Where are you, Samantha?

"Hey, mom, dad. It's been a while," Samantha whispered as she slowly leaned down to place the tulips bouquet, she bought from a flower shop on her way to the cemetery.

She stared at the grave stone where her parents' names were carved and slowly brush the dusts off with her bare hands.

"Daniel Brown, Josefina Brown..." she read, eyes shifting on the identification card clipped on the collar of her white coat.

"Samantha Shane Andersen..." she continued with a faint laugh. "It's been 20 years and I still can't understand how the two of you could hate your own child like this."

A sigh escaped her lips, pointing her ID. "Do you see this mom, dad? I am now a licensed psychiatrist," her voice broke into soft sobs. "I-I have now the job, the two of you, wanted me to have. I also have my own office now. It was quite spacious, but I'll be buying some stuffs to make it more comfortable just like home."

Her lips suddenly thinned. "Am I now worthy of your love?" Her breaths went heavy when the wind started caressing her back as if it's empathizing with her. Indeed, Samantha is a lonely woman and she's extremely good at hiding it behind her cold image; even her best friend won't notice.

"Well, forget it. After all, none of you are here to witness everything I've accomplished anyway. You might even still choose not to see anything even if the two of you are living."

The tone of her voice went down, eyes switching on the scars on her wrists from the beating she gained from her parents when they were still alive as she has been held responsible for the disappearance of her twin sister.

Agatha Shye Brown is best child a couple could ever have: pretty, smart, kind, talented, responsible, and any good or even best a child could be described.

On the other side of the story lies Samantha Shane Brown whose surname has been changed into Andersen by her own parents after Agatha disappeared.

Samantha's not as smart and not as pretty as her sister despite being twins. She doesn't know how to take good care of her looks. She's stupid, dumb, and doesn't even have any talent at all-at least that's what her parents are making her feel. With such reasons, she tried so hard to reach her sister's level but couldn't. Although she eventually finished college with the help of her friends, her parents were no longer living to see her succeed as they died the day of her graduation in a car accident.

Thinned lips, she smiled and turned against her heels to where her car is-to where a black motorcycle had been parked just behind it.

The driver removed his helmet, revealing the slightly-mad face of her boyfriend, Scott.

"You left me again!" He scoffed, twitching his lips in dismay.

"No, I didn't," her voice is rather monotonous. "I've been very specific for you to be in my office at exactly 4 PM or forget it. Haven't I made myself clear?"

She rolled her eyes and attempted to get in her car without any further explanation but he was just in time to hold her by the arm.

"Why are you always so mean, really?"

She cocked a brow and measured him with her stares. "We're still on our second month, Scott, so don't expect you can already read me."

"Don't you just Scott me, missy!" The corners of his lips curled. "It should be babe. And may I remind you, miss Andersen, you're so damn impossible to read. I've tried reading between the lines ever since the day I've decided to be your man, but still got nothing. Were you using, perhaps, using a different language?" He tapped his chin. "And technically, we've been dating for six months. SIX. SOLID. MONTHS!" He emphasized.

Seeing that her boyfriend is starting to act all cute, she couldn't help but smile secretly. She closed her eyes to regain composure and heaved out an exasperated sigh.

"I'm sorry. I-I'm just really tired from work."

"I know," he smiled and gave her a hug. "Just tell me if ever you're having a hard time. I'll help."

She looked up to meet her boyfriend's not-so-angelic face. "Really?" She beamed.

"Of course," he beamed back. "Anything for you, babe."

"Anything, ah?" Samantha's grin sent Scott batting his eyes in realization.

"You're not gonna make me analyze your patients' problems, aren't you? Because, you know, I'm a chef."

"You're so damn judgmental!" Her lips folded into a thin line. "I was just thinking of you cooking my favorite foods now."

"Hahaha I know... I know!"

They headed towards Samantha's house and a moment after arriving, her best friend, Kathleen, called and asked if she and her boyfriend could come to visit. She agreed. Scott also called some of his friends, who are also Samantha's friends, to join in.

