10:05 A.M.
San Miguel's Hospital.
October 7th, the year 2014. Tuesday.
***
Abbey went inside Carmela's hospital room. She got permission from Marcus and Zoey that she wanted to talk alone with her. They were Carmela's guard this morning.
When Abbey was inside the room, she saw Carmela was staring out of the window. She was deep in thought, and her knuckles were forming into fists.
Carmela didn't notice Abbey sitting down on the sofa. Abbey looked around.
She saw Carmela had no appetite to eat the meal that Zoey prepared for her breakfast. Abbey was nervous because anytime now, she felt that Carmela's anger was rising in her veins.
Anytime now, Carmela would shout nasty things. Abbey doesn't want to make any noise. She was waiting for Carmela to speak up.
"Why the hell are you here?" Carmela asked. Abbey noticed the roughness in her voice, the devastation mixed with anger. She looked up at Carmela and saw that she was still staring out of the hospital's window.
"I c-came here to v-visit you, Carmela," Abbey stammered, nervous about Carmela.
"Visit? Or you want to talk about your stupid brother?!" Carmela yelled while gritting her teeth. She glowered at Abbey. Abbey saw the fire raging in her eyes.
"No. I want to visit you," Abbey mentioned, still nervous.
"I don't want to believe you for a second," Carmela retorted back. She looked out of the window again while creasing her eyebrows. Abbey observed Carmela's body while still sitting down on the sofa. She had a few bruises on her arms and on her face.
She had that dextrose intravenous line. Connected to her veins that will supply her body with food and water.
Carmela's right shoulder had a certain amount of gauze surrounding it. The wound must have been that deep. Abbey said nothing for a moment, and silence ensued in the four corners of the room.
"Abbey, did you know what your brother did to me?" Carmela faltered, still dazed out. Abbey knew everything. Carmela and her brother, Xyrelle, were in touch with one another.
Carmela liked Abbey's brother, and so her brother was. Abbey was the only one who knew about this. The two got drunk last night, and yes, something happened between them.
"Did you know that... he preyed on me?" Carmela confessed. The tears she's been holding since last night came streaming down her cheeks.
"He destroyed my life, he destroyed my dreams!" Carmela shouted. She was howling now, and Abbey felt the sympathy rising inside her.
"Xyrelle destroyed everything! I like him so much, and I finally realize that I love him! But why the hell did he do this to me?! He took advantage of me because we were drunk?! He doesn't even ask me if I want to do it with him! Why the hell did your brother do this to me, Abbey?!" Carmela shrieked everything while her body was shaking with anger.
She thoroughly wiped the tears, but it kept coming. Abbey said nothing. She stooped down her head, accepting all the hate coming from Carmela.
"Now I'm gonna get pregnant, and I don't even know how I can say it to my aunt," Carmela hissed. Abbey finally approached Carmela in her hospital bed. She knelt down and placed her hands on the railings.
"I'm sorry, Carmela," Abbey blurted out. Carmela snickered at her.
"You are not the one who should say that, Abbey," Carmela provoked.
"I know, Carmela. But on behalf of my brother, please," Abbey.
implied, while the tears were brimming in her eyes.
"You know, I can issue an arrest for him," Carmela leered. Abbey froze at what she heard.
'Carmela wants her brother arrested?' Abbey asked herself.
"Carmela, please. Don't arrest him," Abbey begged. She held Carmela's hand for a second, but she unclasped Abbey's hand. Carmela can issue an arrest for Xyrelle, she's powerful and rich. Their money and resources were much higher than them, the Martinez family.
The Martinez family owned a small company called Martin Corporation. In which, when the time has come, it will pass on to Abbey or Xyrelle. It developed lots of houses and buildings. But it wasn't much of that power against Torres Productions.
"Why not, Abbey?" Carmela mocked, the corner of her lips tilting up.
"Carmela, please. I will do everything. Don't arrest my brother," Abbey beseeched.
Carmela first thought about Abbey's annihilation. She offered, "I will not put up an arrest in two conditions."
Abbey waited for Carmela's conditions. "First, all the happenings last night must remain with both of us. None of our best friends should know about what happened to me and Xyrelle," Carmela began. It perplexed Abbey by the first condition.
"We should keep this thing a secret between us Abbey, do you understand? I finally said to Zoey that I've got a simple fever and anemia that caused me these bruises. My right shoulder bandage is a simple slip from the wet floor. I knew the doctor here, I've said to anyone who will come to visit me to say these stupid reasons," Carmela elaborated. Abbey nodded at what Carmela explained. She didn't understand why Carmela needed to hide everything from their best friends.
"Second, promise me that as soon as possible, you will be the one who will say all of this to Xyrelle." She concluded with firm persistence.
Abbey finally got stupefied on her knees. How can she say it to her own brother? Even if Abbey doesn't want to agree with Carmela's conditions, she needed to do this for her brother.
"Do you agree, Abbey? Or do you want to see your brother rot in jail?" Carmela sniggered. The last thing Abbey wanted was to be away from her brother. She doesn't have any choice.
"I agree, Carmela," Abbey conceded, doubting her own decision.
