"Just by looking at her, I can tell that she was traumatized," Kieffer said and breathed heavily.
"But that Lieutenant Alvarez was quick to analyze the situations, huh? Now I can tell why you let him handle that case. But wasn't his father the one who originally handled that case?"
"Yes. The reason why I gave him that case was because the files that his father collected were still in his hands." Tyler answered without leaving his gaze on Lanie.
"And so the information about them and your family," Kieffer added.
***
"Oh god... Oh god..." Lady sobbed. Her breathing became heavy and her vision started to become blurry. Here she goes again. Panic attack.
"Lady! Lady!" Althea called her name, trying to get her attention. But she remained to stare at the floor, struggling to breathe as she trembled hard.
"Lady! Look at me! Lady!" When she lifted her head, she saw a man standing meters away from her, looking at her with his serious, dark, and mysterious eyes. Standing beside him was the man she saw earlier, the man in the VIP suite.
"Hey, Lady!" Her gaze moved to Althea. She saw concern and fear on her face.
"Are you okay?" She only nodded.
"We already gave our statements about the two girls. You are the only one who is not giving statements." Althea explained to her.
Lieutenant Alvarez came, "She already gave her statement. Her statement was the reason why we quickly ran here." Althea looked at Lady and then at Lieutenant.
"Luna Lim said Angelica Corporado has a boyfriend and Ms. Lady confirmed that there was no guy in the room. Luna Lim didn't say the name of Angelica Corporado's supposed boyfriend, also. Plus, they got two rooms. Our team already checked Luna Lim's room and they found the knife she used to kill her friend. And..." he looked at the body of Luna Lim that was currently carried by the authorities to move out.
"I assumed that she poisoned herself." Some policemen talked to the Lieutenant and said something to him. He looked at them and excused himself.
"Let's go home. Are you sure you're okay? You look pale."
"I'm... I'm fine. I'm just shocked." Althea came with her and drove her to her house since she was still trying to collect herself. She was still not fully recovered from the shock.
When Tyler saw that all was settled, he started to walk. Kieffer followed him and sighed because he knew they would become busy again.
Lady just stared blankly at her apartment's wall when she arrived. She slowly sat on the sofa and sighed heavily. She thought she had already forgotten what happened, but she was wrong. What happened at the hotel triggered her memories of the past.
"Should I get therapy again?" She asked herself.
No matter what she does just to forget that night, they are always coming back. Hunting her.
23rd of October, 2006. 14 years ago.
She was only 10 years old at that time when something terrible happened that night. That night in the Gerpacio's Mansion. The night when the people in that mansion were massacred by the unknown three masked persons together with their people.
She still clearly remembers that night… because she is the only witness to that massacre.
The memories didn't leave Lady for a few days. Even in her dreams, those memories were flashing there. Last week's incident triggered her memories. That has not happened before. Maybe because she saw that woman lying on the floor puking her blood. The same scenario she saw 14 years ago.
She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the steering wheel. She was absent today just to go here. Her last visit here was 5 months ago.
"Good afternoon, Ma'am!" the girl at the front desk greeted me.
"Good afternoon. To Dra. Kyline Montanes. I have an appointment today."
"Ah, yes. She's already in her office." She smiled at her and went to the doctor's room. She then ended up getting therapy again.
She knocked three times before opening the door. A pastel theme room welcomed her. Her eyes locked on the woman who was sitting in her chair, wearing her white coat.
"It's been months, Lady." She greeted her with a soft smile. She motioned for Lady to sit down on the sofa near her table while she sat in front of Lady.
"It came back again." Lady sighed.
"Hmm. Since those memories are coming back again, there is something that triggered that. Am I right?" Lady just nodded and rested her head on the backrest of the sofa and closed her eyes.
Very tired of this.
"Can you tell me what it is?" The doctor said softly like a mother comforting her daughter. And it sounded calm and safe to her.
"Something happened at the hotel I am working in. Murder and... suicide. A woman calling for help. A woman who is bathing in her blood. A woman who pukes her blood. There's a lot of... blood. I saw two bodies covered with blood and lifeless bodies."
"And that scene was the same scene you saw... before, right?" She nodded at her. She sat properly and looked at her with a sad smile on her face. She is tired of this.
"You kept those memories in yourself for too long. Even I, your doctor, don't know the whole story. I know it is hard for you, but maybe this is the only way for you to be free from that past of yours, maybe when you face those... it is not hard anymore?"
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe, it's time for you to face that past that keeps on hunting you for a very long time." She looked at her in disbelief.
"You can't run away forever, darling. You have to face it." she got something on her table, an envelope. She put it on the table in front of her.
"Uh, I looked at the family that you kept saying. That case was already closed a long time ago but I think that case is not closed. The family's relatives just hid it in public. Until now, the investigation is ongoing. After all, they are the richest and most powerful family in the country." Her eyes focused on the envelope in front of her.
"And you know what is missing to close this case, right?" she asked. Her eyes started to become wet because of her suppressed tears.
"Why are you doing this?" She painfully asked her.
No. She still can't. She is rubbing salt in her wounds that are barely healed. This is torture for her.
"I'm doing this to help you." Dra. Kyline calmly said.
"No! You're doing this to torture me! To see me in pain!" She yelled.
She tried to calm her down. "No, darling. Listen to me. You have to voice out what are those things that are bothering you. If you continue to be like this, this will be even harder for you. If you just keep forgetting those memories, you will be eaten by your guilt. That family is seeking justice for a long time now. And you, you are the only person who can give that to them."
And there, that's it. She finally said the words she was scared to hear.