The two sat on the couch near the balcony while waiting. It's almost sunset and the full moon is now showing up. Samantha wrapped her arms around Scott's waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Babe?" Scott's breath brushed against his girlfriend's wavy hair.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you have any plans on selling this house?" A muscle in Samantha's jaw clenched that Scott had to lay back a bit.

"Why would I?"

"I-I mean... it's getting really old and don't you want to have a new life somewhere?" He whispered, eyes shifting from her and back to the flaming sky. "You know... with me."

She sought. "You know I can't leave this place, babe."

"But why?" He asked, voice raising which took her aback. Samantha's lips parted and moved away from him completely. "I-I'm sorry, babe. I didn't mean to," he stuttered.

She only flashed him a bitter smile and looked away. "I thought I already made it clear."

"I know b-but I just can't just seem to understand. I'm your boyfriend, Sam. You know you can tell me everything. Asking for help sometimes doesn't hurt."

"I wanted to tell you everything, I really do. But now's not the right time. Eventually, you'll find out why," Samantha's voice went softer and softer in each word; Scott's shoulders dropped in defeat.

"Yeah whatever, babe! I'll just wait for that time then. Just come back here," he held both of her hands and pulled her back for a tight hug.

"I love you so much even if sometimes I really can't understand you," he giggled.

"Is that even a good thing?" She moaned.

"Ahh..." he paused, tapping his chin as if he's in a deep thought.

"Whatever, Scottttttt," she intoned, pushing him down the couch and started tickling him but he was able to block all her attempted attacks.

"Oh woah! So, this is what you want, eh?!"

Samantha gasped when he suddenly grabbed her by the hand and switched their places by force. He even added weight on her thighs leaving her immobile to his next moves.

"H-how dare you do this to your girlfriend?!"

She shrieked, trying to free herself from his grasps, but it was no use. No matter how you look at it, she's only a David trying to take down a Goliath.

"Oh, ho ho!" He taunted. "Don't be such a crybaby and accept your defeat, my little princess! Samantha, 2. Scott, 5!"

"Mine's 3, you jerk!" She corrected and nodded sarcastically. "So, you want it the hard way?"

"Dare me!" He grinned. Samantha stared at him for a couple of seconds, closed her eyes and slowly opened them with a smile––the sweetest smile she got.

"This David will never lose," she thought to herself. All of the sudden, Scott's face gloomed in horror.

"Don't use that on me. That's technically cheating!"

"What are you talking about, babe?" She'd moved closer. He could feel her heartbeat tremble in the air as her minted breath caress against his neck.

Scott bated his eyes and raised both of his hands in defeat.

"I told you, mine's three ahahahha!" She chortled, leaving him with squinted eyes. "Who told you, you already won?" Samantha gasped when he grinned and roughly pinned both of her hands on top of her head.

"H-hey!" She yelled between short breaths and tried pushing him, but he's too strong.

"What the hell are you doing?!!" Samantha could only groan.

"Doing the hard way?"

"Uhhh––hell no!"

They froze in one pace and just stared at the woman who's standing pale in the corner beside a man.

"Ah... s-should we just leave?" Christian stuttered, fidgeting beside his girlfriend. "Y-you shouldn't have left the door o-open, goddamnit!"

"Oh!" Samantha quickly pushed Scott away and innocently stood up.

"T-That was nothing! We were only fighting. You know––forget everything!" She cleared her throat, almost in a shout, eccentrically.

"Hmm... Sure," Kathleen's eyes narrowed.

Samantha sheepishly turned towards Scott who's suppressing his laughter.

"HA HA! Get up, lad!" Her mouth was set in a grim line. "You still have to cook us a dinner."

"We! We will cook us a dinner," Scott pointed out. "This is your home, lass, and I'm a visitor. You should be the one preparing––," he paused when her petite girlfriend shot him a glare. "Perhaps, it would be very sweet of me if I do it, so I will," he continued. Christian and Kathleen began to laugh.

