------Abigail’s POV-----
“I don’t know how and what happen, but after this I wanted to die and sleep forever”
Everything seemed to be right, everything was fine and when suddenly it broke into little pieces. The reason of living a life with warmth and happiness was suddenly gone. My colorful world tainted with red and became dark, rain comes unexpectedly in a sunny day and the summer changed to winter that fast. I don’t want to be here anymore with my black gown and a blacker than black veil. I came back to my cell again with my soft pillows soaked with tears and my blanket can’t give me warm anymore.
I hate this feeling, like I hate myself why I am still living this day.
------End POV--------
The engagement party was arranged properly in a resort, everyone was there who wanted to celebrate their happiness after marriage. It seems to be the happiest day of their lives and the last day of being singles as an individual. Eunice help the receptionist to check their visitors and the needed things in the party. Everyone of them seems to be happy even Crissa. Eunice checked everyone and she noticed that Yshmael and Abigail was still not there. They tried to call their mobile phones but it keeps on ringing.
“Crissa, can you call them again?” Eunice said shouting because of loud sound
Crissa get her phone and dialed again their numbers repeatedly but no one answers her, “No one answered their phone keeps on ringing only!” she shouted
They have no choice but to tell to their parents that they still not in the party.
“Sweetie, did you try to call them?” Celine asked them worriedly
“We tried so many times, Aunt” Crissa was very worried too “But no one answered our calls” she added
Andrew wanted to lessen the tension, “Just calm down, maybe they went somewhere that they can be alone for the mean time” he tried to make a joke for them with a smile
“But …” they check the time
Since the couple was still not there, they were the one who entertain their visitors. They were very happy when they received a call from a near hospital to the place that shook their whole world. It’s an emergency that made Celine and Matilda cry and made Andrew very scared.
“Aunt Celine, you can go now” Eunice said even her eyes was with tears but she trying to hide because of their visitors “We can handle this” she added
Crissa wanted to be with them going to the hospital but she needs to help Eunice, “We will be there too, just give us the address of the hospital” she said while holding the hands of Celine “Please take care” she added
Then the parents of the two went to the said hospital very worried but they still try to calm down. When they reached the hospital they went to the front desk hurriedly and they can saw some police that waiting them too.
“Where is my daughter, how is she” she went to be calm enough to ask but her hands are still shaking
Matilda was crying too, “Where is my son? Is he alright?” she asked too
When the policemen heard them they asked the names of the person they looking while the front desk nurses was still looking the information.
“Mrs. Concepcion please be with us for a moment” one of the policemen told her that made her very nervous
She wiped her tears and trying to calm down, “Why? Is there something happened with my son?” she asked
“Please bear with us Mrs. Concepcion” another policeman told her
Celine looked at them, “Andrew, can you accompany her?” she asked favor to her husband
He just looked to her, “Are you fine here?” he asked
She nodded, “Eunice and Crissa will be here later” she answered
He trusts her words so he accompanied her to the police precinct.
---------At the Precinct--------
The policemen brought them in a room for investigation;
Andrew looked around, “Is there anything wrong officer?” he asked
The policeman just looked down and put his hat downwards, “We need to sit first sir” he answered
They sat down and another policeman brought an envelope and placed it on the table, “We’re very sorry Madame” he said with a low voice
Her hands were shaking like she wanted to see what’s on the envelope but in the other side of her mind, she didn’t want.
Matilda mourned when she saw the pictures. It was the pictures of the accident held three hours ago.
“We’re very sorry that its very late to inform you about the accident, we had a hard time to find any contacts from the victims” his voice wanted to comfort her but there were no words that can comfort a mother who lose her very own son
Andrew didn’t know what he will do because he saw also what the situation of her daughter was.
The policemen stood up, “We will leave for a while, we will come back if you are ready to see your son’s body” they leave and lowered their cap.
In that hour, no words can express how broken is she that knowing that it was the day for everyone to celebrate the near wedding of the two. All you can here was the voice of the mourning mother for her lose and words expressing her disappointments. After almost three hours, they are prepared to see Yshmael’s dead body in the morgue in the hospital where the others were waiting for Abigail’s recovery.
------At the hospital------------
When they came back in the hospital, Andrew and Matilda have a pale face and their eyes were red like they cried for hours.
