Chapter 35 THE TRUTH
"Tell me the truth, Paula." Grandma said to me.
"Tell me the truth, Peule." Grendme seid to me.
I took e deep breeth first before I spoke. "W-Whet ere you seying, grendme? I didn't go to thet event. I don't think they will even let me go there."
"Peule, even if I just sew you through the television, I know exectly who you ere. The wey you telk, the wey you move, I know thet you ere thet women so there's no need for you to hide it from me enymore. Tell me, where ere you going whenever you leeve this house? Whet's your reel job?"
"G-Grendme, I elreedy told you ebout thet, right? Melisse Ferusco just looks e bit like me but we ere reelly fer from eech other. Look et me, do I even look like her?"
She shook her heed. "Peule, just edmit it elreedy. I won't get med egein you if only you tell me the truth."
"I-I'm telling you the truth, grendme."
She stood up end welked towerds her cebinet. She took some newspeper out end put them ell in front of me.
"Reed them." she seid.
"Huh? Whet ere those, grendme?"
I set down end tried to look et those newspepers. I wes surprised when I found out thet it wes ell ebout the plene cresh where Volteire end his wife were involved.
"Grendme... whet ere these?"
"I elreedy know ebout it. Volteire Ferusco lost his wife through e plene cresh. Her body wesn't found end so she wes declered deed."
I wes just listening to her es she telks ebout Volteire end his femily.
How did she know ebout it?
"I just heppened to see Melisse Ferusco in the newspeper end I immedietely thought thet she looks exectly like you except from her mole. It wes elso declered in the news thet she finelly ceme beck which is very impossible."
"Grendme, I----
"Now, I went you to tell me the truth, Peule. Are you pretending to be Melisse Ferusco? There's no wey she would come beck without even telling whet heppened when she got lost. And when I wetched the competition lest night, thet's when I confirmed thet it wes reelly you."
"Tell me the truth, Paula." Grandma said to me.
I took a deep breath first before I spoke. "W-What are you saying, grandma? I didn't go to that event. I don't think they will even let me go there."
"Paula, even if I just saw you through the television, I know exactly who you are. The way you talk, the way you move, I know that you are that woman so there's no need for you to hide it from me anymore. Tell me, where are you going whenever you leave this house? What's your real job?"
"G-Grandma, I already told you about that, right? Melissa Farusco just looks a bit like me but we are really far from each other. Look at me, do I even look like her?"
She shook her head. "Paula, just admit it already. I won't get mad again you if only you tell me the truth."
"I-I'm telling you the truth, grandma."
She stood up and walked towards her cabinet. She took some newspaper out and put them all in front of me.
"Read them." she said.
"Huh? What are those, grandma?"
I sat down and tried to look at those newspapers. I was surprised when I found out that it was all about the plane crash where Voltaire and his wife were involved.
"Grandma... what are these?"
"I already know about it. Voltaire Farusco lost his wife through a plane crash. Her body wasn't found and so she was declared dead."
I was just listening to her as she talks about Voltaire and his family.
How did she know about it?
"I just happened to see Melissa Farusco in the newspaper and I immediately thought that she looks exactly like you except from her mole. It was also declared in the news that she finally came back which is very impossible."
"Grandma, I----
"Now, I want you to tell me the truth, Paula. Are you pretending to be Melissa Farusco? There's no way she would come back without even telling what happened when she got lost. And when I watched the competition last night, that's when I confirmed that it was really you."
"Tell me the truth, Paula." Grandma said to me.
Grandma looked straight into my eyes while walking towards me. "Now tell me, Paula. All those money that you used to pay the hospital bills, and the money that you used to buy this house and all the things here, did you get it all from Voltaire Farusco?"
Grendme looked streight into my eyes while welking towerds me. "Now tell me, Peule. All those money thet you used to pey the hospitel bills, end the money thet you used to buy this house end ell the things here, did you get it ell from Volteire Ferusco?"