"You look really terrified of this small bean, ah?"

The wrinkles around Scott's eyes indicated amusement, but he didn't smile and only looked at Christian blandly. "That's how things should be or else I'm done for it. C'mon!"

Both of them headed towards the kitchen as both of them are the chefs in the circle. Meanwhile, the others arrived: Kaiser, Kim, and her boyfriend, Junel; Scott's closest cousin.

"So, tell us," Kim suddenly sounded nosy the moment she sat beside Samantha. "Did something happen between the two of you already?"

"God, Kim! Why do you have to blurt it that way," Samantha's face crimsoned. "We're not that kind of couple; you know that."

"What's so wrong about that? You two are already on the right age anyway," Kathleen intoned, making herself comfortable on the other side of the couch to where Sam and Kim are on.

"I cannot argue with that nor can I complain," Samantha said in a bitter laugh. "Scott is a man and he has his needs, but I can't trade my beliefs in a relationship I'm not even sure if would last."

Truly, Samantha grew up in an extremely conservative family and having intimate relationship outside marriage is likely to be discouraged by her family.

She's just thankful Scott understood her principles. Besides, he already has a seven-year-old daughter with one of his former girlfriends. She thought he doesn't need a child from her anymore.

"Dinner's ready you piece of shits!" Junel wailed from the kitchen.

"Call us that again and you'll sleep outside when we get home," Kim warned and they only heard laughs from their direction.

Kim and Junel have been living together for years now with their seven-months-old daughter so does Kathleen and Christian though they still don't have any plans of having a child yet. Kaiser, on the other hand, also have a girlfriend but she's not too close with the group and rarely joins them.

They went to the kitchen to have dinner and went back in the dining to watch movies and have fun drinking. Everything's fun and games until Kathleen started talking.

"How about..." eyes squinting, she raised a glassful of Spider's Kiss. "We play a game."

"Game, like what?" Junel asked.

"Spin the bottle?" Kim answered, eyeing the drink in Kathleen's glass.

"Stop being an old school, Kim!" Kathleen tittered.

Samantha sighed, not interested to what Kathleen is proposing. She rested her head on Scott's chest, closed her eyes, and feel his warm hugs––her home and downfall at the same time.

"Do you want to go to bed now?"

Samantha looked up, meeting Scott's dandelion eyes. "Hmm..." she shook her head as she was rubbing the ruby necklace her mom gave her when she was three. "I have work tomorrow, so I want to have a quality time with you tonight."

He smiled and gave her a light kiss on her forehead. "We have all the time," he whispered. "But I know you're tired. You need rest."

Samantha was about to speak when Kathleen cut her off.

"What about a storytelling?"

Kathleen's words rang a bell which captured Samantha's attention, making her look at Kathleen in askance. Her vision is already dropping but can still tell they are all looking at her.

"What's with the look?"

Everyone can tell how serious Kathleen has become when she placed her glass down the table and looked at Samantha-the same exact look she's giving her whenever she wants to know the things she has been wanting to know about her friend.

"How much were you hiding from me?"

Samantha's brows met sensing something more from a mere question. Although feeling uncomfortable, she smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing much," she muttered. "As a matter of fact, I am not hiding anything worth knowing."

She measured all of them with her stares and her shoulders rose when she noticed their raging curiosity.

"About what happened years ago––."

"Hey!" Scott gestured Kaiser to stop. "Don't go there."

"Oh! C'mon, Shane!" Kathleen bawled. "We've been best friends for ten fucking years. Why can't you bring yourself to tell me?!"

Samantha stayed in silence as Kathleen's thin voice echoed through the dark and old corridor of her cold, spacious house. Everyone knows a page of Samantha's past and it's indeed a nightmare, but she just couldn't understand why time can't erase things in their minds and in the minds of the many.

