The Prince's Duchess { Illyria Series 1 } - COMPLETED

Chapter 29: Hidden Shame

Sarina's POV:

Cold dread was in my stomach as I looked up from the car was in front of a modest mansion in one of the best subdivisions in the Makati district.

Feeling a bit queasy, I had promised myself that I am never coming back because awaits me here except for some really bad memories.

I remember living here for almost a year after losing my parents because no one else can take care of me on such short notice.

That year felt like torture. My mother's older sister Julia Ibarra Montero married a rich businessman and was not happy being saddled with me even though she was well equipped to house me until Kiel completes his transfer to the Philippines which could take 6 months. In return for looking after me, he promised that he would handle my expenses for food, review center fees, and all other things I needed.

Which was the reason why my aunt agreed.

Somehow I thought my life would calm down after I buried my parents and mourned them but somehow I was wrong. 

I know that Kiel was never late in his payments because he pays the center directly online but the other money for my food and lodgings were given to my Aunt's bank account, but instead of a guest bedroom; She told me to stay with the maids in their cramped room; I was ordered to clean up around the house after my lessons were done at the review center.

I did not mind cleaning up but what I did not like was how I was not even treated like family.

My food was different from the ones that were cooked by the maids, it was usually burnt, oily, or too inedible so I usually make do with drinking water and a small piece of pandesal (bread)
 filled with jam. I was also isolated by both my aunt's family and the household help, the latter was told to ignore me under strict orders.

This practice continued for months was humiliating, lonely and I often cried myself to sleep.

Just 2 months of this ill-treatment forced me to work at a cafe part-time so that I can at least buy food from the outside, my daily suffering eased a bit until my aunt soon found out about it but she promised to let me continue but the price for it is that I was forced to work even more as a maid and the isolation continued for months to come.

Until I passed the Nursing Licensure Exams despite being overworked by my aunt in preparing for her daughter's debut and sleeping only 4 hours.

My happiest memory was Kiel coming to take me away from Aunt Julia when he came to Manila before Christmas.

I remember seeing my brother and how he looked when he saw me packed up and ready for me to be taken. His handsome face paled at how gaunt and thin I had gotten, the dark bags under my eyes.

Instinctively he knew. He saw it somehow in my face so he and my Aunt had the ugliest family fight I have ever seen. My own mother's sister had called me a filthy mongrel and someone who is not worthy of the Ibarra blood because of my mother.

That caused Kiel to cuss at her and severed ties with her immediately, calling her a bitch and an ungrateful, vile woman before he grabbed me and we drove away from her house; to this day, we never visited them after that.

Until today.

"Sarina? You okay?" KC asked out of concern, she patted my hand which was visibly trembling. She was one of my friends who knows this phase in my life. "Why don't you let Luis handle your aunt."

"This is my mom we are talking about, I need to know the mystery behind her sister." I smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "Just back me and Luis up ok?"