Celine approached them, “Are you two alright?” she asked
Andrew tried to smile but his tears cannot hide anymore, “We’re fine, how about Abigail?” he asked
“She still in the operating room, the doctor told us that she was in bad condition now” Celine asked
Crissa seemed to be nervous but she tried, “How about Yshmael, how is he? Is everything alright?” she asked and hide her nervousness
Matilda can’t hide her tears, “He was already gone” she started to cry
Crissa can’t hold her tears and her heart throbs so fast, “What do you mean about that Aunt Matilda” she approached her with a shaky leg and held her hands, “Please tell me that you are just joking” she added while her tears were flowing to her cheeks
Eunice noticed that she was already crying so she approached her and force her for a hug, “Crissa, its not a funny joke after all” she caressed her hair “We need to accept it” she trying to be brave in the front of them. She keeps on wiping her tears and tried to be strong. While Crissa was in her arms, “Auntie Matilda, maybe we need to bid our goodbyes” she tried to comfort herself by thinking that it was the reality of everything and they need to accept it “Is that right officers?” she said. The policemen just nodded and lead them to the morgue. When they reach the place, they told them to prepare themselves about it. The officer opened the door and walked in the aisle leading them to the victim’s body. They stopped in front of the last body in the aisle;
He lowered his head, “Please confirm if this is Mr. Yshmael Concepcion” he said then he pull up the blanket
Everyone was very shocked on what happen to him, his body was full of bruises and a large wound on his neck. According to the report it was the cause of his death, he loose so much blood before the accident was reported. The quiet place with the dead bodies was full of mourning with an ambiance of grieving. Crissa can’t hold herself, she approached his body and hug a little;
“I thought everything will be fine, but I didn’t say to you how much I love you all this time” Crissa just whispering while crying.
Eunice approached her, “Crissa, please” she assisted her then they walked back where the family.
After an hour, they went out to the morgue and they asked the person who manage there to take care Yshmael’s body. They went back to the family’s waiting area to wait the result of Abigail’s operation. After thirteen hours of operation, she was saved from the edge of death. The doctor told them not to talk about the accident because it can gave her so much trauma and also;
“I’m very sorry for your lost” the doctor said
Celine just move on a little about the heartache about Yshmael, “We’re fine, doctor” she answered
But in a surprise the doctor present them another paper, they just took it and read it. They can’t accept about it and the pain was doubled and the mourning doubled, “Our little angel” Celine can’t held the pain
“We did everything that we can do to save the baby also but it’s too late” the doctor said “Please excuse me” then he left.
They didn’t know how to feel about that, they didn’t know how to handle this kind of pain. They lost a kind future son-in-law and another thing was they lose their first grandchild. The doctor told them that Abigail needs four to five months for recovery. They keep it as a secret to Abigail because it will be not good for her if she will find out that the man she only loved was died and also her first child. They arranged the funeral of Yshmael without his beloved wife-to-be, and the funeral of their grandchild that only four months. They hide it from her, but as the saying there will be no secret will hide forever.
-------After five months----------
Celine always visit Abigail and she heard the same question every day.
“Where is Yshmael? Why he didn’t visit me here?” with a broken heart
But Celine can’t tell her the truth. Everytime she visit her, she noticed that she always holding her stomach and humming like she was singing a lullaby to her baby. This scenes gave her heartache and remembers the death of her son-in-law and her grandchild. “He was fine sweetie, you need to rest so that you can back home” she said to cheer her up. She went home crying and feel the so much pain about it, so they decided different person will visit her everyday.
Everyday, she keep on asking to those who visited her but she can’t have a good answer why did Yshmael didn’t visit her and she can’t feel something on her belly. After a month, she full recovered from the operation but the doctor told them that once she knew about the truth, they need to understand her and support her positively.
They went home and everyone there preparing themselves on the things that may happen.
“Welcome home Abigail” everyone greeted her and even her siblings greeted her. Eunice and Crissa is also there;
She smiled at them, “Thank you” when she looked around she saw two vases with Yshmael’s photo “Mom, why did you put Yshmael photo with a jar for ashes of a dead person” she felt that there was something wrong about that “It’s not a funny joke” she said calmly
The room was full of silence, then Crissa can hold it anymore “We’re sorry if we didn’t told you upon your recovery” she said
“Crissa!” Eunice called out to stop her
“I’m sorry but she need to know about it” she answered with tears
She began to cry, “What should I know? Mom, Dad please tell me what happen when I was in the hospital” she can heard her heart throbbing so much
No one wanted to answer her.
“Please tell me!” she shouted “Where is Yshmael?!”
Matilda breath in then breathe out, “My son was died on the accident and the jar you saw there was to your husband’s ashes and also to your child” she tried not to cry but her tears flowed on her cheeks
When she heard it, she looked like became crazy “No! No!” she sat down because she felt her legs loose strength “No, that was impossible I saw him smiling at me before I collapsed” she remembered that night. “Its all my fault!” she cried so hard “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
They can’t bear to watch her like that, so they decided to assist her to her room to rest. But since that day, Abigail didn’t want to go outside or even to have meals. They do whatever they do to ease her pain, but she always choose to be at her room with her black pajamas. They can hear her mourning every night and the words of cursing herself because of her lost.
“I don’t want to live anymore, I want to be with you with our child” she always uttered those words with a broken voice because of her grieving.