The ticking of the cuckoo clock near the entrance and their heavy breathings are overpowering the movie's intense noises. Samantha's consciousness felt as though it has been churning and turning as she shot her best friend a glare.

"What are you trying to say?" She stayed calm and maintained a straight face. "That you don't trust me despite, us, being best friends!" Kathleen nudged her chest. "Don't you have any idea how that hurts me seeing you suffering alone? I couldn't do anything, because I don't know anything!"

Samantha's lips folded into a bitter line. "It's not that I wouldn't tell you or any of you," her eyes dropped on the creaking floor. "It's just that I couldn't."

The moment she raised her head, scenes started flashing inside her mind-things she has been trying to forget all this time. Samantha's breath became nimbler. She wanted to do more to defend herself from her friends' curiosity, and protect them from that curiosity. Her lips set into a wince of resolution. She has to warn them before it's too late.

"The heart that has been composed of broken hopes and empty promises will make you all live the life she has if you wish to unfold the truth behind the past."

"Best friend for ten years my ass!" Kathleen hissed as she furiously closed the car door, crossing her arms in disquietude.

Christian came a moment later and went inside the driver's seat; evidently vexed by his girlfriend's attitude a while ago.

"So, why did you storm out?" He calmly asked and she turned at him in disbelief.

"And you're taking her side?"

His lips twitched. "This is not about taking sides; of course, I'll take yours no matter what; but this is about respect and limitations. I don't even need to be Samantha's best friend for me to tell she's still being haunted by the past you're forcing her to open," he sighed. "Just give her more time. Eventually, she will surely open up when she's ready."

Christian's voice is calming, but the furious Kathleen still isn't keeping her shoulders down. "Yeah, and ten years still ain't enough!" She huffed. "And obviously, you're taking her side."

"I told you am not, geez!" Christian could only roll his eyes. "It's just that you're her best friend, you're supposed to understand. And besides, it's her past. She all have the rights to keep it as a secret to anybody."

"Yeah! Whatever you say, mister Jones," she jeered, obviously mocking her boyfriend, but he'd only laugh. "You're not going back in?"

"Nah! Let's just call it a night," the mood enthusiast gibed, eyeing Samantha's old-hunted-looking house as Christian started driving away. Kathleen knows the house really meant a lot to her best friend. She was just worried about her living in that haunted place all by herself.

Most of the people in their town knows about her horrifying past––about the unexplainable disappearance of her twin sister, Agatha.

According to rumors, Samantha and Agatha's mother has been cursed by her husband's ex-lover when she was pregnant, and that one of her children will disappear in a said age.

Although some says Agatha has only been abducted and killed, some also says she has been taken by a sleep demon. Kathleen tried confirming the rumor to Samantha, but she denied every accusation, saying her sister was only adopted by their relatives abroad, so she could have a good life and Kathleen believed none. Samantha came from a wealthy family, so she can't see the logic behind her words.

Kathleen bit her lip in frustration. She couldn't seem to understand herself either. She doesn't know why she always have this urge to investigate Samantha's past. Even though Christian's words already reached her, the desire of unraveling Samantha's past stayed and kept on burning in a scalding heat.

"Is it because I'm disappointed that my own best friend couldn't trust me or is it because I wanted to help her from the things that's been keeping her from moving on?" She thought to herself.

They arrived at their home and Kathleen never spoke to Christian since. She only took a bath and went to bed right away. 'Twas around 3 AM when something woke her up––an eerie feeling. She looked around to see the window open. Yawning, she slowly stood up and walked towards the window when she felt a tingling sensation on her nape while her hairs stood on end.

She stopped at one pace when she spotted an odd silhouette of a woman standing outside the window. Her heart beat like a gust of adrenaline through her body. She could feel each beat resounding yet she didn't even dare to breathe. She glanced to where Christian was and realized he wasn't there from the moment she woke up.

