chapter 4

CIANA

“Babe.”

“Hmm?”

“I have a surprise for you.” I opened my eyes when I heard about a surprise. His bright smile is the first thing that meets my eyes. I blinked and looked at his face clearly. 

A woman looking like a half Asian and western is inside the room. Her smile is familiar with me.

“Kimmy?” I uttered and tried moving my body but I still feel heavy. 

“You don’t have to move,” she said with an accent I just heard. “Tachibana Kimmy.” Her hand touches mine as she sits on the chair near my bed. “Yuroshiko—I mean it’s nice to meet you.” Her eyes are almond shaped but you can see how genetics changed it that much. Her skin looks fair and is as beautiful as I expected. She looks exactly the older version of the picture.

“I’m glad I got a chance to meet you. This is one of the best days of my life. I’m Ciana La Suerte.” 

“I’m happy too. He came to me yesterday and told me about you. He showed me a picture and so I believed in him immediately.” At this point, I felt more grateful. My boyfriend’s effort means a lot to me and I've never felt this loved before.

We talked with my sister like we already knew each other for so long. I didn’t know it’s fun to have a sister. She also loves art but she is more on drawings and sketches. Showing me some of her art, I noticed she loves art closely related with anime but in 3D.

“I don’t want to go yet but it’s already dark,” she said with a sad expression plastered on her face. 

“Will you visit me again?” She automatically nodded with my question and gave me a light hug before saying goodbye. 

The days had passed again. All I could remember is constant changes between happiness and pain. I laugh and smile then cry in pain during chemo sessions. My body is a bit better but not that good. The loss of weight in me is more evident the more time runs passes. 

Airo is always there with me. Sometimes he takes Jethro with him. They are finally talking a little. I can feel how things are changing. The pink bonnet on my head is making my best friend smile everytime he sees me. The next few days, he brought more other colors like blue, white, black, violet and gray. 

“So aren’t you gonna confess something to me?” My best friend’s question intrigued me.

“What will I confess to you?” My eyebrows narrow in an instant.

“Anything. Some secret. I missed listening to you sharing something with me.” While looking at him talk. The first thing that comes in my head while thinking about a secret is my phone. I am even unaware that I am already staring at it. It’s on the small table at the side of my bed. 

His attention is on it now turning more serious. Airo isn’t here, he is talking to the doctor.

“That phone—“

“I actually just found it in my cabinet.” The silence ate us up. I don’t know what he is thinking. He is still looking at the phone while hesitating in moving his hand into his bag. 

“Do you wanna tell me about something too?” I caught his attention back to me. Searching something from his bag I felt more intrigued. He really seems to be having a secret he wanted to tell me. When he found it, he showed it to me. It’s the same phone model as mine. 

“What does this mean?” I ask while absorbing things. Everything went back to me. The phones that my other self and her husband—

My hand flew on my mouth covering it. 

I’m married to my best friend in that universe.

“You know,” I say. A slow nod from him followed as he bows his head down looking at the floor. Now, I lost words to say.

If I married him, why can’t Ciana from that universe tell me straight. Why do I see a different man when I use the camera on my best friend? He doesn’t look happy there. Yes, he looks successful but he isn’t wearing those smiles that I know he always have in his face. Did I hurt him there too?

To which universe did I stop hurting him? Why is fate this cruel to him? He is not a bad guy to be deserving a heartache like this and that. If Airo didn’t come into our lives, would it be different? Would I love him? Or would I still love Airo when our paths cross?

My hand moved by itself grabbing the phone and contacting Ciana from the other world.

“Hi.”

“Ciana. Can you tell me about something?” 

“Yes. What is it?” I can tell she is a bit confused why I am acting this way as if something is really off with things and I’m dying to know.

“When did you learn how to lie this big? I am just your other self.”

“What do you mean?” She still can’t get it.

“Why didn’t you tell me what really happened there. I need the truth.” I think I shut her up but she is not hanging up. I can hear a faint breath from the other line and some faint noises too.

“Because I want things there to be different. I can’t tell you how messy my life is now.” 

My mind tries it’s best to catch up on what she means by her words. She sounded like she regrets a lot.

“Did you regret marrying him?” I know Jethro is here but I am talking as if he is not there. This is a pain for him but this means truth. Pain makes you feel alive.

“No. I never regretted our marriage but he came back—“ The call ended. I tried calling it again but I can’t. It’s the most important part but I need to wait some more to know them all. Not giving up that easy, I tried more than tenth times trying to be all patient. 

What does she mean by that, ‘he came back’. 

I tried once more and it finally worked. She picks up again.