#DS7Unbalanced #InoCent #SMCouple #DaggerSeries

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: TRUST

TIARA'S POV

I can't tear my eyes away from her. She looks so frail, so far from the cheerful woman who always seemed to radiate happiness and light.

Through the books and through the short time that I got to know her, I witnessed how warm of a person she is. Lucienne didn't have a lot before. She only has herself. What happened to her—the darkness that she once had in her life—didn't destroy her. It didn't make her bitter. It didn't make her resentful. Then life took a turn, and she was given people who became her family.

Most people who go through life, especially if it's as difficult as she went through, would have faced life in an almost guarded way. And yet she was always open, always welcoming.

She made me feel like I had a friend. Like I belong. Looking at her now in the hospital bed, I am struck by the reality that she wouldn't be here, she wouldn't have been shot if we hadn't met in the first place.

My lips trembled at the same time that tears filled my eyes. Nagbaba ako ng tingin sa magkasalikop ko na mga kamay. I'm wringing them together so hard that they're all red.

I heard the door open. I didn't turn to the sound. I know who it will be. I don't need to look to confirm it. When he's around, it's hard to miss his presence.

Domino pulled a chair over, and he sat beside me. Inabot niya ang kamay ko. He gently pry my hand away from the other and replaces it with his own, intertwining them together. "She's going to be okay, doll."

"That's good." Even to my ears, my voice sounded hollow.

"It's not your fault." He tugged my chin so that I had no choice but to look at him. He searched my face for a moment, and I could see worry flashed in his eyes. "You have to know that. No one's blaming you."

I know that he really believes that. Minsan na niyang sinabi sa akin ang mga salita na iyon. That it's not my fault. That the only ones who should be at fault are the people behind this.

I understand his point. I could see it. I wouldn't wish any of this on anyone else's, much more on myself. It's not like I wanted all these problems to fall on me. But no matter what he says, it doesn't erase the fact that I'm at the center of all this chaos, and they wouldn't be pulled into this if I wasn't in their lives.

"Tiara—"

"How did this happen? No one knew that I would be there."

Rage burned in his eyes instantly. "Everyone at Dagger is being debriefed. We are not ruling out the possibility that Dagger has a mole, but as far as we can see it, it's highly unlikely. At least not on this one."

"Then that only means one thing."

He opened his mouth as if to try and deny what I clearly meant, but he ended up just pressing his lips together. He cupped my cheek gently, but I looked away, training my eyes back on Lucienne.

Iilan lang ang mga nakakaalam na pupunta ako sa ballet studio na iyon. Dagger, my manager, and my ballet company. The other ballerinas who attended even needed to give up their phones before entering the premises to make sure that none of them would leak information about my attendance.

"We're never going to get them."

"Sweet doll, don't say things like that."

"You think I didn't notice?" I glance at him. "You've all been working hard. That wasn't lost on me. Most especially you. You go beyond what's expected from your job. You keep me safe, keep me healthy, you make me feel happy. You make sure that I get to live every day without feeling the burden of my problems. You think of ways to occupy my mind. Things that will fill every second so that I wouldn't have a moment to dwell on what's happening or what's going to happen. But I also know that whether I'm in your room or not, you always wake up too early, not just because you're thinking of what breakfast to cook for me."

"Tiara—"

"I know you're working harder than anyone on this case. But I'm not blind."

Just like him, I wanted to stay in the bubble. I don't want it to burst. I want to pretend that I have time. That we have more time. But people are getting hurt. He himself has been hurt.

"It's a dead end, isn't it? Nothing's going to happen as long as I'm inside your castle's walls. The only reason that the case is moving is when something new happens to me. It's me they want, and they know how to hide themselves."

He reached for my hand. "No one could hide forever. They will get desperate soon enough."

The same goes for me.

"And in the meantime, I should just sit back and watch everyone get hurt?"

His eyes flashed at my question. Before I could move away, I felt his hand go to the back of my head, and he leaned down so that he could touch his forehead to mine. "Everything's going to be okay, doll."

"Dom—"

"I need you to trust me."

Bahagya siyang lumayo para ilapat ang mga labi niya sa noo ko. He repeated the action on the tip of my nose and then, so gently, on my lips.

"You want the truth?" he murmured against my lips. "This is bigger than someone wanting to take you. We're leaning more and more toward the possibility that what is happening to you could be linked to the disappearance of countless women that we were investigating before we even took your case. There's also a chance that if they weren't planning the same thing that they did to those women to you, whoever was doing this owns or knows someone who owns that crime organization that mobilizing them to do their bidding and use them against you was no hardship." He searched my eyes and his gentled with what he saw. "I know that right now it feels like things are not going to end, but they will. I need you to be patient, baby. Can you promise me that?"

I felt his body relax when I nodded. Muli niya akong hinalikan bago may maliit na ngiti na umayos siya ng upo. "I'll buy you something to eat. You can come with me, but if you want to stay, that's fine too. Some of my brothers are outside, so if you need anything while I'm gone, you can just ask them."

"I want to stay here," I whispered.