A lump formed on her throat, she wanted to run; she wanted to shout for help, but her body was frozen like a sculpture until she heard cracks coming from the window. She looked back and screamed to the bottom of her lungs when she came face to face to a rotten face of a woman covered with greasy, dripping blood. Despite being frozen, she still managed to run downstairs as fast as she could until she reached the dining area to where a familiar little girl, dressed in white, was waiting for her with a sinister smile.

She's carrying an old, weird-looking doll which was covered with dirt as if it was just dug out from a grave. Kathleen was breathless, but her heart kept beating and cold sweat took over her entire body. She took small, shaking steps aback, and the little girl did the same towards her.

She wanted to escape, but couldn't even run. Seems like she was waiting for the little girl to reach her. She stifled a cry when the little girl started humming a very horrifying lullaby.

"Hmmm... tili- tili bom~ zakroy glaza skoreye."

"Kto-to khadit za oknom..."

"I stuchitsya v dveri."

Her smile widened as blood started to form in the corners of her eyes. Slowly-they trickled down her cheeks.

"Tili- tili bom... krichit nochnaya ptitsa."

"On uzhe probraisya v dom."

"K tem, komu ne spitsya."

She stopped and her smile turned into a blank stare. "Come with me, Sam..."

She wasn't able to finish what she's gonna say when all of the sudden, a pair of hands, covered with brownish-black, greasy liquid, appeared underneath the floor and drastically pulled her down leaving no sign except for the terrifying doll. Kathleen felt nauseous all of the sudden. She tried to contain herself but couldn't until her vision went blurry to black. Only then she felt an arm wrapped around her waist and her eyes snapped open. She could feel cold sweats trickling down her temples. Gasping, she looked at the person beside her and saw Christian sleeping soundly. For a moment, she spaced out.

Was that all just a dream? No! That was a nightmare!

She glanced to see the closed window to where light from the outside is starting to crawl in. Furrows formed on her forehead when she remembered that girl's last words. She's pertaining to Shane. Why?

She pressed her lips together and disassociated for hours to contemplate before standing up and went to the bathroom to take a bath. She still has work at 9AM and have to check their coffee shop.

"For Pete's sake!" She hissed seeing the clock ticked 8:45 AM.

"Love! Breakfassstt?!" Christian moaned when she hurriedly ran pass him, carrying her things for work without even combing her hair.

"I-I'll make it up later, love."

"Hmm... again?" Christian sighed. "I'll bring some in your office then."

"Thanks, love! I love you!" Kathleen gave him a flying kiss before heading towards her car and swiftly drove her way to the shop.

It is mainly hers and Samantha's project and is managed by one of their friends, Arah. Arah's superb when it comes to business. She also manages her own shop. The three of them loves coffee but have different professions so, they built CoPhixo to fulfill one of their passions. Kathleen was about to pull over when she saw a woman on her 20's, dressed in floral bodycon, standing in front of the shop.

She looked decent, but the way she eyes the coffee shop rang suspicion. Kathleen shook the thought off and parked right in front of the woman and walked pass her. Usually, she greets every person she meets, but the day's an exception. She's really in a hurry. Arah is on her maternity leave as of the moment, so Kathleen has to stop by the shop from time to time. When she was assured everything's in place with the staffs, she left right away.

Kathleen hasn't seen the woman when she stepped out. She thought she must be just curious about the place, so she decided to set the thought aside and continued with her usual routine in the office.

Kathleen Anne Abad is a supervisor and an interviewer of the biggest BPO Company in the Philippines and is expected to be at the workplace before 9AM but here she is, running her way towards the elevator, 9 minutes late. Her co-workers greeted her on her way to her office and was about to open the door when she saw Samantha in the lobby.

She didn't seem to notice her since she was talking to one of the trainees. If she can remember it correctly, his name is Jay. "What is she doing here?" She mentally asked.

She wanted to ask her herself but went inside anyway. She scanned numbers of applicant files and asked her assistant, Sharmaine, to call them one by one for the validation.

