Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Isabella's pov;

"Hey, why did you ask me to come here? you gotta be on the stage in a few minutes."

I asked Jose, who was standing in front of me, nervous.

He said, "I need to speak with you."

"We can speak after the competition." I looked at the stage and said, "It seems like they're going to call your group soon. Go backstage. We can speak later."

"I don't know if i can do this again…"

While Jose was talking, Maria came and said, "What are you doing here? We're next. Come."

I said to Jose while tapping on his shoulder, "We can talk later. Go with her."

While Jose was going with Gia, I shouted, "All the best guys!!"

After they left, Tracy came back with tacos in her hand. She gave me one and had one for her.

I said, "Jose said he wanted to speak to me about something else. Do you know anything about that?"

"Maybe he wanted to apologise to you since he threw you out and made that guy join again. I think he must have felt guilty because of that."

"Why should he feel guilty? I'm not in the group in the first place, I was just a substitute for the guy who fell sick."

"Why are you looking down on yourself? Because of you, they were selected directly to the final round which is happening now. How can they throw you out after that guy appears? How could they do this to you? That's not fair. I don't know why aren't you asking them anything about this? Why are you being silent?"

"It's fine. I'm fine with that. Jose's team is going to perform. Let's cheer for them."

"I came only because you asked me to. Otherwise I wouldn't be here in the first place."

I put my hand over her shoulder and said, "If you're being uninterested, then why did you buy ice creams? Aren't you supposed to be mad?"

"I'm only mad at Jose, not at ice cream. They're innocent. Start eating it. It's melting."

I laughed and started eating the ice cream she gave me.

Jose's team appeared on the stage. Lance as drummer and Freddie, Jose, victor(the guy who fell sick) as guitarist and Maria, Danielle as vocals. They started performing the song they prepared for the final round.

After Victor recovered, Jose asked me to drop out of the group since he returned. I wasn't upset because I was only a substitute from the beginning. Jose felt bad about asking that so I told him I'm okay with that but he'd still feel upset about it, that's why he wanted to speak with me I guess.

The competition ended. The announcer along with the award presenter stood on the stage to announce the name of the band which won the competition today. I wished that Jose's team would have to win this competition.

The announcer started telling who won the third place, second place and first place… "And the band which is going to get first place will get a trip to Los Angeles is… let's go with the countdown… Five… Four… Three… Two… and the winner is… Jose's team!!!"

I jumped in happiness and hugged Tracy who was standing beside me while shouting, "We won! We won!"

She looked happy but a little.

I said, "Did you see? Even without me in the team, they won first place. And, Jose's team have won, you should be happy for him. Don't be mad at him for me, please?"

She nodded and said, "Okay. Tell me if he didn't apologize to you, I'll take care of it for you."

I nodded and smiled at her.

Tracy and I went backstage to cheer for them. Tracy hugged Jose and congratulated him for winning first place. I congratulated other members in the team.

Victor, "Thank you for bringing the team to the final round, we wouldn't have won this if it's not you."

"Hey! That's enough. Stop thanking me and Be happy for winning first place. You thanked me a lot already."

Victor nodded and left to talk with Lance.

After a while,

Lance, Freddie, Maria, Danielle, Jose, victor, Tracy and i gathered in the college entrance.

Lance, "Let's go to a club and celebrate it!"

Maria, "Yeah! We have to since… we got first place!!"

Danielle, "I know a perfect place. Let's go there."

While everyone was planning to go to a club,I interrupted them by saying, "Sorry guys, you can't come with you today. I have to go to the house."

Tracy, "Why? They already made you drop out from the team, we should at least drink using their money."

Jose said to Tracy, "Cream bun, are you still mad at me?"

Tracy ignored him and said to me, "Come with us."

I said, "Actually, Mr Martinez is coming tonight so I have to be there."

"Oh, okay. Then have a good time." And smiled at me.

Everyone gave a hug and started to walk on the pavement to the bus terminal.

I got a call from Mateo. I wonder how he knows that I'm out of college and make a call to me.

"Hello?"

"Was it over? Can I come and pick you up?"

"Mateo, I said I'll take the bus to the house. Why are you asking me again and again?"

"What if there's no bus?"

"I'll take a cab."

"What if there's no cab around?"

"Ah! The bus came. I'm going to get in. Bye." And ended the call.

