The Grand Mistress

"Cat, what are you talking about?" Old Susan herself couldn't believe the word that she uttered. It simply cannot be, they had long known the two had gotten married already.

"Brother Don and I never  got married. That is the truth," Simione repeated her words. "However we cannot tell you guys about the break up because we knew how much you doted on us, so brother Don decided not to tell it to you. I went with the flow because I also don't want to make you feel bad about it,"

"Oh Cat!" Old Susan dragged a hand to her mouth, as she couldn't believe it. Now she understood why whenever Cat and Brother Don were asked about the wedding, they just smiled and answered vaguely. Of course, they knew the two were lovers and that they planned to marry when Cat reached the legal age and so one time when they came back here and Cat was already eighteen, they all thought the two had been united already.

"But Brother Don used to tell me about your marriage. How grand it was, how many came and..."Mario blabbered, recalling everything that Brother Don used to tell them. However only then it occurred to him that Brother Don tells these things to them whenever Cat wasn't around. Was it really because all of it was lies?

"Please don't blame brother Don," Simione somehow defended her old lover. "He just didn't want to make you guys sad. Besides, the break was a mutual decision," 

When she said her second statement, Hawk saw that her shoulder shuddered and her honey-colored eyes flickered with sadness. This was how Hawk understood that her last words were lies. The break up probably wasn't mutual and it was a sad one. Something that Simione probably didn't want to remember and go through again. Did this Brother Don hurt her?

"I'm sorry everyone," Simione's voice filled the room with so much coldness and Hawk thought it wasn't right for her to go through this alone specially that it wasn't her who initiated the lies. From what he can see, Hawk was sure it was the guy who lied about it and Simione was only caught with the situation. Her only fault was that she didn't exposed his lies and let him continue fooling everyone in the Comis Village. Now that the lies had been exposed, Cat had to bear all this consequences alone? How pathetic can that be?

"So I guess there's really nothing wrong with your affair with Hawk," After a thorough contemplation, the directress spoke. Her once tense eyes were calm now as she looked at Simione with pity.

She was the person who both knew Cat and Brother Don perfectly understood the situation and she was aware, Simione couldn't dare to lie this huge. It must be Brother Don who did it and Cat had no choice left but to defend the honor of the man she once loved so dearly. Thinking through the whole ordeal, there had been no signs of the two's breakup as they had both acted normally whenever they were here. The directress then thought, how hard could things be for Cat for she had to endure all of those pretensions that their love still existed when the truth was no love lingered between them anymore. The directress secretly knew some of Simione's history and saw how she longed for some love and all these years, Brother Don had been her salvation. How hurtful could it be that the one whom you thought was your savior, put you on such the same struggle again. The Directress could only sigh helplessly at it. She then turned to Hawk, who was standing there at the door that moment, looking at Cat with a balled fist. Was he mad at how hurt Cat was?

"Hawk," She called on her. "We've never get to talk privately so I didn't really knew you well but I have an impression you are a good man,"

"You can't rely on impressions most of the time," Hawk countered. He knew she was a calculating woman and so reminded her not to be easy on him or he'll end up being frustrated soon. 

"Very well. I had the impression that you and Cat already knew each other prior to coming here," The directress asked. "May I know what is your relationship with Cat?"

Hawk looked at the directress in a complicated way, wondering what her intentions were. For him, it wasn't really her place to ask anything about other people rather than their willingness to volunteer in her orphanage and their basic qualifications. The questions she had then were more than what was required for her knowledge so Hawk tried to understand her intentions. It appears to him then that the directress probably knew some of Cat's history. Does she know her well?

"I am her lover," Hawk announced and Simione's cold heart fire up. She was still in the state of being apologetic and yet Hawk suddenly said such a thing to all of her shock. How could he be that blatant? Even the folks in the room dragged their eyes to him with incredulity. Did he just think he was Cat's lover?

"We're not a couple," Simione tried to discredit him.

