'll be gone for a while. After I come back, you can give me your answer then." he said nonchalantly. "Back then, I could've gone back to my parents and although they would most probably send me somewhere else, but I'm sure they'd provide for me just the same...." he looked at Arianna before continuing. "...but I stayed with you because I want to be with you." he paused for a while studying her expression. "Arianna I..... think I fell in love with you at first sight. Though I didn't know it back then as we were still both young, I felt this strong connection between us. I didn't want to let you go." he then sighed and looked away. "though I think I did the wrong thing when I stayed, because you only took me for a brother."
Arianna was startled. Was it the reason he's choosing to leave? Was he trying to restart his life without her?
"You said they don't want you! Then why are you coming back to them?"
"Because I'm not an evil brother. Right now, Vier needs me. I have to take care of him. And.... I want to find out just where I belong to. If one day, you decide that I belong here with you, then give me a call and I'll come back." he said smiling sweetly.
"How much?" Suddenly, Arianna turned to Yago and asked. " If you really love me, how much?"
Yago looked at her pondering. After a while, he walked closer and leaned for a kiss, which she didn't dodge. "I'll come back from the dead for you... So that I can accompany you, and protect you forever." he answered with a smile. Although she knew how silly those words were, but she can't help herself but be moved. Truly, no man in this lifetime has ever treated her better than Yago.