With another sigh, he closed the door and moved to the driver's seat. They didn't talk while they were on the road to Villa Celesta. She forgot that she was hungry and tired. She let her feat set in while looking at the road. She couldn't become really beautiful for Deive. Even if Villa Celesta was on the line, she couldn't face the ghost of her past. It would kill her. Her life won't be at peace.
She gets out of the car as soon as Deive parked the car in front of the mansion. She didn't wait for his gentlemanly ways to open the door for her. She ran inside the mansion. Deive was on her heels. "Callea, are you hurt?"
She shook her head but didn't bother to look at him. Her heart and whole being was hurt. She didn't need any medicine. She didn't need help. She just wanted to be left alone.
"You might be hungry. I will ask Marina to prepare food for you."
"I just want to sleep. I need to rest now," she said in an Arctic voice. She was about to enter her room when she finally faced Dieve. "Stop bothering me. Just let me do what I want."
"So, you will hide again? Aren't you sick and tired of the darkness, Callea? It just so happened that you look like an infamous actress that's why you were mobbed by those people. But it means you are beautiful and you should be proud of it."
Callea smiled bitterly. "I should be proud? I was never proud of my beauty. You have no idea how miserable my life was because of this face. And if it is not a sin to God to ruin His gift, I would have ruined this face a long time ago. If you really feel sorry for me then leave me alone."
She entered her room and shut the door with a bang. She locked it right away as if she was scared that he would follow her. She didn't want to hear his question about how she wanted to liver her life. Deive won't understand because he had a fabulous life outside. He never knew the dangers of having a beautiful face. He didn't know how it feels like how she found her solace in the darkness.
Deive thrived on beauty. He embraced the light and the laughter of the crowd. She didn't belong in his world.
Luna rushed towards her and mewling. She crouched down and took the feline in her arms. She slumped on the floor and cried her heart out as if someone beat her. Her heart was aching so badly as bad memories came rushing back to her. "I am sorry, Luna. It was my fault that's why you died. It was my fault. I wish I was not born beautiful then you would still be alive. I am sorry."
THE SUN hasn't risen yet but Deive already started chopping woods at the back of the house. Mang Lito and Aling Poling arrived with fresh fruits and vegetables from the farms of the Lopezes. "Wow! Señorito, you are an early bird. But why are you chopping wood? Let my husband do that instead," said Aling Poling.
"No need. I want to do this. I heard Callea likes bulalo (beef bone stew). I want to cook for her," he said then brought down the ax to the huge block of wood. He scratched his head when it only dented the wood instead of splitting it in two.
Mang Lito laughed. "Señorito, let me do that for you. You don't know how to chop wood."
"This is my first time. Callea told me that you used an earthen stove to cook bulalo and it is cooked with wood."
"Do you know how to cook bulalo, Sir?" asked Aling Poling.
He smiled sourly. "Can you please teach me?"
Aling Poling shook her head and looked up in the direction of Callea's room. "She hasn't left her room yet, has she?"
Deive shook his head in reply. "Not yet.
Callea cooped up inside her room for three days now since they went to the mall for her makeover. That one was tragic and gave him sleepless nights. The experience was traumatic for Callea. He tried to bring her food but she only accepted Marina inside her room. She didn't want to see him.
He felt guilty. He forced him out of the mansion because he wanted her to look good and get used to the role of his future wife. When he saw people encircling her and taking her pictures, she thought they found her beautiful. He even thought that Honey V was a Kpop artist or something. He didn't mind at first. Even the people wanted to take his pictures and were asking if he was Honey V's girlfriend. He only smiled and thought that Callea must get used to the attention. Of course, his future wife was beautiful and he must show her off to the world.
Then he heard her cries while she asked people to leave her alone. It was a bloodcurdling scream. Yes, Callea was creepy and weird most of the time but she was always soft-spoken.
He panicked and had to get the help of security to keep the people at bay. Callea's image was devastating. She looked terrified as if it was her first time to see people or she was seeing monsters instead of humans.
He wondered why she didn't want to be beautiful. He gave her a cold treatment on their way back home. When he berated her about living her life in the dark, she looked at him with hollowed eyes as if someone died. She shut him down after that.
When he asked the caretakers why Callea behaved that way, like she had a traumatic experience that's why Callea preferred to hide from the world, they said they had no idea. It was just when Callea went home from Cambodia, she refused to show herself to people and they thought it was just normal for an artist to be eccentric and introverted.
But he smelled something fishy. There was a deeper reason why Callea behaved that way - why she didn't want to be part of the crowd and why she didn't want the attention. She didn't even want to be called beautiful while other people would spend a lot of money just to be called that.
What was her issue with being beautiful? Everyone wanted to be beautiful. Even men like him wanted to be pleasing to the eyes.
Marina walked towards him. "Señorito, Señorita Callea said that you don't have to chop wood anymore. She doesn't want to eat bulalo especially if you cook it."
"Is she still mad at me? I did everything to make it to her. If only she will talk to me and she will tell me what she wants. Please let me inside her room," he begged.
Marina shook her head. "She wanted to be left alone. She didn't even want to work. And whatever happens in the future, I won't let her get out of the mansion. Good thing she still talks to me after I side with you. Why didn't you protect her?"
"I am sorry. I didn't know that people will think that she looks like an actress." Marina gave her a deadly glare. Of course, Marina was also guilty of conniving with him. She and Callea were best of friends. Marina entrusted Callea to her and he disappointed her. "When is she planning to get out of her room?"
"Once you are ugly."
His jaw dropped. "What? She wants me to look ugly." He put his hands on his hips and looked up at the sky in exasperation. That woman is crazy. I am guilty. I want to make it up to her but my face is not part of the bargain. "No freakin' way."
He felt frustrated. He did everything so she would talk to him, at least. He was at the point of invitings aswangs, vampires, and other entities just to make Callea happy. She already thought that bats are more appealing than him, now she wants him to be ugly. That was some sick revenge. He loved his handsome face so much. It was his asset. Now she wanted it gone?
Marina crooked her finger so he moved near her. "Ma'am Callea will go to church this Sunday. Go with her."