Chapter 5 - She Hadn’t Died (2)

Terio’s anger indeed had subsided slowly during the course of one year after Melissa’s death as she had predicted. And he also started behaving like a gentleman once again, neither friendly nor harsh. However, he was a changed man. He became a person that was tough to approach and only gave people as much respect as they deserved.

Seeing the light fading from his blue eyes with each day Melissa’s gone, Goyo at last realized that everything had become irreversible. There was nothing left she could do.

There was nothing left for Goyo Alte. She had lost her family, her relative, and even her lover, Terio Alte, who was her only friend since childhood.

If only she had some sort of dreams or goals to aim for, she might feel better. However, there was nothing Goyo wanted to achieve. Goyo Alte was an empty shell of a woman.

There were some days when she felt that it would be good for her to simply stop breathing. And the only reason why Goyo didn’t hang herself in spite of her weariness and desolate life was the sense of responsibility she had as the matriarch of the Alte Family.

Besides, although Goyo herself knew that neither her marriage nor Melissa’s death was her fault, she was unable to stand strong when she heard Terio repeatedly blaming her. No one could. Thus, no matter how firm her faith was that it was not her fault, it began to falter.

Furthermore, she had no allies as Alte’s people hated Goyo to their bones.

For them, Goyo was like a witch who made their beloved master suffer. And sometimes the pointed gaze they gave her was more piercing than Terio’s glare. They didn’t say anything, but their gaze was enough.

So, in the end, her original belief that she was not responsible with the changes in Terio started to waver. Instead, the thought that it might be indirectly her fault started to permeate her mind. Thus, even if she originally thought she was innocent, she began to question whether they had the right to force her to death like this.

And even though it was not as much as Goyo, she bet Terio also thought the same as her.

After all, he married a woman he didn’t love just because she was his childhood friend. And he had to watch as the woman he loved married another man and died at the hand of that same man.

Goyo could guess in her mind about what Terio felt.

For Goyo, aside from whether she was guilty or not, she had a guilty conscience. She couldn’t bring herself to escape even if her life was overwhelming with tragedy. Not even when she had to stay together with Terio, who had the leading role to those tragedies.

The marriage with Terio was her choice, not anyone else. She had to be responsible for the consequences of insisting on a choice that other people didn’t approve of.

Besides, Goyo was sure that the reason why she was still alive even though all other Rubiet people had died was thanks to Alte. So, she had the responsibility to make sure that outsiders wouldn’t talk rubbish when she died.

Goyo murmured habitually.

However, the sound of the door opening prevented her from voicing out the uncontrollable questions she harbored in mind ever since she opened her eyes.