AS SOON as Connor and the two attorneys left Maria’s house, Euclid confronted Maria. But, just as he expected, the woman avoided him.
“You can leave now, Euclid,” she said when he remained seated on the couch watching her every move. “I know that your men were out there as your lookout. You don’t have to stay here inside.”
Euclid smirked. Instead of leaving, he lay his back on the couch and made himself comfortable. “Are we having a misunderstanding here?”
Maria turned to face him. “I did not say yes to the condition that the attorneys gave me—”
“You accepted it the moment that you stepped out of prison, Maria.” He raised from the couch and walked towards her. When she stepped back, he hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. “Why are you so eager to get rid of me, Magdalene?”
Maria met his gaze. “Now, you see me as the woman dancing around the pole naked.”
Euclid looked away from her eyes and let go of her. Maria knew how to stab his chest with one move. “Whether you like it or not, I’ll be staying here with you, Maria.”
Maria crossed her arms in front of her chest. “What if I won’t allow you?”
Euclid looked at her. “Then start to pack your things. I will bring you to the city jail," he said blatantly. "Let me remind you, Maria, a.k.a Magdalene, we caught you in the middle of selling your body, positive on drugs, and a confirmed drug carrier. Those illegal acts were enough to lock you in jail for years.”
The woman’s expression changed to fear quickly. Euclid took that vulnerable moment of her to tame the tigress in her. “Who’s gonna look out for Sara? Your friend, Wendy, and the lousy doctor Connor?” he smirked. “I doubt Sara would take it if she found out that she can’t be with her mother for a long time—”
“Enough!” Maria shouted, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. But before it fell, she turned her back at him. “Don’t ever use my daughter to get what you want from me.”
Euclid felt his heart was being torn into pieces by Maria’s cold voice. He took a step closer at her, but even they were just a foot away from each other, Euclid felt as if there was a high wall between them.
He let out a sigh. “Maria—”
“You can stay here,” she said suddenly and turned to face him. “If that’s what you want, do it. Just leave my daughter alone—”
The door opened, and Wendy and Maria’s daughter walked in. Euclid saw one of his men behind Wendy, disguised as the tricycle driver that took them home. The agent nodded simply at him before he left.
“Mama!” Sara ran to Maria and hugged her tightly. “Look, I got stars!”
“Wow! Very good!” Maria cuddled her daughter as she looked at the blue star-shaped marks on her tiny knuckles. “What those stars are for?”
Euclid watched them. He watched as Maria changed from the fierce woman that she was while talking at him to a loving mother in front of her daughter. Euclid smiled, he felt a sudden warmth embrace his heart again, but it quickly faded and was replaced by the feeling of guilt. He doesn’t want to do this to her, but he has to… because if he didn’t, it would bring them all in danger.
“Uncle Euclid!” Sara called his attention and waved her small hand at him.
Euclid looked at the little girl. She was still wearing the school uniform that looked cute on her. “Hi, Sara.”
The child smiled. “Do you wanna see my stars?”
Euclid crouched to meet the girl’s gaze. “Sure, let’s see if those stars were like the ones that I got when I was your age.”
Sara giggled. “I doubt you got stars when you’re a kid,” she said and laughed again.
Euclid knotted his forehead. Sara really reminds him of Maria, when she was just a sixteen-year-old talkative girl. “What makes you say that?”
“Because boys are stubborn and naughty! My teacher is always scolding them, and doesn’t give them stars,” she explained and was about to go to him when Maria stopped her.
“You need to change your school uniform,” Maria told her daughter and gently pulled her away from him.
“Can I play with Uncle Euclid afterward?” Sara asked her mom.
“Don’t you want to play with me?” Maria asked. “I promised you that we’ll play after school, right? Mommy never broke her promises.”
Maria’s daughter nodded and smiled. “Then, Uncle Euclid will join us. He will be our new maid for the tea party.”
“But, Uncle Euclid has to leave now,” Maria said. “He has a lot of work to do.”
Sara looked at him. Her beautiful but sad eyes were like speaking to him, pleading for him to stay. “Don’t you want to play with me, Uncle Euclid?”
Euclid’s heart melted. “Of course, I want to. I haven’t played a tea party in my whole life, are you willing to teach me?”
Sara’s face brightened up with what he said, but Euclid caught Maria’s glare behind Sara’s smile. Instead of being threatened, Euclid just chuckled. She remembered the days that Maria used to hide behind their house’s curtains every time he and his classmates passed by their street. She was wearing the same expression now, and it made Euclid laugh.
“Thank you, Uncle Euclid!” Sara ran to him, freeing herself from her mother’s arms, and gave him a big hug. “I’ll teach you how to make delicious teas!”
For a moment, Euclid felt the time suddenly stop as soon as Sara wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. His feelings were indescribable. His thoughts were like a swirl that the only clear in his mind was how warm Sara’s hug brought him.
The feeling was so surreal that Euclid thought he was suddenly pulled into a dream, with blooming flowers and sunshine rays everywhere. Euclid suddenly felt he was complete. But, it ended as soon as Maria pulled her daughter from him.
“Come on, Sara. Change your clothes,” she said blandly and dragged Sara inside the room.
Euclid was left staring at nowhere as if he wasn’t aware that Sara wasn't in his arms anymore. He stood up and shook his head. What is this feeling?
“Sara is a sweet girl,” Wendy said from the couch. She was busy fixing Sara’s things inside the small bag.
Euclid looked at her and nodded. “She’s an angel.”
“Right, Sara is Maria’s angel,” she agreed. “If you take her away from her, she’ll die.”
***