CHAPTER 50

VALENTINA IMARA MEADOWS

"Why don't you ask yourself why it took so long for you to meet your father?" Perses sneered. "You don't even know that he hurt you far worse than I ever did. You should be thanking me for stepping in as your parent! Because that so-called father of yours abandoned you and left you with me!"

My brows furrowed upon hearing what Perses said. He looked like he was about to collapse in his seat, staring up at us. His forehead was drenched in sweat, and his chest rose and fell rapidly.

Mabilis akong napalingon kay Helios na ngayon ay tahimik sa tabi ko. Ang mga mata niya ay nandililim habang nakatingin kay Perses. I can see the anger evident in his gray eyes.

"Why don't you just admit that you're the root cause of all this?" Atlas interjected, stepping closer to Perses.

"Tell me," Helios suddenly said.

Nagaalala na tiningnan ko siya. I couldn't tell what was going through his mind because his expression was blank as he stared at Perses. My heart raced for reasons I didn't understand. Ang nagawa ko na lang ay hawakan ang kamay niya at ipagsalikop ang daliri namin, dahil alam kong unti-unti ng namumuo ang galit sa dibdib niya.

"Tell me, what did you do, Perses?" Helios repeated. "Tell me!" he shouted.

My chest tightened as I recalled what Atlas had told me. I didn't know if I could still calm Helios if his anger finally exploded once he learned the truth.

"Why won't you tell him, Perses?" Atlas asked. "Are you scared to admit to your own grandson that you killed his mother? Why are you scared?" Atlas asked emotionlessly. He grabbed Perses by the collar and pulled his face closer. "Are you afraid he'll find out the real reason I want to kill you? Are you scared he'll know that you killed his mother, yet you weren't scared to let him grow up without her while he was just a baby?"

"You killed my mother..."

"Helios," malambot kong tawag sa kan'yang ngalan.

I let go of his hand as he approached Perses, just as he had done with his father. I felt Oceanus move to stand beside me, and I turned to look at him. He was already smoking a cigarette as he watched what Atlas and Helios were doing. He even smirked as he observed them.

"I don't think this will reach Cronus," he said, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Perses won't last long with Atlas, then his son," he added, exhaling the smoke. Sa kalaunan ay napasukaly na lang siya sa buhok niyang kulay ginto. "Fuck, I still can't believe Helios is his son. Now that I know this, he killed Atlas' wife, too!?" he whispered loudly to me, shaking his head in disbelief.

He turned away from me and motioned toward the big tree. "I'll just watch you from afar. I'm finishing this cigarette first."

He headed straight to his spot, so I approached Atlas and Helios.

"This is all your fault, Perses. And now you have the audacity to retaliate against me when you're the one who wronged me?"

"That's what's right! You don't need a lowly woman to settle down with, Randy!" he shouted angrily. "You're letting yourself settle for that woman! What could she possibly do for you? She used to be nothing but a servant to me!"

His head snapped to the left when Helios' fist landed on his face. Helios and Atlas took turns punching Perses. They made his face their punching bag and didn't stop as long as they could keep going.

"I'm old enough to make my own decisions, and you have no right to dictate what I should do with my life, Perses. Don't twist the story because you're still the villain here. Do you understand me?" Atlas said coldly. "Don't you dare fucking say that name again. I'm Atlas, for your information."

Atlas shot a sharp glare at Perses before glancing at Helios. Helios' ash-gray eyes were glowing with anger, yet his expression remained emotionless as he stared at Perses, who was almost lying in the filthy grass beneath our feet.

"This is why I left my child with you," Atlas said with a soft laugh and a shake of his head. "What could I even be proud of when I was working for you? Wala, hindi ba? That's why I left—to build my own legacy and destroy everything you had. I know it was my fault for leaving my child in your care, but it was the only way to exact my revenge. You ruined all our happiness, Perses. You're the villain here, not me."

"You're both ungrateful!"

"Shut up! We didn't ask for your opinion!" Helios shouted back at Perses.

"You'll always be the villain here, Perses," natatawang sambit ni Atlas. "I'll never get tired of reminding you—and telling my own child—how you shot Sienna on her head right in front of me while she was holding our son. You shot her in the head, Perses. In the head, right In front of me," Atlas repeated, his words cutting like daggers, while Perses seemed on the verge of losing his sanity.

Perses' laugh echoed in the area. I couldn't tell if he was scared now or if he had completely lost his mind, given the way he was acting as though he were descending into madness right in front of us.

"She deserved it! She deserved to die. That bitch—ah!"

Perses couldn't finish his sentence because Helios grabbed him by the back of the collar and dragged him through the mud. Despite their similar size, Helios was able to overpower him easily, his physique far more defined than Perses'.

