"Sshh… They seemed to be asleep…" Sebastian whispered while sneaking Violet into the house as Violet giggled softly.
When they finally were inside his room, he locked the door and led her to the balcony which indeed oversees the sea. Violet took a deep breath as she enjoyed the breeze.
"Feel free to make yourself at home…" Sebastian said before grabbing a cold drink and passed to her. "I will shower for a bit. Rest a bit…" He said before she nodded.
She took the chance to check on her messages and calls. She was surprised to find none from Dexter. There was one message that caught her attention. It was from an unknown number notifying her that they were Dexter's lawyers.
The lawyer was updating her on Dexter's affidavit suggesting to skip his alimony payment before he signed off. She decided it was good that way as it was finally a chance for her to leave once and for all but she felt a bittersweet disappointment to have gotten the lawyers to contact her this fast.
It was only two days since she announced the decision. Not even a word he spoke with her and here she was hearing from his lawyers instead.
Did he really plan all this beforehand long ago? Did he really cheat all this while? These questions could not help but keep running through her mind.
She knew who she was to disagree with when it was her decision first without discussing it with him. She could only swallow her disappointment and accept the freedom she had longed for.
Sebastian stepped out of the bathroom and could tell there was a lot going on with Violet. He too felt the same especially when left alone. The drizzles began which added more melancholy to such a night as he grabbed some beers from the refrigerator in the kitchen and returned to join Violet by the balcony.
The rain was soothing with the beer they were enjoying, drowning their sorrows.
"Sometimes I wish my current self would stop my wedding back then." Sebastian sighed.
"If I knew it would have hurt my career and reputation, I probably would never marry till I retire. But the one thing I always regretted was to hurt her family. I have seen every stage of grief in them. From denial of the fact that we are really divorcing to threatening my fame in anger. Some were quicker to express their disappointment before finally settling for acceptance. That one person who still refuse to land on acceptance was herself." Sebastian vented.
Violet could only nod in acknowledgment, indicating she understood his situation.
"I didn't only suggest to divorce recently. It's been half a year ago we were separated. It took her family that long to accept the fact…" Sebastian explained.
"And your family? Aren't they upset too?" Violet asked while taking a sip from the beer bottle.
"They were, at first but what can they do right? It's my life. That's one thing I am thankful for my family. They had been supportive and understanding." Sebastian concluded.
"Are you paying alimony?" Violet questioned since it was a disturbing question in her mind.
"I offered but she refused. Are you being paid?" Sebastian asked, concerned as Violet hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.
"You refused or he did not pay?" Sebastian was a little furious at this point.
"He refused." Violet blinked away her tears. "You should demand it," Sebastian suggested with a lighter voice, noticing her wiping her tears away.
"What's the point? When it was only two days since I last announced the divorce and here I was listening to his lawyers and not himself. It felt like he had planned all this a very long time ago." Violet wiped her flowing tears away.
"I'm sorry…" She apologised as he passed some tissues.
"At the very least you can conclude yours fast unlike mine being dragged on…" Sebastian lamented though he knew it was not nice to do so.
"She ain't letting go is she?" Violet questioned as she sniffed.
"It's hard 'cause our religion says so… You know Catholic… So, yeah…" Sebastian lamented while sighing.
"Do you still love her?" She questioned which took him a long time to ponder.
"I do. The feeling is still fresh but there are many ways to love someone. One of them is to let the person go. It's the same when no matter what you do trying to save someone's life but all they live in are sufferings thereafter. Is it more miserable for the person to live on or to just let the person die?" Violet eyes reddened at his metaphor as she could relate to it.
"Do you still love him?" He asked in return as she shuddered taking a deep breath.
"I do. Many years before this…" Violet could feel a sentimental feeling brewing in her.
"...but not anymore." She concluded as she sipped her beer.
"Ten years… There's so much to do with this time yet there I was holding on to a love that's dictated by others and not what the both of us wanted. Isn't it better to just stay single? He may have things he hides and run away from. Like you said if the marriage is a death sentence for him, why don't set him free? If he rebels so much that he has forgotten how deep our love is, who am I to force him to stay?" Violet vented as he raised his beer bottle to cheer with her.
