Chapter Text
“I can sense your worry all the way to the other wing of the building, what’s going on with you?” Alicia asked Laura.
After Carlos’ death, she had helped the two sisters with everything. They may not have been that close to their father but they’re still his daughters. His death hit them hard after learning the truth about him and his actions.
Alicia couldn’t bear to let them handle his funeral as well as his estate. Raquel expressed that she has no desire to return to their manor and gave everything to Laura. After that, Raquel distanced herself for almost a month. She only talked to Sergio. A week after that, she started talking to the others too but not to Laura.
She is not blind not to notice it. Everyone does too. They asked her several times for the reason behind it but she has no answer to give. It’s difficult to read Raquel when she’s guarding her brain.
“Things have settled now. Alfonso is the new Emperor. Those who committed the crime together with the former Emperor are dead. It’s all over now but why is she still not talking to me? What did I do wrong, Alicia?” Laura asked.
Alicia sighed.
She truly does not know the answer. Whenever Laura will try to approach her sister, Raquel will flee the room. She’s certain her dear cousin is using her power to avoid her own sister.
“Just give her time, yeah? She’ll come around”,
Laura scoffed.
“Time? It’s been three months, Alicia. If I know what I’ve done, I might understand why she’s avoiding me but I have no clue. We were good before going to the palace. I don’t know what I did wrong”,
Later that day, she finally cornered Raquel in that tower she favored so much.
“There you are. You really did good in hiding from everyone”, she said while catching her breath.
Raquel looked peaceful at the very least. She’s staring over the horizon with a smile on her face. It is quite a view, Alicia admits, but she’s not there for sightseeing.
“Raquelita, why are you pretending that your little sister does not exist?” she turned to her with a frown. “Oh, don’t act like it’s not true. For three months, you didn’t bother talking to her. You keep on avoiding her like a plague. Everyone is bugging me about it too. Laura is at a loss. She is wondering what she did wrong to you”,
For the first time in three months, she finally got a read on her thoughts. She is…confused.
“I do not pretend like she does not exist, Alicia”,
“Then, what are you doing?” she pressed.
Raquel sighed and looked away.
“Madre mia…you’re thinking that she is mad at you for your father’s death? Are you insane? We are all there, Raquel! We saw what happened!” she exclaimed.
“That’s precisely it, isn’t it?” Raquel smiled bitterly. “You all saw it. I know what Sergio said to me, that it wasn’t my fault…but there’s no denying the fact that my father died because of me just like Mama died because of me. I made Laura an orphan. How can I possibly face her after all of that? We just got him back, you know. We just got the real him back. He told us the truth and we finally saw the father we desperately wanted all of our lives for the first time and then, he died. I don’t know how to face Laura after killing Papa”, Raquel explained.
Alicia can feel every bit of sadness in her cousin. Despite appearing strong in front of everyone, there’s that guilt that’s been eating at her since that night. She’s blaming herself for the death of their parents.
“Raquelita, your sister does not hate you. She does not. She just wants to be with you again, to speak with you. That’s all”,
“She should hate me”, Raquel muttered.
Alicia shook her head before standing next to her cousin.
“No. You do not deserve it. I know what you’re thinking…literally, but Raquel, Uncle Carlos made the decision himself. You did not force him. No one did. He did it because he loved you. He did it so you can live. Doing this to yourself, do you think this will make him and Aunt Marivi happy?” she asked.
She has no idea whether her words bear any effect on Raquel but she needs to try.
“I know that, but I just feel what I feel, Ali. I want them back. I know it’s never going to happen but I wish…I wish I could see them one more time, you know. Just one last time…” Raquel angrily wiped her tears.
“Raquelita…you can”, her cousin frowned at her. “They’re here”, she pointed towards Raquel’s head and then to her chest. “They’re always there with you…always…”
Raquel’s tears became uncontrollable no matter how hard she tries to stop them from falling.
“I do not hate you, sis”, both of them turned to Laura. She must have followed Alicia when she went searching for Raquel. “I could never and what happened to Mama and Papa, it’s not your fault. Those responsible for their deaths, they’re gone. I would never blame you for it”, the younger Murillo said.
Alicia stepped back to give space for the two sisters. It’s been a long time coming and they really need to talk to each other.
“I’m really sorry, Lau. I’m sorry”, Raquel broke down as Laura went to her to pull her in her arms.
Seeing Raquel cry like that, it brought both Laura and Alicia to tears. Not only they can see the strong woman they know break down before their eyes, they can also feel it due to their power. They feel her pain, her longing. Raquel loves her mother so much and despite their history, they both know how much Raquel loves her father too.
“It’s alright, Raquel. There’s nothing for you to be sorry for but if it makes you feel better, then, I forgive you, alright? I love you. You and Alicia are the only family I have left. Por favor…do not push me away”, Laura pleaded as she comforted her big sister.
“I love you too, Lau”, Raquel glanced at Alicia before she smiled. “Oh, come on, Ali. I know you want to join too”,
Alicia chuckled before she joined in with the hug.
“Madre mia, you two are driving me crazy and I am already crazy as it is”, she exclaimed which made all of them laugh.
Sergio has just finished setting up the last classroom when Andres found him. They’ve been getting the school ready for the re-opening now that things have finally settled.
To be honest, he cannot wait for the classes to resume. He misses teaching. He misses his students. So much has happened in the last few months and it’s about time their lives return to normal.
“Hermanito, have you seen our Pusher friends?” Andres asked.