He didn't seem surprised. Pinisil niya ang kamay ko bago siya tumayo para lumabas ng kuwarto. Nang marinig ko ang pagsarado ng pintuan ay ibinaling ko ang atensyon ko sa natutulog pa rin na babae.

The doctor said the gunshot caused damage to her spleen. They managed to save the spleen and repair the torn area, but she lost a lot of blood, so they want to monitor her for now.

She bled a lot. She was in pain, but it wasn't long before she lost consciousness in Trace's arms. I could clearly remember how Thorn ran to her side, taking her in his strong arms. His clothes were soaked with her blood, but he didn't care.

I thought I had seen what heartbreak was. I thought I knew pain. But what's in Thorn's eyes at that moment, I don't think I have ever seen it in anyone.

They have children.

Lucienne was born into a world that is cruel and unfair to her. Life had taken a lot from her. But she didn't let any of that stop her from having what she didn't have for a long time. Her children deserve to be with a mother like her for a long time, and I don't want to be the reason that they wouldn't be able to have exactly that.

She is one of the people who has made me laugh and smile more than I can remember doing in the past. She became a friend—my friend—at the most unlikely time. Sa unang pagkakataon naramdaman ko kung paano magkaroon ng katulad niya sa buhay ko. Where she doesn't need me to be anything. I don't need to be the ballerina or the dutiful daughter. I just need to be me when I'm around her, whoever that is. Whoever am I anymore at this point.

All the Dawson women are all kind and wonderful, and I've talked with them a lot, but Lucienne really became my closest friend out of all of them. One that made me experience exactly what it felt like to have one. Iyong matatawagan ko kahit anong oras. Iyong handang sagutin lahat ng tanong ko. One that will send random things to me just because she thinks of me.

"I need you to trust me."

I do trust him. I trust Domino enough to know that he will do anything to save me. But I no longer want to be saved.

What I want is for them to be saved... from me.

Inabot ko ang kamay ng babae at marahang pinisil ko iyon bago ako tumayo para lumabas ng kuwarto. Gaya ng inaasahan ay may ilang mga empleyado ng Dagger ang nagbabantay sa labas. Katulad din ng sabi ni Domino ay naroon nga ang iba niyang mga kapatid.

Pierce was on his phone talking to someone while Trace was sitting with his eyes closed and his head leaning on the wall behind him. Di kalayuan sa kanila ay naroon si Thorn na may kausap na doktor.

I walked to him when I saw that he was done talking to the doctor. As if he could feel me approaching, his attention went to me.

I couldn't read anything in his eyes, and I didn't try to delve into them more. I stopped in front of him, ignoring the coldness that was now running through my veins.

"I need to talk to you. Can you spare me a few minutes?"

BINIGYAN KO ng maliit na ngiti si Domino nang maramdaman ko ang mga labi niya sa sentido ko. He has an arm hook around me, his hand rubbing my arm in an almost soothing way.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

I nodded in response. He didn't seem to believe me, but he didn't say anything anymore. Instead, he just tightened his hold on me.

I have talked to my mother through call, and for a moment I thought she's going to be livid. I thought she was going to stop me. But to my surprise, she just told me to do what I think is best for me.

Yuliya is a lot of things, but she's not the kind of person who will say something like that. I can't help but wonder if this was her plan in the first place. Na baka ito ang dahilan kung bakit kami pumunta ng Pilipinas.

"Someone in a hat walked into the private room," Pierce shared. He was sitting in the passenger seat with Coal on the driver's side. He has an earpiece, and someone who's watching the CCTV cameras must have informed him of what's happening. "The detectors didn't pick up anything that would tell us that he's carrying any weapons."

We're meeting my father at Metronome here in Makati. There would be other guests there, which is perfect since that means we're meeting in public. I thought it'd be safer, but for Dagger it just means that they have more people to look out for and make certain that they won't be there to ambush us.

Domino's thumb brushes the back of my palm. Nag-angat ako ng tingin sa kaniya at tumango ako.

"Let's go," he said to his brothers.

Pinaandar na ni Coal ang sasakyan. We were parked nearby, and we're just waiting for the right time to approach the establishment. Kaya hindi nagtagal ay natunton namin ang kinaroroonan ng restaurant.

From the heavily tinted window, I could see four Dagger employees already waiting outside for us. One of them is at the restaurant's door, holding it open.

Naunang bumaba si Pierce at binuksan niya ang pintuan ng sasakyan. Domino slid out, and he turned to me so that he could help me me climb down the car. He pulled me close to him while I felt Pierce fall back so that he could stand behind us. Lumapit din sa amin ang tatlo pang empleyado ng Dagger.

They were surrounding me, using their own bodies as a shield in case something happened.

I try not to show on my face how that thought bothers me, and I just held on to Domino's arm. Nang makapasok sa loob ay bahagya akong nakahinga ng maluwag. Domino, however, didn't relax even one bit.

A waiter led us towards what I think is the private room. Nararamdaman ko ang mga tingin na nakasunod sa amin pero pilit na inignora ko lang sila. As we grow closer to the private booth, I can feel my steps getting heavy at the same time that my heart starts to beat frantically.

