EPILOGUE

Three years later

My eyes stayed on the view outside the car, as I used to fit myself into the sights.

I have been like this since our car picked me up at the airport.

It has been three years since that tragedy happened in the town of Hespheria. It was like a fire that spread all over the country, especially that many high profiled individuals are involved.

The city of Vienna, which stayed low-profile in the Western Visayas and is not previously noticed by people on the map, has been in the news for months after the tragedy occurred in one of the richest towns in the city.

It happened fast. Too fast that I can hardly keep up.

It was a few days before my brain processed everything.

Sage is Maser, the legend hacker in underworld. He is like Page who is known as Invader.

The meeting between the two at DWD's is not planned. Sage's been inlove with the former founder of DWD's, which is Wilemna Salazar. I was also surprised when I found out that. That's why even though it wasn't time for us to go in Hespheria, he still came here.

Because Wilemna was into to  Deep Web and Sage was a hacker besides being business savvy, the two clicked. Until Wilemna enters Aronzaga's Dark Society. Out of curiousity and concern for the town's people, she dug even more about it.

She successfully entered as an ADS' messenger with the help of my brother's hacking skills. Since face recognition is not required, it was easy for the two to steal a flash drive containing a private video to be delivered to the group's clients. The flash drive I found and the video I watched.

But the person behind ADS, Yvan Mortem was powerful enough to track down Wilemna. And Wilemna is as witty as him, she was able to escape, through the secret passage that he and Leo Lee also discovered.

I no longer know about how there was a secret passage at the back of Saint Augustine. All I knew was the key owners.

The first is Wilemna, but she's being chased by Yvan Mortem's men at that time so she has no choice but to leave her key in Rona's bag that the latter happened to leave nearby.

Second was Yshmael, and his key is also given by Wilemna.

The third was the Chemistry Department's President, Leo Lee. He was also the person who helped Wilemna so that the woman could escape and hide.

And Page...

He's a hacker, so he literally knows what's going on and the trend in his favorite place. As Invader, it became easy for him to enter as a member of DWD's.

Page remained silent despite he perceived illegal activities in the world of Deep Web. He only acted when he found out I was moving and studying at Hespheria.

He was desperate to protect me. That's why he dug deeper. Even though he knew that many were interested in him and his ability.

With his exceptional ability in hacking, he was able to find another well-known hacker, Maser who he found out was also Master Recoon of DWD's.

And that time, my brother was already troubled, because of me being a diver, and the fact that I am living and studying in Hespheria. Apart from his personal reason to find out what happened to his girlfriend.

In short, they agreed to protect me even though Page had given me some articles before. They were open to each other but my relationship with Sage remained hidden to Page.

And Yshmael, as Eros, because he wanted to find evidence against Yvan Mortem, he also turned into hacking, looking for an alliance with Invader.

I no longer know how the two met and reconciled apart from the fact that I have always known that the two have a history.

"Ma'am, we are here." The driver said to get my attention.

I grabbed the yellow Calla Lily bouquet by my side and got out of the car.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I approached the reason why I returned here after three years.

It's been three years but I still haven't forgotten. I just got back but I didn't seem to leave. The pain of the past is still fresh in my mind.

I could not hold back my tears when I sat down in front of the person that I still can not think without crying, until now.

"Page..."

I placed the flower I was carrying on the marble side with a capital letters of his name.

Primo Angelo Alonzo Seo.

"I'm s-sorry... I just got back." I cried.

Three years ago, we are rescued by the police and NBI's. Yvan Mortem was caught paralyzed due to the iron logs that rolled on him. Even his men, whether dead or alive were taken by the authorities. Including her sister, Rhosean, who was no longer sane thay day.

But Page... I almost cursed him then. He did not fight anymore. He was dead on arrival. He had lost a lot of blood and the bullet that had pierce into his chest caused his death.

It seems like a miracle that Page's live for a few minutes. He fought, but it's just for a few minutes. He gave up.

"Y-You're such a jerk..." I scolded him weakly. I did not go to his burial or to his funeral. For the past three years, this is the first time I visited him.

Today is his death anniversarry.

Even if I wanted to come here, I could not. I can't do what he wants. Because even though he told me not to blame myself, it seemed difficult then.

After I was interviewed by the police back then, I went with my parents back to Russia. They came home because they heard what happened but they did not question my decision when I told them that I wanted to leave the country.

I can't afford to see Primo being buried. I can't see him being buried under the earth soil. That should be me.

