CHAPTER THREE- ABOUT ME

##### \= flashback

"Thank God... I can't believe we took so long."

Lucius groaned, taking a seat on the chair across her, having just paid for his ice cream and Chine's huge parfait.

"I thought we agreed on just getting some ice cream here?" He said, looking at Chine as she ate a spoonful of the parfait, a smile crept up to his face. He'll always complain but would give in to her demands anyway. That's how he is, too kind, too nice, too... likable.

"I deserve at least something like this after helping you write that essay letter thingy of yours. I have better things to do." She grinned, taking another bite. Sitting comfortably in her seat, making sure to choose the most convenient but also has a good view from outside.

Lucius pouted before taking some from her cup.

"Hey!"

Still being the rebel that he is, he ate the parfait in front of her, licking his lips.

"Mhm... It's good, worth its price."

Chine glared at him, shielding the huge cup of parfait. Lucius chuckled, "What? Can't a man appreciate such a delicious dessert?"

The woman across him rolled her eyes, ocean-blue orbs sending fires of fury in her gaze. Of course, even the kindest ones have their edges with people they trust.

Lucius thought to himself, pinching her cheek.

"Mom and Dad miss you; they said you rarely drop by our house anymore."

Chine groaned, slapping his hand away. Her face softened at hearing his parents wanting her to drop by their home.

"I'm just busy."

Lucius frowned.

"Look, I know things were tough since your older siblings just moved out. And the younger ones were also taken in by your aunts and uncles."

Chine looked down, she couldn't blame them. Any sane person would walk out of that house the moment they could, but Chine stayed. Even Lucius himself doesn't know why she stayed.

"You should've just moved out along with the younger ones, you know? We could be neighbors again if you did." Lucius said, taking a bite out of his ice cream which made Chine wince for a bit at the sight.

"You know I can't just leave her behind," Chine replied, implying her mother. She remembered the day her younger siblings were taken away by her Uncle Enrico.

######

"Come on, little one. We're gonna go to the amusement park." Enrico coaxed the two toddlers, the helpers carrying the twins' luggage into their car.

"Mama..." Xyrelle clung onto his mother's skirt, not wanting to leave. Xamira follows suit since they're not used to having their mama leave them to their uncle.

"Ma!" Xamira exclaimed, grasping tightly on the hem of her dress, tears welling up in her eyes as she realized that she was not picking them up when she usually does.

Their mom remained still, only watching as the nannies came and picked them up. The twins thrashed and kicked as they called for their mother.

"Mama! Mama!"

"Ma..."

Enrico turned to his sister, a sad expression on his face.

"This is for the best, Yuella. Just... I... You know you can come over to our house when you want to see the twins. Kyline would be happy to see you."

Not receiving any words from his sister, Enrico sighed.

"We'll get going now."

She watched her mother send them away with a straight and distant face. Knowing that raising children in their war zone of a house is just a curse. It was a topic that was occasionally discussed at every family gathering, with the two culprits always trying to look away the moment it was mentioned.

She almost thought her mother didn't care, she really did, but the moment their car disappeared out of the gateway, she sank to her knees.

"My babies... They took them away... My babies... Xyrelle... Xamira...."

Chine knew her mother was having a hard time, she was stressed, angry, and probably depressed. And now the whole family just agreed to take the young ones away from her, thinking she might do more harm than good to them.

Yuella's eyes landed on Chine, eyes filled with tears. That was the first time she saw her mother cry. Because she never did. Even when she first found out about her husband's affair while being heavily pregnant.

"Chine... My baby... You're not going with them... right?"

Chine remained still, she couldn't bring herself to say yes. Most of her stuff is already neatly packed in their respective boxes and suitcases. It felt heavy. To loudly admit and answer her mother's plea. Because she wanted to leave as well.

She doesn't want to be left alone here watching as her siblings leave and their parents continuously destroy each other.

She wants to leave.

She wants to go...

But as she looked at her mother, eyes red with tears, knees on the cold floor, and looking so vulnerable, her being her daughter, she said;

"No... I'll stay here with you, Mom."

#####

Silence engulfed the two as Lucius stared at Chine, sighing as he looked down.

"But just because you can't leave her behind doesn't mean you can't be hurt in the process of staying." He said, voice quiet as he stirred the ice cream in his cup.

"But if I get hurt, that's my choice, right? Because I still stayed."

And after that, they continued eating in silence.

...----------------...

When Chine came back home, the eerie silence greeted her, a contrast to what greeted her earlier. She walked in, greeted the maids and went straight to her room, the door to her parents' room is shut close. Though she suspects only her mom is inside. As for her father, he's probably in the wine cellar, drowning himself in alcohol as his wife still wouldn't let him in.

Chine is already familiar with their routine. She gives it a week and they're probably back to the same old them. Or maybe not. Her mother's been too cold ever since the twins and her older siblings left. No one dared to imagine the madame's state if ever the remaining daughter in the house leaves her nest.

When she entered her room, she just collapsed on the bed, thinking to herself. Chine finds herself in this state often. Just lying down, thinking, racking her brain with stupid things to keep herself from going insane. The silence is killing her, but when there's noise, it also destroys her little by little.

She remembered Lucius, his goofy smile, golden eyes and blonde hair. The guy she met at the park and chose to stuck himself into her business ever since. Annoying, kind, irritating, gentleman, embarrassing but brave...

Chine could only laugh to herself before it slowly turns into a frown again.

'I got ahead of myself again.'

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