I can't believe this is happening.

Hindi ko napansin na bumabaon na pala ang kuko ko sa braso ni Domino. If not for the suit he's wearing, he'll probably be bleeding by now. But he didn't seem to mind. Katulad ko ay nakatutok din ang mga mata niya sa harapan namin.

My breath hitched when I caught sight of a man sitting alone ahead of us. As if he heard us approaching, he stood up and started to turn to us.

The tension that suddenly engulfed my surroundings didn't just come from Domino's. I could see every Dagger men with us tensing the moment that it became clear who the man was.

For a moment, I was confused. All I could do was stare at the man, who was now looking straight at me. I couldn't see anything of me in him. That wasn't surprising. Physically, I was every bit a Ukrainian. I don't have any pictures of him, and I tried my best not to think of him. Kaya hindi na nakakapagtaka na hindi na malinaw ang alaala ko sa kaniya noong bata pa ako. But for some reason, he seems so familiar.

Then suddenly, it hit me.

He's familiar to me because the blurry memory of him when I was young wasn't the last memory that I had of him. Hindi iyon ang huli dahil minsan ko na siyang nakita.

I saw him a few weeks ago at a party.

"Senator Radley," Domino greeted, his voice bleak.

The man found it in him to look ashamed. "Dawson."

The senator's gaze went to me, and for a split second, it was like he couldn't say anything. I couldn't find any words as well. I feel like my mind is reeling from the truth that is now smack dab on my face.

He swallowed, and he looked away. He gestured to the empty seats. "Please take a seat."

Domino put a hand on the small of my back, and he guided me forward while the others stayed standing, their backs turned away from the private room. Umupo ako sa harapan ng senator habang si Domino naman ay umupo sa tabi ko.

A long and painful silence stretched out around the heavy and stifling atmosphere. I sat there staring at the older man while he did the same as well.

"I look like my mother," I found myself blurting out.

"Yes—

"And Emeric looks like you."

He cleared his throat. "That's right."

Emeric. The birthday celebrant. The flirtatious but cheerful man I met at the party who was genuinely worried that we left so early that he even called Domino to ask if I was okay.

My half-brother. The man who was once a boy. A boy that I stole time from whenever my father was with me.

"Why?"

"Millicent—"

"It's been years. Why now?"

Humugot siya ng malalim na hininga. He looks like he has aged a lot since the last time I caught a glimpse of him at the party. "I was married."

Mapait na ngumiti ako. "I know. And you chose her." Nang bumuka ang bibig niya para magsalita ay inunahan ko siya. "As you should have."

He looks embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"Why should you be? You shouldn't feel sorry for me. Hindi naman ako ang niloko niyo." It took all of me not to bolt out of the place. I don't want to be here. I don't want to be in his presence. "What changed? I thought you didn't want to see me or my mother anymore?"

"You have to understand, I was a weak man."

I didn't need him to confirm that. Anyone who will break the most simple part of the promise made to the person he vowed to spend the rest of his life with is weak in my eyes.

"Your mother... she wanted more. More than I can give. But I have a wife and a son. I was starting my career in politics. When she tried to ruin that for me, I had no choice but to make a decision."

"What changed?" I repeated.

"Emeric is a grownup. It's easier to explain everything to him."

"And your wife?"

"I told her about you. When I saw you at the party, I just knew that I had to finally do it. Dapat matagal na. Dapat noon pa." He looked down at his clasped hands for a second. "I never intended to be out of your life. Even before, I was planning to tell her about you. But your mother..."

There are a lot of things I wanted to ask him, but I decided to focus on the most important ones for now. "How did you know it was me at that party? We haven't seen each other for decades."

"I always knew about you. I know about your career. I was proud of the things you accomplished, even if I didn't have the right to feel it."

"Why didn't you just talk to me at that time? Why make me wait for weeks?"

"I wanted to prepare my wife. I know it would be hard for her, and if you're going to be in our lives, if you will let me, I want to make sure that she's on board with it. And there's Emeric. He might be the way he is, but I don't know how he will take it all in."

Binalot kami ng katahimikan nang hindi na ako ulit magsalita pa. The only thing that could be heard was the low buzzing of people.

It was strange to be right here. To be sitting right in front of the person that I never thought I would see again.

"Do you know what's been happening to me?" I asked.

"I've been informed about it, yes."

My issue has been in the news since the thing in Moscow, but he didn't do anything. "Are you planning to do anything about it this time?" I pressed, making sure to put emphasis on the last part.

The way I asked the question wasn't lost on him because his skin darkened as his cheeks flushed. "Yes. Of course I do."

"Do you think you can help me?"

"Yes. In fact—"

"Protect me?"

Domino stiffened at my side. I could feel his heavy stare on me. "Tiara."

Inignora ko ang binata at sa halip ay nanatili lang akong nakatingin ng direkta sa mga mata ng ama ko. Then I asked the one question that would change everything. "Are you going to take me with you?"