ASTHERIEN'S POV :-
It's been 3 weeks.
Everything is back to normal.
Or at least… it looks like it is.
Yeah… it took some time to get back on track.
But I'm still not over it.
We are now just… free.
A lot has happened in this short period of time. I learned things I never wanted to know… faced things I wasn't ready for.
And in the end, it's just us.
So why does it still feel incomplete?
Like something is there… but just out of reach.
Kevin.
My brother?
I still can't believe it.
Or maybe… I just don't want to.
Not just that… but what he told me.
I tried to push it away. Ignore it. Pretend it didn't matter.
But it stayed.
It always does.
Just like certain memories… that refuse to fade, no matter how much you try.
FLASHBACK
I walked into the restaurant he had asked me to come to.
And the first thing I saw… was Jaff.
Why was he here?
For a second, I paused. Confused. But I brushed it off like he didn't exist and walked past him.
Inside, at the corner-most table, he was sitting there… staring out the window.
Like he had all the time in the world.
For a brief second, I hesitated.
Kaiza hates waiting.
The thought came out of nowhere.
And just like that… I pulled the chair and sat down.
"I thought you wouldn't come," he said, a faint smile on his lips.
"I did. Now tell me what you wanted to say. And please… don't make it worse."
My voice was calm.
Too calm.
He looked at me for a moment, like he was trying to read something I wasn't showing.
"What?" I asked.
"I'm sorry."
That's it.
"Sorry? For what?"
Something felt off.
He wasn't acting like himself.
"I did things I shouldn't have."
"What things?"
"I tried to…" He paused, lowering his head, taking a slow breath.
"…separate you and Kaiza."
My fingers tightened slightly on the table.
Of course.
"Why?" My voice rose before I could stop it.
"I didn't want you to get hurt. And I knew being with him would only put you in danger."
Danger?
With him?
A faint, bitter smile almost escaped me.
If only he knew… he was the only place that ever felt safe.
"And now? Why tell me this? To hurt me again?" I asked, barely holding it together.
"I was wrong."
I let out a hollow scoff.
"Oh… so you realised that now?"
I turned towards the window, unable to look at him.
For a moment, my reflection blurred… and all I could think of....him.
Steady.
Certain.
Like I'm not something that can break.
"After doing everything?" I snapped, looking back at him.
The anger was building again.
How dare he say that so easily?
"Why… why did you…?" My voice broke this time.
"Because I care for yo-"
"Who are you to care for me?" I cut him off.
Silence.
"Answer me," I pressed.
He looked at me.
Cold. Steady.
"Your brother."
Everything inside me stopped.
I thought he was joking before.
He wasn't.
"Bro… brother?" I whispered.
"Yeah. You're my sister." His voice didn't shake.
"Why wouldn't I care for you?"
How could he be so calm…
when my world was falling apart?
For a second, just a second-
I wished Kaiza was here.
He would've said something stupid.
Something annoying.
Something that would've made this… lighter.
But he wasn't.
And I was alone.
"How?" I managed to ask.
He looked down.
"Your dad…"
Something in his tone felt heavy.
"He had an affair with my mom. Before his marriage."
No.
He met my eyes again.
"And that man isn't who you think he is."
I'm used to this. Why always the people I wanted to trust the most?
My chest tightened.
There was something burning in his eyes.
Truth.
Or something worse.
"Huh…?" I couldn't even form words anymore.
"First, he had me with my mom… then left her when he found out. And even after his marriage… he was in another relationship."
He paused.
"With Andrea."
My heart dropped.
"Yeah. Andrea Floris."
Everything started connecting in the worst way possible.
Wait…
So they knew each other even before the accident?
"No. You're lying." I shook my head. Once. Then again.
"I'm not."
"And guess what the reason behind all of this was…"
I didn't want to hear it.
"…Money."
Silence.
"You can't be sure…" My voice came out weak.
"I am," he said.
Just like that.
I picked up the glass of water and emptied it in one go.
Why now?
Why tell me this now?
I shouldn't have come.
I didn't want to know any of this.
He cheated on Mom… for money?
And with the woman I now call my mother?
Nothing made sense anymore.
Everything felt twisted.
Just then, my alarm rang.
An escape.
I needed one.
I stood up.
"Let's leave it here. I'll contact you."
"Wait-"
I didn't.
I couldn't.
I walked out, got into my car, and slammed the door shut.
My hands trembled slightly on the steering wheel.
Instinctively, I reached for my phone.
For a second… I almost called him.
But I stopped.
What would I even say?
I dropped the phone back.
What is happening?
My dad…?
How much of it was real?
How much of it was a lie?
I shut my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.
Thinking about it won't change anything.
It never does.
END OF FLASHBACK
"Mam? Mam! Are you listening?"
My manager's voice pulled me back.
Right.
I'm here.
Working.
Living.
Acting like everything is fine.
"Yeah… I am. What do you need?" I said.
"Mam, your scene is coming up. Please get ready. Have you memorised your lines?"
"Yeah… yeah."
Funny.
I can't remember pages of dialogue…
but not the last thing he said to me before we left.
After three to four hours, the shoot finally wrapped up.
And just like that, I decided-
I'm not thinking about it anymore.
We've started a new life.
So why stay stuck in something that can't be changed?
Still…
Now I can't even talk to Mom properly.
But maybe…
I can try.
Try to forget.
Try to start again.
It's me.
Astherien.
…No.
Maybe Ashlin?
A faint smile crossed my lips.
Is that what he used to call me?
No.
Astherien is better.
I drove back home after dinner with the cast and the producer.
And somewhere between the silence and the road ahead-
I realised…
No matter how much I try to move forward,
Some things still keeps me back.