"Of course we are not. It was one sided love," Hawk admitted without faltering and Simione could only swallow all of her words. "Last night was a product of my insistence. Cat never agreed to it, in fact the kiss didn't last long because Cat cut it off when she was able so,"

"You mean you had been rejected?" Mario's previous tension went from being angry to pitying Hawk.

"Many times," Hawk admitted and all his words piled up in Simione's heart, making her annoyed. Why was he saying all these things? He was making it look like she was a hard woman to pursue. "And yet here I am. I even came here when I learned she was to volunteer here," 

Another lie. Simione wanted to glare at him hard but she couldn't right then, now when everyone's eyes was with them both. What was Hawk Monsanto doing?

"So you came here not because of your father but because of Cat,"

"Fifty-fifty. Half because of my father. Half because of Cat," Hawk told them all. "So please stop instigating Cat. Nothing of this was her fault. It was mine. If I didn't come here, brother Don and her love story wouldn't be exposed and ruined in front of all of you. I apologize,"

Hawk bowered apologetically at everyone. For the first time too, a fire in his heart built for Simione. A fire of desire to protect her from further pain. He didn't know what happened but seeing how miserable she was and helpless, he cannot allow it so anymore.

When he met Simione, she was a strong woman. So strong that he never once thought she could be subjected to anyone's bully or violence, even emotional violence. This was her difference with Feather and the reason why he had always been drawn towards Feather side. He saw that Feather needed him while Cat didn't. Her old childhood friend Cat was also a strong girl, never bending but she was miserable too and weak inside like how Feather was. He had always thought that perhaps of his long absence—making the little girl Cat go on with her life alone and unprotected, she became weak and too needy and that explains Feather's personality. He didn't like it though as he loved the old person she was but then that change in her became his guilt and responsibility because he promised to come back for her but it took him many years to do so, long enough to make the girl miserable on her own.

He was a man after all, and being needed by someone was something all men desired. This was something he never felt on Cat before, he never felt like she needed him that's why he never felt the need to protect her. However now, he had seen her in her natural light, on a side her had never seen before. It occurred to him that he was like her old Cat, strong and untamable outside but actually a once miserable woman. Seeing her right then alone with no once to protect her, it was like the universe calling onto him to be her protector. Perhaps, this was the time he had to change the course of his path, after all it had become shaky ever since she entered his life.

"Damn man! How could you be so martyr," Mario pitied him and at the same time adored his devotion. Right then just by looking at Hawk and his one sided love, he forgot about Brother Don's gallantry and looked up to Hawk's martyrdom. "Cat must have been traumatized about her and Brother Don. Just be patient man,"

"Mario, how could you say such a thing," Old Susan chastised him as she turned to Cat again. Truth was, she too sees that indeed Cat had some hang-ups with what happened to her and Brother Don and so she could say nothing but just feel pity on her.

"Cat my child. I'm sorry about all of this, if only we knew, we should have not been a—"

"It's okay Old Susan. I understand," Somehow, Cat's eyes lost its brightness as her thoughts had been clouded with nothing but all the memories she had with Brother Don on this place that has now been ruined. Although she don't say it, it was very obvious she was all affected by it and everyone noticed this, most especially Hawk whose heart felt a little tingling because of the realization that Cat still loved whoever this Brother Don was. He had been curious then what really happened with the two.

"Would you please all excuse me, I had really gotten so tired with our journey back. I need to rest,"

"Of course Cat, you may go now," The Directress dismissed her and she immediately left her office and rushed toward her room. When she reached her chambers, she locked the door hard and let herself fall into the soft bed that had been her comfort for many days and years when she cried secretly about how she and Brother Don ended. It had been such a long time and yet she still cried about it every now and then. It wasn't as hurtful with how she lost Spin but all her life, she thought he had found redemption on him. She placed all her hopes to become happy on him and she became the most important person in her world after she left all the hurtful memories she had in Somerset. In fact, for him, she tends to forget who she was and revolve around how to become significant in Brother Don's life only to be ruined in the end.

When they broke up, she didn't only lose his love. She lost all the hope she had to become happy, she had lost all the life she had ever known. It was such a tragedy and if not for Lucy and Gabriella, she might have died a long time ago because of the pain.

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