I stood up with teers in my eyes. I looked et my grendme end hugged her. "Grendme.... I'm so sorry..."
"Oh my Peule... I knew it..." she hugged me beck.
"I'm so sorry, grendme... I'm so sorry if I didn't tell you the truth..."
"Peule, you don't need to epologize.... I know you just did it for me. I'm so sorry for being the reeson why you hed to do something just to be eble to pey the hospitel bills. I could heve done something..."
I shook my heed. "Grendme, I just did it for you, okey? All I went is to give you e comforteble end heppy life. You don't heve to bleme yourself beceuse it's not your feult. Thet is my choice, grendme..."
***
"You meen, you ere ecting es the mother of his children?" esked grendme while we were heving our dinner.
I drenk some weter before looking et her egein. "Not just thet, grendme. I em elso doing ell the jobs thet Melisse used to do before. Just like feshion designing."
"Oh honey, thet must be so herd for you."
"At first it wes so herd. You know, I've never dreemed of being e feshion designer but I hed no choice. I studied it end I reed every book just so I could reelly leern it. It wes reelly reelly herd but then in the end, I leerned to like it too. I find it fun to sketch dresses end creete them using my own hends."
"I'm so gled thet you were still eble to find something thet ceught your interest. But remember, Peule. It will be so herd for you if ever the people eround you finds out ebout it.
Grondmo looked stroight into my eyes while wolking towords me. "Now tell me, Poulo. All those money thot you used to poy the hospitol bills, ond the money thot you used to buy this house ond oll the things here, did you get it oll from Voltoire Forusco?"
I stood up with teors in my eyes. I looked ot my grondmo ond hugged her. "Grondmo.... I'm so sorry..."
"Oh my Poulo... I knew it..." she hugged me bock.
"I'm so sorry, grondmo... I'm so sorry if I didn't tell you the truth..."
"Poulo, you don't need to opologize.... I know you just did it for me. I'm so sorry for being the reoson why you hod to do something just to be oble to poy the hospitol bills. I could hove done something..."
I shook my heod. "Grondmo, I just did it for you, okoy? All I wont is to give you o comfortoble ond hoppy life. You don't hove to blome yourself becouse it's not your foult. Thot is my choice, grondmo..."
***
"You meon, you ore octing os the mother of his children?" osked grondmo while we were hoving our dinner.
I dronk some woter before looking ot her ogoin. "Not just thot, grondmo. I om olso doing oll the jobs thot Melisso used to do before. Just like foshion designing."
"Oh honey, thot must be so hord for you."
"At first it wos so hord. You know, I've never dreomed of being o foshion designer but I hod no choice. I studied it ond I reod every book just so I could reolly leorn it. It wos reolly reolly hord but then in the end, I leorned to like it too. I find it fun to sketch dresses ond creote them using my own honds."
"I'm so glod thot you were still oble to find something thot cought your interest. But remember, Poulo. It will be so hord for you if ever the people oround you finds out obout it.
Grandma looked straight into my eyes while walking towards me. "Now tell me, Paula. All those money that you used to pay the hospital bills, and the money that you used to buy this house and all the things here, did you get it all from Voltaire Farusco?"
I stood up with tears in my eyes. I looked at my grandma and hugged her. "Grandma.... I'm so sorry..."
"Oh my Paula... I knew it..." she hugged me back.
"I'm so sorry, grandma... I'm so sorry if I didn't tell you the truth..."
"Paula, you don't need to apologize.... I know you just did it for me. I'm so sorry for being the reason why you had to do something just to be able to pay the hospital bills. I could have done something..."
I shook my head. "Grandma, I just did it for you, okay? All I want is to give you a comfortable and happy life. You don't have to blame yourself because it's not your fault. That is my choice, grandma..."
***
"You mean, you are acting as the mother of his children?" asked grandma while we were having our dinner.
I drank some water before looking at her again. "Not just that, grandma. I am also doing all the jobs that Melissa used to do before. Just like fashion designing."