"I never would understand if she held on so much to religion on commitments then why didn't she just tone down her lifestyle? It's so hard to keep convincing yourself that she knows better and she will be able to take care of herself at those places under the control of intoxication…" Sebastian sighed while holding his head.
Carrissa who had just returned from the washroom, could hear them amidst the rain. She could only sympathise with them both as she silently climbed back to bed and hoped her brother would be able to find solace with Violet.
"And sit the whole day thinking to yourself, should you trust her again? Is she taking me for granted?" Violet was indirectly expressing her own thoughts as well.
"Was his excuse the truth? Do you want to tailgate him? Then you catch him in the act then what? Would you rather live like nothing happened or would you dare to leave?" Violet's questions resonated with him.
It made him realised that they both were in the same boat of wondering if their partner had been cheating even if they did not, it was hard for them to be able to stay on in their own respective relationship.
"Finally… Someone who could understand where I am coming from…" He concluded as he finished his first bottle of beer.
It was definitely comforting to know someone was also on the same boat. "Good beer isn't it?" He asked as she nodded. "Only found in here cause it's locally made. Very niche market." He updated.
"Hmm… I will try to remember this fruity taste. It blends well with the hops. Toning down the bitter aftertaste by a lot." Violet complimented as they cheered with their second bottle of beer, drowning their sorrows in both the rain and beer reminiscing the bitter-sweet memories of their own marriages.
Back in Qi Tai, after a rushed day for both Pei Li and Wayne to get their marriage registered in order to finalise the nursing home arrangement for Pei Li's mother on the same day, Wayne let Pei Li sleep in after a light dinner. He sat by his living room feeling a little disturbed by Pei Li's behavior from the night before as compared to the morning but he clearly knew it was Pei Li cause she still remembered their nicknames from young.
Naturally, the events from their tender age flow back to his memory one by one even the one he wanted to forget for good but he knew it was not possible. Pei Ni, Pei Li's twin who had passed on at ten years old was always haunting Wayne cause he always suspected her death had something to do with the adults.
Though he was blamed for her death as they were playing by the alleyway that night before she suddenly dropped dead, he clearly recalled Pei Ni's weak look when they were playing. It was as though she was enduring pain but she did not want to talk about it. He also recalled hearing Pei Li's cries from her room. He always suspected she was locked up but there was no proof all along. Before he could even investigate, he had already arranged to move away to Qi Tai for studies.
A loud bang from Pei Li's room direction startled Wayne as he stood to find a familiar furious look he had seen on Pei Li from last night. He tried to make eye contact with her only to watch her helped herself to a glass of his finishing bottle of whiskey by the bar counter.
"Little Cloud, that's very strong…" He mumbled while watching her drink in one shot.
"Aww, that was refreshing! You won't mind me helping myself as and when?" Penny began as she walked closer to him and snatched his wine glass from him before he could pull away.
It was confusing for Wayne to determine the reasons for Pei Li's erratic behavior while Penny decided to test him. She took a sip of the red wine after smelling it and realise it would not be up to her taste.
"Dry as heck… Try something sweeter next time…" Penny said as she daringly touched his lips.
"Pei Li, what's wrong?" He asked nervously.
"How sure are you that you married Pei Li?" Penny teased as she gently caressed his cheeks.
"Then who are you?" He asked again nervously.
Penny let out a hearty laugh as she wobbled around him. Before he could catch her from falling, she quickly skipped away.
After a safe distance, Penny stopped abruptly on purpose to keep him on guard. She turned around and glared at him.
"Someone who buys you happiness in return for our freedom…" Penny's answer sent chills down Wayne's spine. Her demeanor was the exact person he spoke with the night before.
"What do you want in order to let Pei Li live freely?" Wayne could not believe he was asking Pei Li herself this question in the midst of being panicked.
It felt as though he was speaking to another person.
"Someone who shares the same goal as me. To protect Pei Li at all times." Penny said solemnly before laughing heartily.
While she slowly made her way back to her room, she finished up the red wine from the glass she snatched from Wayne earlier in one shot as a toss to the agreement she had just conveyed to him.
Pei Li, what's going on?
Who are you?
Are you sick?
Have you been suffering from illness?
Too many questions were running through his mind as he finally took his phone and searched for "split personality". The results were the exact situation he was facing as he sat on the ground trying to digest all that had happened.