Sergio glanced at his brother and scoffed. Of course, he looked fresh. All of them have been working their asses off in preparing the school but he should have known that his brother would not dare to lift a finger to help. He would prefer to bark orders here and there than to do the heavy lifting.
“You mean, if I have seen Alicia?”
Raquel informed him that Alicia and her husband in Hellas have been separated before she even returned to Iberia. Otherwise, he would have given his brother hell for making a move on the redhead in the first place.
Andres is absolutely smitten for Alicia and it is the first time he has seen him become so serious about a woman.
“I think she went looking for Raquel”, he answered.
“How is she? I know she’s been hanging out with us but you never know with her. She’s gotten good in masking her emotions from prying eyes and we’re not gifted to read her thoughts. Alicia never talked about her but she’s still not talking to her sister”, Andres asked.
Sergio never asked Raquel about that. He knows the feeling she’s having all too well. He has felt it before when he killed Felipe. After that, he couldn’t bring himself to face Andres. He knows it is the same thing Raquel has been feeling for months.
“She’s doing her best, Andres. Honestly, I thought it would be worse but she’s strong. Each day, she’s pushing herself to get better. She’s choosing to live and…” his eyes caught the three women they’re just talking about walking outside, smiling and laughing with each other, “Yeah, things are better now, Andres. Everything is finally alright”, he answered with a smile on his face.
Later that day, he found Raquel in their room, preparing her dress for tomorrow. It’s the re-opening of La Casa Blanca. He walked towards her and hugged her from behind. He felt her smile though he cannot see her before she leaned back against him.
“I feel so much lighter now, Sergio”, she muttered.
“I know. It’s good. You deserve to feel this, cariño”,
She turned around to face him. “She does not hate me”,
He knows she’s talking about Laura, proving his theory correct about her dilemma for the last three months.
“Of course, she does not. She loves you. We all do”,
Raquel smiled.
“I love you, Sergio”,
“I love you, Raquel”,
“Perhaps, you can show me how much then…” she trailed with a knowing look on her face.
Sergio arched a brow at her because when she gets this playful…
“Oh, I think I know a few ways to do that”,
“Really? Hmmm…I am intrigued, Professor”, she teased using his nickname.
He kissed her deep before she waved her hand, turning off the lights.
The morning came so fast.
Raquel woke up with a splitting migraine that also woke Sergio from a very good sleep. They’ve both been exhausted the night before and though they can still feel the soreness in their muscles, they feel relaxed and at ease.
“Who is it this time?” he grumbled under his breath.
This happens when someone outside is thinking very loud. He already scolded Silene and Anibal one time for giving Raquel a headache.
“I don’t think you can scold all of them, my love. There’s just too many”, she groaned.
Too many?
“Yes, cariño. They’re here”, Raquel confirmed while rubbing her forehead with her fingers.
“They’re here”, he repeated.
The students…they’ve arrived. Madre mia…it’s the first day of school.
“Before you get all excited, would you mind getting me some herbal tea from Darko. I don’t think this will be solved by coffee and whisky is not ideal for breakfast”, she requested.
Sergio turned to her with a broad smile before pressing a kiss on her lips.
“One herbal tea coming right up”, he said before bolting out of bed.
Despite the migraine, the tea proven effective in making it bearable for Raquel to get out of their room and go to the main hall. She saw both her sister and her cousin nursing a cup of Darko’s tea and she can only sympathize.
“How are you holding up?” Agustin approached her. “Should I get you something for your headache?”
Raquel smiled at him.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that, Chancellor?”
The old man groaned. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you calling me that. I may have accepted the position but it feels weird to be called as such by all of you”,
“Relax, Agustin. You will do great. Just don’t forget to breathe, alright? Don’t worry about us”, she replied.
Agustin smiled at her before nodding. “Thank you, Raquel”,
They all took their seats as the students entered the main hall. Sergio held her hand underneath the table, comforting her and making her focus on him rather than the collective thoughts of the students in the room.
Agustin welcomed the students with a speech before introducing them one by one. She can see the excitement in the students’ eyes though she tried not to get into their heads. There’s no need really. Their thoughts are pushing into her brain despite her best efforts to detach herself. They’re all intrigued and excited to learn from all of them. They’ve heard and seen on the news about their involvement in bringing down the last Emperor. In their eyes, they’re all heroes.
“Breathe, cariño”, Sergio whispered.
“I am breathing. They all think too loud, but it’s alright. I can handle it”, then, she picked up something from Sergio that made her turn to him, “Are you serious? The school year has just started and you’re thinking about vacation?”
He looked so adorable when he got caught. He nervously adjusted his eyeglasses. “I guess I am thinking too loud again. Well…I prefer planning before doing things and it’ll be our first vacation so I want it go without a hitch. I want it to be perfect”,
“Darling, as long as we’re together, it’s alright with me”,
“I know. I know…just…I want to do something special for you. That’s all”, he replied.
She smiled at him and if they’re not in front of an audience, she would have kissed him.
Alicia then cleared her throat next to her.
“You might want to hold that thought of kissing him for later, Raquelita. As you can see, they’re all kids. You don’t want to pollute their young minds with all that”, her cousin said.
Sergio blushed before looking away, trying his best to stifle his laughter.
“Who do you take me for? I don’t do that in public”, Raquel said in her defense.
“Just saying…”, Alicia replied.
Raquel looked around her and her smile widened. She never thought she will get to have all of this in her life but she has. Yes, this is living, she mused. She is finally living.
THE END