'Damn that bastard, why is he so difficult?'

Vera briskly walked back towards Clarissa's house. Her mind kept going back at her conversation with Theo's father. 'He definitely needs to talk with him...'

She knocked at the door thrice, before it opened, revealing Clarissa.

"Vera! Where have you been?" Clarissa's hands landed on her shoulders. Se examined her whole body. "You've worried Theo and Zoe greatly! They told me you just disappeared without any note!" She then took notice of her haggard state. His voice softened. "Vera, tell me. Is there something bothering you?"

"No, I'm fine," denied Vera. "I just went outside for a walk."

Clarissa's worried eyes surveyed her. "Is that so?"

"Yes." Vera walked past her. "Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine, really!" She tried giving her what she thought and hoped to be a cheery smile to ease her.

Clarissa just held her hands firmly. 'Her hands are warm, just like her eyes,' thought Vera as Clarissa looked at her with understanding eyes. "Okay... but if there's something bothering you, you know you can tell us, right? Theo and Zoe have been very worried when they took notice of your disappearance. Theo even threatened to declare you missing, you know?" Clarissa's eyes crinkled from the fond memory.

Vera managed to give a soft, yet honest smile. "Yes, I know. Thanks for worrying about me. I'll just be at my room."

Clarissa finally let go of her hands. She started walking back to her room.

'Now, how should I tell this to Theo, let alone convince him?'

---

Clarissa was on the sink, washing the dishes that were piling up. Theo idly sipped some warm chocolate with a straw as he absently watched Zoe read another of those fairy tales he once loved. She was reading the story 'The Princess and the Fairy Godmother'. Judging from her wide smile, she was about on the middle part.

'Ah, I hope she doesn't cry after that story... Not that much, at least. I remember when I bawled like a baby after my father...'

"Theo, honey?"

Theo tore his eyes away from the enthusiastic Zoe. "Yes, mother?"

"Have you noticed something weird about Vera?"

"Hmm? Why?"

Clarissa dried her hands with a towel. "She just looked... how do I phrase this... Nervous? Sad? I don't know, but something was off about her when she returned earlier."

"Really?"

"Yes." Clarissa sat on a chair across him. "Her eyes seemed really dull and unsure earlier. I don't know why, but it bothered me a lot." She rested her chin on her hand. "Can you go check on her later if she doesn't come down?"

"Sure." Theo took another sip with the straw from the cup he was holding. "Ah, mother, can I ask a favor?"

"What is it, honey?"

"Can you warm this up for me? It has gotten cold..."

Clarissa retrieved the cup from his hands. "Sure, it's not a problem!" She held it in her hands for a moment, then placed it back on the table. "Here you go, warm and not scalding, just as you like!"

Theo reached for it from the tabletop. He took another sip to test its warmth. 'Ah, so warm...' "Thanks, mother..." He flushed in embarrassment.

Clarissa hit him in the head. "Ow! What was that for?" He lightly scratched the area that was hit.

Clarissa chuckled in his expense. "I don't know why you're always embarrassed when you ask me for something! You know you can always ask me for anything, right? As long as it is within my ability to do so, I'll do it!"

"Mother!"

Clarissa reached out to hug him. "Come here and don't be embarrassed." He tried to struggle, but he succumbed to the warmth of his mother's embrace and just relaxed.

"Aw! Why is there a hugging session and I'm not included!" Zoe pouted. "Don't you love me anymore?"

"Of course, we love you, munchkin!" Clarissa opened her arms wide as invitation. "Come here, Zoe!"

Theo flushed even harder as Zoe joined in the hugging session, but his heart remained warm from the love he was receiving.

---

Vera twisted and turned on her bed as she struggled to decide.

'How should I do this? I can't just break it to him recklessly and just say 'Hey, Theo, your father doesn't hate you. He's just had an affair, so he lied to spare you from the shame, but he regrets it now,' right? He'll just assume I went insane and maybe insert some punches here and there before I'm carted into an asylum.'

She pulled her hair in frustration. 'Argh, why is this so hard! I shouldn't have signed up for this task!' She threw her pillow at the wall in irritation. 'But this is for my sister... Argh! I don't know what to do anymore!'

Four loud knocks caught her attention. 'Huh? Who wants to bother me at this hour?'

A muffled voice reached her ears. "Vera, are you there?"

'Oh, it's Theo. Crap, what should I do now?' She agonized over her options. 'Should I let him in? Maybe I could just ignore him? But I'll just worry them even further...'