She validated twenty-three applicants by noon and took a short break afterwards. Samantha was no longer around when she went outside. She's obviously already on her work or perhaps in the coffee shop. Throughout the day, no matter how hard she tried to divert her attention and just focus on her work, she still ended up contemplating about her dream last night.

"Was she really pertaining to Shane?!" She whispered. Covering her face, she rested her elbow on the table. "Why is my dream so vivid as if it was true?" Her voice thinned. "The open window! The chills! The scare! That woman's rotting face! The little girl! The doll! The song! Everything!" She elaborated, groaning in distress. "Why do I feel like it really happened?!"

"Hmm hmm~ tili tili bom... Zakroy glaza skoreye!"

"Ugh! Stop!" She squeezed her head when the girl's horrifying hum echoed in her mind once again. This time, the words were clearer and louder.

"After she left, I started hearing this voice inside my head, doctor! I-I know you told me not to listen to them, but it's so hard. What should I do now?"

Samantha hummed as she wrote down keywords out of her patient's story. She then placed the pen down and looked at him. "Last time you were here, Mr. Rito, you were talking about your friend, Bryan, who lives under your bed, do you remember?"

The young boy nodded cautiously. "And then there's your girlfriend, Dessa, who lives inside the mirror of your room." He nodded again. "And then the mysterious tall man who suddenly shows up anytime and anywhere?"

He looks at her unsteadily, eyes shifting from one place to another. Samantha respired shortly and looked at the boy's mother who's staring at her son in mixed emotions. 'Twas is the first time she came with him in the clinic and she clearly couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I've ran lots of tests on your son, Mrs. Lopez, and the result shows that he is suffering from Schizophrenia. It's a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects the way a person thinks, manage emotions, making decisions, and even perceives reality."

Mrs. Lopez's eyes wobbled. "S-So those friends he was talking about are just his delusions all this time?" Her voice cracked and Samantha had to nod.

Biting her lips, Mrs. Lopez looked down in frustration. "H-His father actually suffered the same illness which caused his d-death."

Samatha lips pressed. She had already anticipated the revelation. Chances of getting schizophrenia is genetics. Though the exact causes are unspecified, research reveals that synthesis of genetics, physical, psychological, and environmental attributes can make a person more likely develop the condition.

In Rito's case, his girlfriend breaking up with him, triggered a psychotic episode inside his mind and created Dessa as the replacement, to save himself from the pain he's suffering.

He has been secretly consulting Samantha regarding his condition and has mentioned the abuse his late father has done which is also a factor of his developed illness.

Samantha prescribed him antipsychotic drugs used to manage psychosis, principally schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and handed it to Mrs. Lopez. She and Rito stood up, ready to leave and as usual, Samantha did the same to lead them outside.

"Thank you, doc," Mrs. Lopez smiled faintly.

"Not a problem. Just don't forget to take him back here after two weeks, okay?"

"Yes, doctor," she looked at Rito who was only staring down the floor the whole time.

"Thank, Dr. Andersen now, Rito," she whispered, but Rito only mumbled things and started to act scared. "Stop the mumbling, Rito. You know how I hate the mumbling."

Mrs. Lopez had to prod him on the waist to snap him back into reality, but he only looked at Samantha and she gasped when he grabbed both of her arms. Her eyes narrowed in pain when she felt his nails dig against her skin.

"He's here!!" He wailed. "HE FOLLOWED ME HERE!"

"RITO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LET DOCTOR GO, THIS INSTANT!" Mrs. Lopez tried pulling her son away from Samantha, but he had his grasp on her arms quite tight, that all she could do is step back to avoid inflicting more damage on her and called for help instead. Rito kept shaking Samantha who did her best to stay calm.

"He's here, doctor! He's here! He's here!"

Samantha did her best to plaster a smile to calm her patient. "It's okay, Rito. Calm down. No one's here. No one's gonna hurt you. I'll protect you. I promise."