I lied to him. There wasn't any bus since I'm still on the pavement.

While I was walking, I saw two guys looking here and there in front of me. I ignored them and tried to walk past them, but one of them stopped me and asked, "Do you know which way is 6th Street?"

"6th Street? U think you're on the wrong Avenue. There's no 6th Street in this…"

While I was talking, suddenly a car appeared from Nowhere and the door opened. The two guys who were asking me for directions pushed me into the car and closed the door behind me. I tried to open the door and tapped on the window to seek help…

"How are you going, Ms Isabella Garcia?"

That voice. I thought I forgot about it but it was still in my memory.

"Olivia?"

Olivia Rodriguez was sitting in front of me inside the car. I looked around the car and asked, "Why did you kidnap me? What are you trying to do to me?"

"I wasn't kidnapping you. I just wanted to have a talk with you so I took you."

"Is this how you talk to people?"

"Would you come if I asked you nicely?"

I shook my head.

She continued, "That's why I used a little force." And smiled at me.

"When did you get released from the prison?"

"One year ago. I was into some business these days to get my stand back as it was. So it took me a year to meet you again."

"Why do you want to meet me?"

"You're still the same. That same old arrogant tone. Anyways, let's get to the point since I have to go somewhere after this. I heard that you're staying with Alexander, how was it?"

"What?"

"Did you get laid? I'll be surprised if you have, because he doesn't know anything about this. He's a dumb person you'll ever see in your life."

"Did you came all the way here to ask if i and Mr Martinez had s*x?" laughed and continued, "You could have asked me over the phone itself. Why are you wasting your precious time like this?"

"You got bold. By the way, I didn't come to ask you about that. I came here to tell you something about him."

"What is it?"

"Alexander killed his own father. Did you know that?"

"What the hell are you saying? He wouldn't do something like that! He won't kill a person! He won't kill his father. You must be lying since you hated him from the beginning."

"I wonder how you live with a murderer. Do you know why he killed his father? Because his father killed his mother and depicted as his mother died in an accident. Later, Alexander found it out and killed his father. You can ask him to make sure because I'm not lying."

"Don't lie to me. I know it's you who killed Mr Martinez's mother. It's not his father. You made him believe that his father killed his mother but it's not true. It's you. You killed his mother."

"So you know?"

"Yes. I know it's you."

"Did you tell him? I think you didn't." She let out a smirk.

The car stopped and the door opened.

She continued, "You can get down, you have arrived at the destination. Have a good night with a murderer."

When I looked out, I saw Mr Martinez's house.

I got down in front of the car. The car left.

I entered the gate and walked to the house. My mind was filled with many questions as I walked to the house.

At the doorstep, while I was removing the shoes, Mr Martinez suddenly gave me a quick hug and said, "Who won the competition?"

I ignored looking at him and said, "Jose's team." And walked into the house.

"Where's the guitar?"

I looked at my hands and said, "Sh*t! I forgot to ask Jose."

He gave me a tap on my shoulder and said, "It's fine. We'll take it another time."

I nodded and tried to go upstairs but Mr Martinez stopped me and asked, "Where are you going?"

"To the room."

"I bought the sweets you asked me to. Come and take a look."

"I'll see it tomorrow. I'm feeling tired so I'll go to my room."

While Mr Martinez was talking to me, what Olivia said to me was rewinding again and again inside my head. Murderer. Alexander is a murderer. Murderer.

When Mr Martinez held my hand, I flinched with a gasping sound.

He asked me, "Isabella, are you alright?"

I nodded hurriedly and said, "I'm sorry, I have to go." And ran up the stairs.

In my room, I hit my head on the table and said, "I shouldn't have reacted like that. Why did I react like that? Does that mean I believed what Olivia told me? No, she's lying. Mr Martinez would never do something like that. I'm sure about that. Olivia must be lying to change my mind. She doesn't like Alexander from the beginning so she's destroying every happiness around him. Yes. That's why she's manipulating me right now. She must have known that Mr Martinez is happy because of me. That's why she returned to destroy it. But I won't let her succeed in this. I won't!

I heard knocks on the door.

"Come in."

The doors opened and Mr Martinez walked in. I got up and sat on the bed after seeing him.

He sat in front of me on the couch and asked, "What happened?"

"Huh?"