"I'd just like to ask if you're going downstairs. Mother and Zoe are worried over you." A silent me too sailed through the air.

'What should I do?!'

"It's okay if you don't want to go outside yet. I'll leave now and tell mother you're not hungry."

Vera heard a faint footstep before she said, "No, come in. The door is open." She regretted it instantly and put her hands over her mouth. 'Did he hear that? I hope not.'

The doorknob twisted as Theo said, "I'm coming in, pardon for the intrusion." Her chest felt tight as her brain screamed that she made a mistake, yet her gut tells her that she did the right thing. Seeing Theo's worried face, she came to a conclusion, even if she really unsure about it.

'I'd break it to him now, no matter what happens.'

---

"Uh," Theo scratched his head as he found his place on the foot of Vera's bed. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Theo gave her a skeptic look. "No, I'm fine, really!"

"Then what's bothering you? Mother has been worried about you for hours. Even Zoe feels confused about your actions."

"Is that so? I told them not to worry..." Vera sighed in acceptance. "I guess there's no escaping it, huh?"

Theo was bewildered. "Escaping what?"

Vera sat up from her lying position, and reached to grasp Theo's hands and looked within his blue eyes. "Theo, promise me one thing first."

Theo laughed, but upon seeing Vera's seriousness, he asked, "Why?"

"Just promise me first."

"Okay... Now what is it?"

"Promise me you won't leave until I'm finished talking."

"What is this about Vera?"

"Promise first."

"Ugh, fine. I won't leave, yada, yada," said Theo as he sighed. "Now, what is this all about."

"It may come as a surprise, but..."

"But what?"

"I... I saw your father earlier. And I've talked to him."

"What?!" Theo stood up in anger, and started walking away.

"Theo, you promised!"

"But this is a different matter! How did you even manage to reach him, huh?"

"Theo! He was near this house earlier, okay?"

"I have to tell mother! We won't know what that bastard is planning---"

"Just listen to me first, Theo, okay? You promised. Afterwards, you can rant and complain all you want."

Theo crashed in the bed in frustration. "Fine! Just what did that bastard tell you, huh?" His blue eyes, brimming in anger, turned to look at her. "Just remember, I don't trust you anymore. After breaking it in this manner? Not a snowball's chance in hell will I trust you anymore."

Vera's heart broke at his declaration, but she willed those thoughts away as she started telling him about the encounter earlier.

---

Theo sat there, his face unmoving. 'All of those were lies? B-but the poison in his voice, all of them were real...' He felt his tears drip one by one, and he aggressively wiped them away. 'That bastard doesn't deserve any semblance of sadness from me.'

"And that's why I suggested for you to meet on the same café one week from now, Theo."

"What!? Why!?" His eyes were brimming with fury, as fiery and scorching as magma from the pits of the volcano. "How do you know if he's telling the truth, huh? Those could be another one of his lies, for all we know!"

"But he's telling the truth!"

"How can you say so, huh? You don't know how painful it was when he left us! You---"

"Maybe I don't know... I'm just an intruder to your life, after all." Vera raised her head up high and looked at him with a pained gaze, even if her eyes were full of tears. "But I know that he's telling the truth. I felt it has he spoke with me. I felt it when I told him that you were dying."

"How dare y---"

"How dare me? Fine. If that's how you'll put it. But please," Vera held his hands. He tried pulling away from her, but she remained relentless. "Give him a chance..."

"Why..." croaked Theo.

"Because... because..." Vera stopped crying. Deep within her eyes, he saw how broken she was. How the shattered pieces of her cruised through her soul, yet she remained strong.

'Did... did I do this to her?'

Vera continued with steel in her voice. "Because you'll regret it if you don't."

Theo didn't know, but he felt as if Vera spoke from experience. He felt that Vera experienced it personally, that she went under the same pain as him. 'But how... she never told us before...'

It was as if she regretted not talking to the person that broke her heart.

Or she was not able to reconcile with the person she hurt.

"I know you are hurting, Theo..." Vera gazed at him with love and care. "But Theo, you'll never be at peace if you don't even try... Trust me with this, will you?"

Theo stared at his hands, which were shaking and trembling. From anger? Nervousness? He did not know.

But one thing was sure. He stood up, and started walking away.

"Theo..."

He stopped walking, and uttered an answer.

"Let me think about it first..."

He then closed the doors of his room. His heart broke as he heard her soft sobs, yet he couldn't bring himself to open it once more and comfort her. He just ran towards his room, not noticing that his mother and adoptive sister were eavesdropping and were in tears. The only thing left in his mind was...

'What should I do?'