His eyes showed remorse with a glint of fright. "H-He's not here to for me, doctor," he muttered, shaking his head. "You don't have to save me, because he's here for you."

For a moment, Samantha felt as though a bucket of freezing water has been poured on her. "That tall mysterious man Rito has been mentioning can't be the same creature," Samantha could feel her heart pounding from her chest. Even the thought of the creature alone can make her flesh tremble, let alone the imagination.

The moment Rito has been taken away from from her, she felt like all of her energy were drained empty and she fell down the ground, shaking. Cold sweat started forming on her forehead. "N-No! It can't be him. H-he can't be back, not just yet," she stuttered, biting her nails in horror. She shut her eyes closed when a horrifying lullaby resounded inside her mind once again.

"Tili-tili bom, ty slyshish', kyo-to ryadom? Pritailsya za uglom, I pronzayet vzglyadom."

"Tili-tili bom, Vse skroyet noch' nemaya. Za toboy kradetsya on. I vot-vot poymayet."

Her eyes snapped wide open when someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Babe! Hey, baby! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!" She looked up and saw Scott. Kaiser is behind him and was the one who helped pulling Rito away from her.

"Did he hurt you?!" Scott took Samantha's white coat off and his face crimsoned in rage when he saw scrapes on her arms out of Rito's sharp nails. It sported a number of dark bruises that showed through the thin fabric of her peach long sleeve. Samantha swilled and covered the marks.

"I'm fine. This is quite normal for me. I-I'm used to it," she said, trying to sound normal.

She even tried standing up but her knees are too weak, so she almost fell back down luckily, Scott caught her on time before she could hurt herself even more.

"Let's get you treated."

"No, I told you I'm fine," Samantha said in a slightly overloud and flat voice, and stood back up on her own. Scott was left confused on the floor and gave her a skeptic look, but she didn't falter her gaze before looking away.

"I suppose the boy's grip didn't affect your brain, yes?" He asked in a slightly playful manner; she'd only roll her eyes. "Let me ask you," he muttered before standing back up. She sensed him taking few steps closer to her and winced when he held the same spots Rito grasped a while ago and forced her to turn to look at him. "What the fuck is going on with you?!" He groaned.

Samantha kept a straight face. "Can you please just understand me?!"

"Am I not?! I've been understanding you from the very beginning of this relationship, but this is not just it!"

"Listen here, buddy!" She placed a hand on top of Scott's. "I warned you from the very start that our relationship would reach up this point and you clearly said you'd be completely fine about it, now you're complaining?! You were the one who got yourself inside this trouble, goddamn it!"

Scott could only bite his lower lip as he couldn't argue with her. "All I'm asking is for you to open up, so I could understand, Sam," his voice went softer and softer. "That's all, but all you do is push me-all of us away. You're being unreasonable and unrealistic. Your lies, your secrets. I tried understanding all of them, but why the hell are you making things so hard for me?!" Samantha felt her heart skipped a beat.

"Your lies, your secrets. I tried understanding all of them," those words resounded in her mind with random scenes from her memories.

"Weren't these supposed to be my lines as well?" She thought to herself.

'Twas the first time Scott raised his voice against her; the first time she's seen him mad.

"T-Then maybe you're not trying good enough."

"Really?!" He snorted. "I promised that no matter what I'd understand you, but why? Why can't you do the same for me? Shouldn't it be us understanding each other?"

"Yeah, it should, if only we could. It's just that our relationship now lives in lies. Understanding is for what exactly?" She bit her lip and drew a sobbing breath. "I-If you only love me because you expect something in return, then maybe you don't really love me at all!"

Lips parted, Scott stared at her in disbelief. His shoulders dropped and slowly looked down. Samantha felt his grip slowly loosen down until he completely removed his hands off her.

"Maybe you're right," he raised his head and a faint smile curved on his lips. "Maybe I don't," his words felt like a sharp knife stabbed on her chest that she'd regretted what she said.