***
Abbey drove off her car towards Bella's Main Highway at a moderate speed. The other automobiles zoomed in and out of her sight, reaching their speed limit. Carmela was looking out of the car window, dazed in her own thoughts. Abbey cleared her throat and spoke up.
"Carmela, how is Hannah? Is she doing fine?" Abbey questioned.
Abbey wanted to divert their conversation to what happened on the night of October 6th in the year 2014. She doesn't want to ask her brother directly about it because it can lead to misunderstanding. Her brother might know about Hannah in no time. Carmela peeked at Abbey and faltered. "She's fine, why?"
"Nothing. I want to visit her sometime," Abbey grinned.
"You can decide when to visit her. But, not these days, she seems a little sensitive to people right now," Carmela reminded.
"Sensitive? Why?"
"She's deaf, right?" Carmela uttered. Abbey looked at Carmela in a haste. She didn't know Hannah was deaf!
"Did they not tell you?"
"No one said anything to me until now. I'm sorry, Carmela. I didn't know Hannah is deaf," Abbey voiced. Carmela nodded, trying to understand that Abbey's outdated with the news. Abbey felt convicted at the thought.
"At first, I didn't know why Hannah had been born deaf, but so far, I accepted it as she grows. And I need to because I'm a single mom," Carmela muttered painfully.
"I'm sorry, Carmela," Abbey apologized as she held Carmela's hand.
"It's not your fault, Abbey," Carmela mumbled while placing her hand above Abbey's.
"I know, Carmela. But it's my brother who did that to you."
"It's okay, Abbey," Carmela breathed. She said it, but she's wretchedly torn apart.
'I can't believe that my brother took advantage of my best friend because she knew they were drunk.' Abbey said to herself grievously.
It's been 4 years, and Abbey doesn't have plans to say everything to her brother. She wanted to hide Hannah as long as she could, but she made a promise to Carmela. Another broken promise would come in the way.
How can she say it? Every day, she saw Xyrelle's alluring smile. The happiness in his eyes whenever they talked. Whenever Abbey cried, her brother was there for her to bring her smile back. He was a jolly person, not any problem can break his joy.
The stillness between the two supervened for a moment. If she talked further, Carmela would interrogate her about her promise. A promise that should have been fulfilled a long time ago.
Abbey turned her car onto the entrance of Lightning's Village where Carmela lived. She stopped the car outside of an old house. It still had the aesthetic look on it, but the yellow paint was fading, making it turn into a marigold one. Abbey waited for Carmela to climb outside, but she stared out of the window for a minute.
"I thought you said it to your brother, Abbey? Like we promised?" Carmela asked, then turned at Abbey.
"Ahh... Carmela, it-it's--," Abbey stuttered, frightened of what Carmela would do. Carmela cackled, then grumbled at Abbey.
"What, Abbey? We promised each other, right? I made two conditions, and you agreed to what I said! They will not arrest your brother as long as... you are gonna say everything to him. Didn't you remember it?" Carmela asked multiple questions. Abbey looked at her and saw the fire agonizing in her eyes.
"Carmela, I know I say it, but--," Abbey was nervous upon saying it.
"When Abbey?! When?! When my body ripped apart in two because of countless jobs?! It's hard for me to be a single mom, Abbey! You should feel compassionate about me!" Carmela shouted.
"I need to do multiple jobs because our company is facing bankruptcy!" Carmela yelled. Abbey's astonished by what she heard. What? Torres Productions is facing bankruptcy?
Abbey furrowed her eyebrows, confused. But she set it aside. She needed to defend her brother in every way she could.
"Carmela, I will say it to him at the right--." Carmela didn't want to finish Abbey's words and climbed out of her car. She rapidly fumbled for the lock of her house, and Abbey got out of her car like a bolt of lightning.
"Carmela! Carmela!" Abbey cried.
"Please!" Abbey pleaded. Carmela slowly looked at her, and heavy tears were pouring out of her eyes.
"Abbey, I want Xyrelle to be in jail right now," Carmela's furious tone made Abbey agonized.
"Please, Carmela! Please! I will say it to him, but please, don't issue an arrest for him!" Abbey cried out.
"Abbey, you promised me! You completely fulfilled one condition, how about the other one?!" Carmela bellowed. Abbey looked down, having not enough strength to defend her brother anymore.
"In the past 4 years, I patiently waited for him to knock on my door. I would see him, happily asking where Hannah is, then we would marry each other. For 4 damn years, Abbey! I waited and waited for nothing! I believed you would actually say it to him, but no, you didn't do it!" Carmela barked at Abbey's face while crying.
"I trusted you, Abbey! Because we're best friends! And because we have a promise," Carmela added, intensely looking at Abbey's eyes. Carmela wiped her tears, and censured, "Choose, Abbey."
"You will say everything to him or he will rot in jail. I will give you one last chance, Abbey. If you did nothing, forget that we're best friends. And you will see your brother behind the bars. I will not let you know it. Remember these words," Carmela ordered, then turned her back and went inside her house.
She slammed the door. Abbey's stunned at where she was currently standing.
'This will be my last chance, and I have to do it right,' Abbey thought while tears are streaming down her cheeks.