Yvan and his men were jailed on charges of kidnapping, murder and others. But the police had a hard time connecting him to the syndicate he leads on Deep Web.

It had been a year before the number of cases filed against them increased. All ADS members have also been caught. The evidence obtained by the police was strong. Evidence that Rhosean herself provided.

I wiped away my tears. "I know you forgave him, Primo. But I'm sorry because I can't." I still remember the first and last meeting I had with Rhosean before I left the country.

She was in a facility due to abnormal behavior. She's in bed, while handcuffs to her bed.

She asked to see me. And I do not know how and why I agreed.

She's begging for my forgiveness. She told me that she's regretting a lot. So much. But I can't give her that. I can't do that.

"You do not know how much it hurts. You killed Page, but I will blame myself. For the sin I did not commit. We are not in a drama or movie in which the protagonist will eventually forgive all who sinned against him.

I still remember the exact words I told her before. And if she didn't have a guard back then and I wasn't with Yshmael, I don't want to think about what I can do with her during those times.

I don't know if it was because of sadness, guilt or whatever but she only spent a few months in that facility. I heard that she took his own life. She hung herself. Leaving letters and evidences that would connect his brother to the syndicate.

That helped the police investigation a lot even though it took a year before the filing of the case against them ended.

But after what she did, I still could not deceive myself. I still can't forgive her.

I ran my fingers across Page's grave. "I'm really a weakling, Primo. I am a coward, because until now I still can't accept what happened. I can't forgive her even though I know it is possible that Rhosean has already paid for her sins..."

I felt the wind touched my cheeks.

"You're not a bitch, Lil Pup. You're just being true to yourself. You're just a human, a human who gets angry, making mistakes. That's what makes you a human. A real and one of a kind." I smiled as I remembered those words from Page. It was as if he had sent it through the air.

I got up. "I'm leaving, Page. For those three years, I failed. Now, I will try again. Maybe on your next death anniversary I will visit again. Maybe that time, I can forgive myself then?"

My chest was heavy as I walked away. Nothing changed. The feeling was still the same, just like when he lost his life in my arms.

"Maelanie..."

My heart literally pounded.

Three years have passed but my heart still reacts to that voice. I do not know if I will be happy or what when I turned to the person in front of me who is staring at me earnestly.

Yshmael Marco Aronzaga in his usual dark and cold presence.

More handsome than before. More intigruing, more intimidating, but still, he's my Yshmael Marco. The Yshmael Marco, who confessed to me three years ago. And the Yshmael Marco that I can't bear to look at, right now.

Three years have passed. I left before Page was buried. I left without saying goodbye to anyone even to the man in front of me. So I understand the resentment in his eyes.

His eyes were full of various emotions.

Guilt. Longing. Anger. And...

I averted my eyes when I realized the dominant emotion in his eyes.

"Yshmael..." I want to congratulate myself on being casual.

"Are you leaving already?" He asked. He looked at the tomb where I came from.

I smiled a bit. "Yeah. I have a flight to catch." I have a roundtrip ticket to Russia. I just really came back for Page's Death Aniversarry.

He nodded, "Is it Russia?"

"For now." Russia is my main route, right now. I have no plans to have a free time or spend time in one place. I went back and forth to Albania and Nicaragua. I was once in the south of Europe.

"How's Sage?" I could clearly see his desire to ask but he controlled it.

I shrugged my shoulder. "He's busy and the last news I know about him was he's still in pursue of Wilemna Salazar."

He chuckled. One of the things I miss about him.

"Y-You?"

He looked at the white roses he was carrying before looking directly at me. "I'll be leaving for El Trinidad after my visit here."

I just nodded. The place is familiar but I have no idea where it is.

"Well... It's nice to see you." I said and continued walking.

When I was about to pass him, he hgrabbed my hand.

Surprised, I could not move.

He held my hand tightly. "I'll let you go this time. But next time I get a hold of this," he squeezed my hand he's holding. "I'll never let you go again Sweetheart."

I could hardly breathe at his declaration.

He turned to me and before I could move I was already in his arms.

"Go on and find yourself. Find the thing that is still bothering you. But, sweetheart, don't take too long. Because I might do everything to find you and bring you back here. To my arms." He whispered in my ear before releasing me.

He planted a light kiss on my lips before walking towards Page.

I closed my eyes before starting to move towards the car, opposite to the path he had taken.

He's my Wendy, but I can't choose him. Because the world I chose is different, different from the world he wanted to start with me.

We can't be together.

YOUNGLILY❤