"W-We really need to talk," her voice sounded weak and gravely. "But not now. Not here. I-I have something to do."

Scott shook his head. "No. If you need things to be cleared, now's the right time, Sam."

She stood for a moment, all stunned by Scott's sudden change of character. She's fully aware that she had already pushed him far enough this time and all she could do is wonder where he's gone at. She turned around to open the drawer behind her. Inside is a homeopathic herb cream to prevent and reduce inflammation on her bruises.

She turned back to find him already standing in front of her. He was the one who took the bottle out and placed it on the table beside him. He carefully rolled Samantha's sleeves up, so he could apply the cream carefully.

"I vot-vot poymayet."

She squeezed her eyes in exasperation when that song echoed in her mind again as vivid scenes from the past keeps flashing one after another. She opened her eyes to find Scott staring at her as he was carefully applying cream on her arm.

"Talk," he sternly said the moment he closed the lid.

Samantha frowned but then shrugged and drew a deep breath. "I-I was thinking about us," she began, he remained silent, curious of what she's gonna say next. "And the more I do, I feel like you and me, together, is unjust to the both of us."

Scott's well-shaped lips thinned into grimness and she had to looked away. "I'm sorry, Scott. Y-You know how much I love you and it breaks me to tell you this but––"

"Then don't," he snapped. She looked at him, meeting his brown, clear-as-the-desert eyes, and as empty.

"You think I haven't thought about this?!" He asked.

"Have you?" She asked back, copying his low tone.

"Yes! But the truth is..." he paused. He seems to be trying to read what his girlfriend is having in mind, but she showed no reaction. That made his lips thinned once again and uttered a sigh. "No matter how hard it is for me, you're still the one I want to be with for the rest of my life. Every single time, all I can think about is our future together, about what's it gonna be like once I got all of this uncertainty out of my head: why you have to lie? Why you have to hide your past? You know how much I love you. I just don't understand why you can't bring yourself to trust me!"

Sheen tears started dimming Samantha's eyes. She doesn't seem to understand if what she's feeling is pain, disgust, remorse, or simply mixed.

"LIES! Indeed. How can we both such bad liars?!" She mentally asked herself.

"The more I think about it, the more I realize that the reason you were hiding a lot from me is because you don't see our future the way I see it."

Twinge of emotions assailed her as she tried to hide the misting tears in her eyes. "I actually want to tell you everything, Scott! I wanted to set myself free from all of my secrets which were slowly killing me, but I can't! I can't let you know. Even you're a lying, cheating bastard, I still can't lose you in a way all of us are vulnerable for."

Her lips trembled. She wasn't able to hold herself back and broke into tears. "I'm so sorry, Scott, b-but this isn't working anymore––for us! I-I think we don't quite measure up to the individuals we both needed and I just can't take the feeling of being a disappointment to any of you and to myself anymore."

"No, babe! That's not what I'm trying to say," Scott was about to come near her but she signaled him not to. Never in her entire life did she imagine something like this would come but seems like things are better off the way she chose them to be.

"I know this is tough, but if we stay together," she sobbed, voice cracking. "We'll just keep on hurting each other over and over again."

"No, Sam! I love you and I won't do anything that could hurt you."

"But you did," she whispered, clutching at her injured arms. "Yes, I already know about her, Scott. You don't have to lie."

Scott stopped as his eyes wobbled in realization. "Y-you..."

***

Samantha turned back when she heard Scott's phone vibrating above their bedside table from a call coming from an unknown number.

"Babe! Someone's calling!" She called but the shower's too loud, Scott might not able to hear her, so she took the phone herself. "It might be important," she thought and swiped right to answer the call. She was about to say hello when a woman's voice stopped her.

"We have to talk in person, Scott. I can't keep our baby a secret anymore!"

She felt her throat dried as her hand slowly held the phone down. The woman kept on talking, but Samantha could no longer understand a word she's saying.