Chapter 37: Chapter 37

The whole day I was just laying bed, Cristel is the one who's taking care of me. After I said the truth to Henry, I never see him again.

"Where is he?" I asked Cristel after she prepared my food.

"He's with Alfredo, he is going to be fine," she answered.

I hope so, I know that it is hard for him to accept it. But if he wants me to stay then I will stay. I don't want to go either.

I finished my food then Cristel helped to clean my body. I can barely move; I can't even lift my body. My breathing is not normal. I looked like a dead person when I saw myself in the mirror. How long can take this?

"You should rest, grandma. You are pregnant, it is bad for you to get tired," I said while she's tucking me to the bed.

"I'm okay, you are not. Give me this time that I can still take care of you, when I am old, I can barely lift a baby for sure." She smiled.

"Thank you for everything, Cristel. If you don't approach me that time when I am still lost in this time, I will not survive her. I thank God that He gave you and your family a heart that is willing to help and love unconditionally. I will be forever grateful that I came from you, that you are my grandmother. I love you," I said from the bottom of my heart. I never said these words to her before because I never had a chance. Now, I feel complete. I hope everything will change and she can live much longer than she did. I want to be with her more...

"I love you too, Aliyah. You will go home soon; I promise that I will do everything for you to be safe." She kissed my forehead.

It is still bright outside and I never do anything for this day, but I feel so tired. I want to sleep again but my mind is awake because of Henry. He is not home yet.

"Is Henry alright?" I asked Cristel.

"He's still absorbing things. He might need some time to think," she answered.

"I want to see him." I tried to get up, I forced myself.

"You need to rest more to regain your energy. He will go home for dinner." She held me while I still trying to stand.

"I want to see him now. I can't wait anymore. Let me see him please, I don't have much time. I want to be with him." I cried.

She sighed. "Okay, let me dress you up, it's cold outside. Not good for you."

We walked a bit far to get where Henry and Alfredo are. They are in the riverbank, sitting and talking. They are serious that they didn't notice us coming towards them.

Alfredo looked at us and he was surprised when he saw us. Cristel signaled him to be quiet and to come to us. He obeyed then tapped Henry's back before standing. I saw Henry nodded and didn't bother to look back. I sighed.

"What are you doing here?" Alfredo whispered.

"I-I want to talk to him," I answered him.

"It is cold right now, it is not good for the both of you," he said then put his hat on Cristel's head.

"I am alright," she said.

"Can I talk to him? Is he okay?" I asked him.

He nodded. "You should talk to him more, I think. He is still can't believe what you said. He's still confused."

I smiled. "I'll talk to him alone."

They nodded then left me. I sighed then walked towards Henry. I sat where Alfredo is sitting earlier, he still didn't look at me. Maybe he thought that I am Alfredo. I heard him sighed.

"If I marry Sonia, do you think I can be happy? I don't understand why this happened. Why God let us meet each other, fell in love with each other but in the end, He will tear us apart?" He sounds so frustrated.

We both have the same question. Until now, I still don't understand why...

"Maybe He did that on purpose," I said that made him looked at me.

He was very surprised, I smiled at him.

"Aliyah, what are you doing here? You should be resting more and it's cold here." He removed his hat then put it on my head. He was about to remove his jacket when I stopped him.

"I'm okay, I'm warm. I just want to see you. You don't want to see me, it's alright that you are mad at me..."

He shook his head. "I am not mad, Aliyah. I am just sad, confused, and overwhelmed by your revelation. It is very hard to believe but I know that you are not kidding."

I leaned my head on his shoulder and held his hand. "I can stay if you don't want me to leave. You don't have to marry Sonia if you don't want to. I will not force you anymore with things you don't want to do. I am so sorry; I was selfish I never think about your feelings. If you don't want me to go then I will stay by your side." I bit my lower lip to prevent myself from sobbing so loud.

"No, Aliyah. You are not selfish, I am. I am not aware that you are facing this alone. All I want was to get you, but I can't be selfish anymore. I love you; I want you to be okay, you will be gone forever if I choose to keep you. If marrying Sonia is the only way you can be saved, then so be it. You do not belong then you shouldn't be here, I love you so much." He was crying.

"I love you too, if the situation is just normal, I will never leave you or push you away. I am so sorry that we can't be together." I looked at him.

"It's not your fault. Promise me you will be happy and safe once you come back." He made me faced him.

"I promise to be safe but not truly happy because I know I will never see you again," I said.

He wiped my tears. "I promise to look for you, even you can't recognize me, it's alright. I will watch you grow."

"You will marry Sonia, also try to love her. She deserves it, don't be too hard on her, be a good husband and a father. Don't do anything that will make them hate you. I will be mad at you if I heard that you are a cruel husband and an abusive father. Don't let that happen, please. Promise me, I will not go if you can't promise me that." I touched his face.

He nodded. "I promise, I will try to love and if I can't, I will still be a good husband and a father, so you don't have to worry." He kissed my forehead.

I smiled, I felt relieved. My heart suddenly became normal. "Thank you," I said.

He hugged me; we watched the sunset silently. I will never forget this moment, the moments we are together. I will treasure it forever.

"How can you convince Sonia to marry you immediately?" I asked him while we are preparing to go home, it's starting to get dark.

"I still have to deal with my parents. They will be furious if they find out that I want to marry Sonia. We knew their plan; they are planning to attack the town this week. I need to be prepared for what may happen." He sighed.

"Don't let Sonia get hurt. Protect her," I said.

He nodded. "I promise. You will stay here in this town for your safety. I will deal with them tomorrow."

He sat in front of me, I am facing his back. "What are you doing?"

"I will carry you on our way home. Ride on me, honey." He chuckled.

I was about to laugh when I started coughing very hard. I covered my mouth with my palm, my chest started to feel again the unbearable pain. My eyes went wide when I saw blood on my palm when I removed it from my mouth.

"Oh, God! Aliyah let's go. We need to see a doctor," he said then carried me to his back.