A loud gunshot echoed, and I turned to see Perses clutching his side.

"Don't you dare disrespect my mother, Perses. One more vile word about her, and I'll put another bullet into your body," Helios said coldly.

"We're not going to finish you off just yet," Atlas said as he approached. "Mas maganda na nakikita ka namin na naghihirap hanggang sa mamatay ka."

"Alam niyo naman na ang lahat, hindi ba? Why don't you kill me already!?" nanghihinang sigaw ni Perses.

"No..." I whispered softly, slowly walking toward him. "Hindi namin gagawin 'yan, Perses. We'll let you weaken until you die here, right in your own territory, just like your pathetic men. Do you still remember what your two henchmen did to me when you abducted me from Sanctuario Seguro? I lost count of how many times they whipped me."

He just laughed, as if unaffected by the pain he was feeling. But his laughter turned into a scream when I stepped on the gunshot wound on his side that Helios had inflicted.

"Ah! Fuck you, bitch! I'm going to kill you!"

My eyes widened as I saw him reach for something behind his back. The moonlight glinted off the gun he was about to pull out. I quickly grabbed the pocketknife from Atlas, who was nearby, and threw it at Perses.

A loud gunshot echoed through the surroundings—I couldn't tell how many shots were fired. Isa or dalawa... yata? Then, Perses collapsed onto the dirty grass. The knife I threw landed squarely on his forehead.

His lifeless eyes stared blankly into the void as I checked his body. I felt a sense of relief seeing him dead, like a thorn had been pulled from my chest. Yet, part of me felt unsatisfied, as though I still wanted him to experience the same torment I did from the whipping—but it was over.

"Helios—"

"Son!"

I gasped, covering my mouth when I saw that Helios had been shot. My heart raced as I approached him. Parehas kaming dalawa na natumba sa damuhan habang hawak ko ang kamay niya. I pressed it against his chest where Perses' bullet had struck him.

"Oceanus! Call the backups! We need a doctor here. Now!" Atlas shouted, also supporting Helios.

"I'm already calling! They said they're on their way!" Oceanus shouted back.

Awtomatikong nang-init ang gilid ng mga mata ko nang makita ang kalagayan niya. Sobrang daming dugo at nahihirapan kaming patigilin 'yon. Ang bilis kumalat ng dugo sa dibdib niya.

"Son, hang on there, okay?" Atlas' voice was firm, trying to project strength, but the concern was evident in his tone.

"Helios..." I cried his name through my tears. "Huwag kang matutulog, okay? Huwag ka mong gagawin 'yon... malapit na dumating yung tutulong sa atin. You're strong—I know that."

"I-I know," he replied weakly, followed by a cough.

Mariin akong napapikit at hindi na napigilan na impit na humikbi sa harapan niya. Atlas and I tried to keep the blood from pouring out of his chest. My head spun from the sight. Sanay na ako sa mga ganitong eksena, dapat hindi na bago sa akin ang mga ganito, but why was it so different with Helios? I felt weak. I couldn't bear to see him like this in front of me.

"H-huwag mo 'kong iiwan... huwag mo kaming iiwan. Do you understand? Please don't, I'm begging you. Kakakita at kasama lang nating dalawa, Helios. Please naman..." I pleaded through my sobs.

"S-Sarah... I love y-you."

I broke into louder sobs and nodded repeatedly at him. "I love you too. I love you so much. Don't leave me, okay? Don't leave me."

"O-okay..."

"Oceanus! Where are they?!" Atlas shouted.

My hand shook as I pressed down on his chest, and it felt like my own chest was tightening. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst out of my ribcage from the fear coursing through me.

"They're at the gate. I'll meet them to get them here faster!" Oceanus yelled back, his voice raised as he spoke into the phone, clearly urging the rescuers to hurry.

He immediately ran toward the mansion gates, leaving just the three of us behind.

My panic deepened as Helios stopped responding. His gaze remained fixed on my face, as if memorizing every detail, as though he'd never see me again. That look alone broke me even more because it felt like he was about to leave me.

I was terrified. Terrified that this time, his death wouldn't be fake. Terrified that he'd truly be gone. I didn't want to lose him—not now, not ever.

"Huwag mo 'kong tingnan ng gan'yan! I know what that means!" sigaw ko sa kan'ya dahil sa takot. Patuloy pa rin sa pagragasa ang mga luha ko habang humahagulgol sa harapan niya. "Don't you dare, Helios. Don't you—"

I couldn't finish my sentence because something shocking and impossibly fast happened. It felt like I was a piece of paper swept up by the wind as someone yanked me away by my arm.

"Helios!" I screamed. "Atlas!"

Even Atlas was taken aback by what happened. I fought back against the man who had pulled me. When I saw his face, it was the same man I had fought earlier inside Perses' mansion. He had apparently woken up and decided to attack us.

