Love Is Second Best — Chapter 34:SHINE YOUR WAY

Carmella's POV

'Fight for your love until the very end...'

These words coming from Kara really bothered me for days. I don't understand what she really meant by it.

The secret dates kept on for months until our graduation came. I have succeeded being the first in my class. I could see Thelma not happy with it. I know her group and herself wanted Hope to be on the number one spot, badly. So sad, it is always meant for me.

Our pre-graduation pictures came. It is my most awaited day of the year. It's the only time my mother would come to our school with her best attire. She chins up as she walks past the group of parents who also wanted my spot. I've never seen her this proud of me so I should also seize the chance, too.

In our pre-graduation picture taking, students are allowed to take their parents with them to take their pictures. It is every student's chance to have their parents in their graduation picture. With their best attires and togas, everybody dolled up for this event. Even our male classmates. I've never seen them so handsome before, just now. Everyone is really excited for today's event.

Since I ranked first in academics among the nine-hundred graduates, I already expected a VIP treatment from the school organizers and even from my teachers. I was the very first that's allowed to be taken pictures of.

It was the happiest for me because I am like the queen of the school this time. All eyes were on me. I am given the extra time that I need. I also experienced loving gestures from my mom. Although I know she's loathing most of it, I don't care. From this experience, however, Kara and Elise Hope couldn't talk or even interact with me.

I looked around and yeah, it is quite impossible because all of us are busy. Many of my classmates were busy talking to their parents. I saw others who were snacking and hugging their parents. I guess they miss them so much, too.

I know I am not alone. I always know I belong to those students whose parents are always busy with their jobs and businesses. I know they only have their chance right now, too.

"Shall we?" Mom disrupted my thoughts as she tapped on my shoulders. I smiled as I held her hand. We had a lot of pictures taken by a lot of organizations, departments, especially our teachers and the class picture, too. The event almost took us one whole day.

I am the happiest because this is the longest time that my mom bonded with me. It never felt this good. I want to cry with tears of joy.

Kara and Elise Hope updated me with their own family pictures. I had fun watching them while we were waiting for our orders. Mom made it really special for me because she picked one of the restaurants that I loved the most.

"Carmella, look at the menu. Please enjoy yourself more. I will let you pick what you would want to eat, alright?"

"Yes mom." She also looked at the pictures from my phone that I let her browse the pictures of Kara and Elise Hope for me. All of a sudden, her facial expression changed when she gazed at the pictures of Elise Hope and her dad.

"Mom,what's wrong?" I gave her a curious look.

"This is Elise Hope's dad?"

"Yes, mom. He is Mr. Leonard Guirre. Do you know him?" I smiled as I asked her. She gave me a weak sigh as she handed my phone back to me.

"No. I just thought he looked like my classmate from a long time ago."

Our order came right before I could say any reply to my mom. We had a nice mother-daughter bonding. She even fed me by putting a spoonful of rice to my mouth.

"Thanks, mom." I want to giggle with happiness but I am stopping myself because there were a lot of people who were glancing at us. I am ashamed a little but I always love it when it happens.

I also noticed someone sent me a chat message. I secretly opened it under my table while mom is busy with the shrimps and crabs.

"Wow. My Princess Diana...you look stunning." It made me smile. Positive words of admiration coming from the one I love is I guess, more than enough. I love it because it completed my day.

I can't help but be excited for tomorrow's graduation. I can't even sleep anticipating the event. I went home with mom full of happiness. I never thought she could file a leave for five days from work and the reason is me. I can't help but to feel really special.

"Thanks, mom." I smiled as she tucked me to bed. She touched my cheek and gave me a weak smile, too.

"There's always a reward for being hard-working. I am very proud you have that. Please continue doing a great job, not for me but for yourself."

"No, mom. I am doing it for us. I am not doing this for myself, either. I want to give you a good life."

She stood up and turned her back to me right away, as if never wanting to hear from any of it.

"I promise mom. I will do my best to give you a good life. You don't have to work all day long and get tired all the time." I heard her chuckle from my words as if feeling amused more than impressed.

"You have a long way to go. Just prove it to me." She gently stepped towards the door of my room.

"I will. I love you so much, mom."

I saw her twisting the doorknob of my door. "Rest well. You will still have your big day tomorrow." She went outside without even answering what I desire to hear from her.

Well, that's alright. I judge actions more than I judge words so it is fine.

----

She went to her room right away. After seeing that picture from her daughter's phone, it started bothering her so much.

She slowly sat down on her bed as she reminisced the moments...

How could she even forget him when he's the only man that she loved from the very start.

Leonard Glitz...she never thought they will be able to cross paths again. How could she be so busy? Too busy to even know everyone?

***flashback***

"Please take care of Elise Hope, honey. I will be going there after two months. I can't wait to see my baby girl." She excitedly called her boyfriend who had several businesses in America. Leonard had dual citizenship that's why he could go both to the Philippines and America.

"I can't wait to marry you, too." She exclaimed with excitement. She couldn't help but cry with tears of joy.

He arranged her documents ready for her to go to her family, too. Being reunited with the one that she really loved the most feels so right.

However, one rainy night, when she's walking home from work, she met a man. A colleague from a long time ago. She remembered turning him down a couple of times because she's choosing Leonard among all.

He was so drunk that he forced her to ride her car and raped her inside. Everything shattered into pieces from then on. Her hopes, her everything when she found out she's pregnant from the man she learnt to hate the most.

She was successful in putting the man behind bars but then Carmella came into her life without warning. She learnt to hate her with all her heart. However, Carmella grew up to be a responsible and loving daughter.

She grew up thinking about how to please her and to make her happy even if she's already hurting her physically and emotionally. It is all at the same time.

***end of flashback***

She looked at the picture of her baby Elise Hope from the moment she's already two years old and her recent picture. She closed her fist as tears gushed on her cheeks.

She's trying her best to stop being so obvious to her baby girl. She wanted to hug her so bad. She also wanted to face Leonard but how could she? More than ten years had passed and she made a big mistake. She just vanished into thin air, without even telling where she is. She left their house. She refused to even inform her mom where she would stay so that Leonard could not trace her.

From then on, she spent all of her time working and earning money to the point that she's not even caring about her physical appearance. It's like she became ten years older because of stress. Her figure is not even as good as before because she gained a lot of extra weight, too.

She slowly looked at herself in the mirror as she cried.

How she missed her family so much. There's never a time in her life that she forgot them. If they will all know the truth, will Leonard forgive her? Will he be able to forgive her for bringing Carmella into this world? For leaving him and Elise Hope without even saying a word?