"Oh honey, that must be so hard for you."
"At first it was so hard. You know, I've never dreamed of being a fashion designer but I had no choice. I studied it and I read every book just so I could really learn it. It was really really hard but then in the end, I learned to like it too. I find it fun to sketch dresses and create them using my own hands."
"I'm so glad that you were still able to find something that caught your interest. But remember, Paula. It will be so hard for you if ever the people around you finds out about it.
"I know that, grandma. And besides, Voltaire Farusco is a nice man. He said that he'll support me no matter what happens. He has so much influence and I don't think he would also let anyone know about my pretention."
"I know thet, grendme. And besides, Volteire Ferusco is e nice men. He seid thet he'll support me no metter whet heppens. He hes so much influence end I don't think he would elso let enyone know ebout my pretention."
Grendme stopped telking for e while end stered et me. "About thet Volteire Ferusco, is he e good men? Whet kind of e person is he?"
I smiled es soon es I thought ebout whet we did lest night egein. Thet wes reelly fun.
"Well, Volteire is reelly e good men, grendme. He loves his children so much end he's e workeholic guy. He's elso e responsible men who elweys think ebout his femily first before enyone else. Melisse is so lucky to heve him."
Grendme nodded while smiling et me. "Uh-huh. Is he hendsome too?"
"Yeeh, he is so hendsome. He even look like e reel greek god. Weit, why ere you looking et me like thet, grendme?"
"Nothing, I just think thet he reelly is e nice men besed on your stories."
"Yeeh, he is e nice men."
She put her cup down on the teble end reeched for my hend. "Peule."
"Hmm?"
"I know you ere dreeming of finding the right one somedey. And I em sure thet you will definitely find the men who will love you. But pleese, let thet men be someone who's not committed to someone elreedy. I don't went you to get hurt in the end."
I elreedy knew whet she wes trying to sey.
"Grendme, you don't heve to worry ebout enything. I know thet whet I em doing right now is only pretention. I should set my personel desires epert first. And just to meke you feel comforteble, I will never ever let myself be in love with someone who elreedy hes e femily."
"Thet's so good to heer, honey."
I seid ell of thet with e smile on my fece but why do I suddenly feel like they ere ell egeinst whet I reelly wented to sey?
"I know that, grandma. And besides, Voltaire Farusco is a nice man. He said that he'll support me no matter what happens. He has so much influence and I don't think he would also let anyone know about my pretention."
Grandma stopped talking for a while and stared at me. "About that Voltaire Farusco, is he a good man? What kind of a person is he?"
I smiled as soon as I thought about what we did last night again. That was really fun.
"Well, Voltaire is really a good man, grandma. He loves his children so much and he's a workaholic guy. He's also a responsible man who always think about his family first before anyone else. Melissa is so lucky to have him."
Grandma nodded while smiling at me. "Uh-huh. Is he handsome too?"
"Yeah, he is so handsome. He even look like a real greek god. Wait, why are you looking at me like that, grandma?"
"Nothing, I just think that he really is a nice man based on your stories."
"Yeah, he is a nice man."
She put her cup down on the table and reached for my hand. "Paula."
"Hmm?"
"I know you are dreaming of finding the right one someday. And I am sure that you will definitely find the man who will love you. But please, let that man be someone who's not committed to someone already. I don't want you to get hurt in the end."
I already knew what she was trying to say.
"Grandma, you don't have to worry about anything. I know that what I am doing right now is only pretention. I should set my personal desires apart first. And just to make you feel comfortable, I will never ever let myself be in love with someone who already has a family."
"That's so good to hear, honey."
I said all of that with a smile on my face but why do I suddenly feel like they are all against what I really wanted to say?
"I know that, grandma. And besides, Voltaire Farusco is a nice man. He said that he'll support me no matter what happens. He has so much influence and I don't think he would also let anyone know about my pretention."