"Hexia!" dinig kong sigaw ni Atlas.

He rose and drew his gun, aiming it at the man. The shots rang out in rapid succession, each one sharp and deliberate. Moments later, a small knife—clutched by the same man who had dragged me away from Helios and Atlas—found its way to stabbing me many times.

My eyes widened as I could do nothing but accept each stab to my stomach in shock. The stabbing was so quick that all I could do was stare at his wide eyes filled with rage. Nandidilim at nanlilisik ang mga mata niya sa akin habang patuloy pa rin siya sa pagsasaksak sa akin. Kitang kita ko ang panggigigil niya habang ginagawa 'yon dahil nanginginig ang katawan niya.

With each shot fired by Atlas, the man stabbed me repeatedly.

"You killed our boss; you might as well just come with us," he said coldly, continuing to stab me.

I couldn't speak or respond properly to what he said because it felt like something was stuck in my throat. And when I managed to open my mouth and tried to speak, that's when I realized that blood was already coming out of my mouth.

It was stinging and painful, and I felt like I was having difficulty moving because of the multiple stab wounds. Ramdam na ramdam ko kung paano bumaon ang matalas na kutsilyo sa t'yan ko. My long white gown, stained with dirt and blood, was gradually turning red.

"Y-you'll d-die too," I said weakly. "If I d-die... You're coming with m-me."

We both fell to the dirty grassland when I saw his bloody head and realized he was dead beside me; Atlas shot his head. Tears streamed down my face as I laughed weakly.

I was struggling to breathe, a strange sensation rising in my throat. My body felt numb, especially my stomach, which was a mass of pain from the repeated stab wounds. A violent cough racked my body, and blood spilled from my lips.

Pinalabo ng mga luha ko ang paningin ko habang nakatingin sa madilim na kalangitan. The stars twinkled brightly, and the full moon cast its ethereal glow upon us. The dark sky was so calm, with the small stars and the moon serving as the only light amidst the chaos happening in the backyard of the Zevallos mansion.

"H-Hexia..." Helios' voice was weak.

"This is fucked up!" Atlas cursed, his voice filled with anger. "Hold on, the rescue team is coming. Both of you, don't you dare close your eyes!"

As Helios fell beside me, I felt a pang of despair. His brow was furrowed, his body stained with blood. His hand reached out and gently clasped mine, offering a fragile comfort in the face of impending darkness.

I could clearly see the worry in his ash-grey eyes as he looked at me. We were both equally concerned for each other because of the injuries we'd sustained. Hinayaan ko na lang ang mga luha ko na tumulo habang pinagmamasdan siya.

Tama rin na tingnan ko na rin ang itsura niya dahil hindi ko rin alam kung tatagal pa ba ako rito. I can already feel my body growing weaker, and any moment now, I might lose consciousness.

I've already lost so much blood, and my vision is starting to blur, like I'm drunk. My world is spinning, yet even with this feeling, I force myself to gaze at Helios' handsome face in front of me.

Hindi ko makakalimutan 'to... I will never forget his face as long as I live. This face and the face of Rafael are now flickering before my eyes, as if they're glitching in my vision.

I think I'm going to die because of what I'm seeing. I must be hallucinating, but it's okay... At least I got to see both of their faces.

The two faces that I really love.

I intertwined my fingers with his and felt the warmth of his palm. I like this... to feel him with me.

"Atlas! They're here!" Oceanus muttered from not far away.

My vision was slowly blurring, not only because of the tears that kept falling but because I was weakening. Namimigat na ang talukap ng mga mata ko at kahit anong pagpipilit ko na idilat 'yon ay parang mapipikit pa rin ako.

My hearing was becoming unclear, as if I were underwater. I could hear their voices, but it seemed like they were far away.

"Hexia! They're here. You and Helios are safe now! Hey, don't close your eyes!" I felt Oceanus slightly tapping my cheeks.

My eyes were slowly closing. I could no longer feel Helios' hand on mine moving, or even if he tried to squeeze or tighten his grip, it was gone.

Siguro ito na 'yon... hanggang dito na lang ba kaming dalawa? Limang taong nabuhay sa kasinungalingan, iniisip na isa sa amin ay patay na pero hindi naman pala. And now we've just met again and discovered the truth, mangayayari pa ito?

Is this really how it ends? Even though I want to fight the weakness in my body because I really want to be with Helios, I can't anymore.

I've completely closed my eyes and been swallowed by the darkness. I can't hear them anymore. I feel like I'm becoming deaf. My body feels lighter, as if I'm floating in the air.

If this is really our fate, there's nothing I can do. At least now, even if we die, we'll be together, holding hands, and most of all...

Together for the last time, sharing our final breath.

SHANGPU