"Why aren't you looking at me? Why are you looking down while talking to me?"

I looked at him and said, "It's nothing."

"If you don't try to talk it out, it won't get solved. It'll be in your mind and make you go crazy. Tell me what's bothering you."

"Did you kill your father?"

"What?"

"I met Olivia. She was the one who dropped me in front of the house."

He let out a sigh and asked, "Did you allow her to mess up your head? Okay, what did she tell you?"

"She said you murdered your father."

"Did you believe her?"

I shook my head and said, "No."

"Is that why you flinched when I touched you? Are you afraid of me?" And tried to stand up which made me move back a bit.

He rubbed his head with his finger and kneeled down in front of me with teary eyes. He held my hand and said, "Don't be afraid of me. It hurts seeing you like that."

"I'm sorry."

He stood up and sat beside me and said, "Don't be. I know how you feel right now but don't be afraid. Yes, she's telling the truth."

I was shocked after hearing that from him.

He continued, "But it wasn't like that. You found the drug which was the reason for my father's death. Do you remember that?"

I nodded at him.

"I knew about the drug before you told me. While my father was sick, I found out the effects of the drug while the maid was giving it to him and didn't stop the maid from giving it to him. Because of the anger. The anger which grew in me after knowing he's behind my mother's death. That anger stopped me from helping him. I let him die because of my mother's death. If i stopped the maid from giving the drug, he would have been alive right now but i didn't. I killed him for my mother."

"I hid the truth from you."

"What is it?"

"Your father didn't kill your mother."

"What!? What are you saying? He didn't kill my mother? Then who did it? Do you know who it is?"

I nodded and said, "Olivia. Olivia planned it very well from the beginning. She created an accident and killed your mother. Actually, when the accident occurred, you and your mother were both alive and the ambulance was on the way. You said your mother got you out of the accident and yelled for help. Olivia stopped every ambulance that was on the way to the accident spot. When the ambulance came, your mother, who you thought was dead, was still alive. Olivia didn't stop there. She used her power and asked the people in the ambulance to kill your mother while you were going to the hospital in another ambulance. By the time, when the ambulance reached the hospital, your mother was no more and was reported as passed away at the scene of the accident."

"Why didn't you say this before?"

"After seeing her going to the prison for kidnapping you, I thought she'll never come out but I didn't think she'd come out and manipulate me like this again."

"I was being dumb all these years to believe that my father killed my mother but he didn't. It makes me feel guilty."

I hugged him and said, "Don't be. It's not your mistake. She didn't let you know."

"I couldn't stand that I believed her in the end."

I patted on his back and said, "Finally, you know it now. So don't feel guilty anymore."

"I regret what I did to my father."

I broke the embrace and said, "Then, let's go and meet him tomorrow. Tell him sorry."

Mr Martinez hugged me again and remained silent.

The next morning,

Mr Martinez and I came to the memorial ground to visit Matthew's cemetery.

I kneeled in front of Matthew's burial place and placed the flowers I picked for him from Mr Martinez's garden.

When I turned around, Mr Martinez was standing still in his place.

"What are you doing? Come on, give him the flowers you bought for him. Why are you making him wait?"

He kneeled beside me and placed the flowers and kept quiet while staring at the grave stone.

"Why are you being silent? Talk to him. Apologise for what you did."

"Do you think he will forgive me? He hates me."

I nodded and said, "You were his son. He will forgive you. Did you forget that he's the one who brought you to the house after your mother died? Why did he bring you to the house if he hated you? Why did he change every single penny he earned to your name? I'm sure he'll forgive you. Because you are his favourite son after all."

I stood from the place.

"Where are you going?"

"It'll be odd if I'm here while you two are having a conversation. I'll wait outside." I turned to Matthew's grave stone and said, "We'll see again, Mr Rodriguez." And walked out of the burial ground.

After a while, Mr Martinez walked towards me being all smiley.

I asked him, "How did it go?"

He hugged me for a moment and said, "Thank you for taking me here. I'm feeling relieved now."

"I'm happy that you're feeling good." And smiled at him.

He gave me a peck on my cheek and said, "Let's go home."

"Hey! You can't give me a kiss in front of your father. What if he sees us?"

"I'll tell him that you're my girlfriend."

I hit him on his shoulder and asked, "Who said I'm your girlfriend?"

He smiled at me and started the car.