Entwined With the Villainous Guardian
Chapter 264: Secret Letter

Chapter 264: Secret Letter

Leander could only sigh as Father Patrick didn’t say anything. It appeared that he agreed with his statement.

"I think..." Leander bowed his head and fiddled with his fingers. "Evander is dead. He died after enduring a lot of torture... I’m the heir of the Kastello family. And I..."

He didn’t have the guts to look up. He didn’t know where he was going with this. But there is a thought that is nagging him a lot these days.

He looked at the priest. He didn’t have much of an expression on his face. But his eyes looked kind. "My wife... She told me what Evander did to one of the young girls here..." Leander bowed his head.

It was his comeuppance... the way he died...

"I... my family only has me as the viable heir. I am haunted by the images of the small sized caskets that were laid out and the cries of the parents who lost their child... It’s..." his voice choked.

"I decided not to have children, as a means of...atonement. It might have been indigenous considering my wife had...trouble conceiving, but...I..."

Leander looked at Father Patrick. He didn’t want to cry in front of another man, but he couldn’t hold back. It was a big decision.

Leander was surprised to see the old priest looking at him with his eyes wide.

"Maybe I was so full of myself and God..." Leander sighed. "It must be my bloodline. My wife was the one who ended up getting hurt. We lost our baby recently and... Maybe it is mandated that by associating with my bloodline, she will suffer. Maybe it is best for me to leave her...For her happiness, I will do anything..."

Leander buried his face in his hands. His chest was so heavy that a sigh did nothing. Then as if the floodgates were opened, something burst inside him and he started to sob.

"I don’t want to leave her... But I can’t watch her suffer because of my cursed bloodline..."

Father Patrick scooted closer to Leander and patted his shoulder. He rarely comes by this kind of strong love between a couple. Those two are extremes with very different principles and yet they are united in heart and soul by love.

It is beautiful to watch and nothing would make him happier thinking that the little baby he rescued on a rainy night finally got to enjoy the love she deserved.

Leander composed himself feeling the gentle fatherly pat on his shoulder. He wiped his eyes and looked at the priest.

"You’ve never changed, child," Father Patrick patted his cheek.

Leander tried to smile. "You remember me?" he asked. "I forgot everything that happened before the fire... My wife remembers me too," he said.

"That’s very... unfortunate," Father Patrick said. The small smile hanging by his lips disappeared. "You remember nothing?" he asked.

"Yes. All that’s left is the scar on my back that was the proof I was in the fire. Melanie told me that I came here looking for Leona Viceroy, her friend, but I... don’t remember... I sometimes remember the beach though..." Leander looked around. "...and a cave... the girl and her eyes...I know it’s my wife that I remember. Melanie..." he smiled.

"Sometimes I remember this woman I don’t recognize... She might have been a nanny who worked in my house, because she always handed me stuff in the dreams, I have..."

Leander didn’t understand why he is telling everything to this priest; he hasn’t evne told these stuff to his wife yet. But he couldn’t stop.

"My mother told me this morning that..." he sighed and his lips curved to a wry smile. "she told me that she has lost her only son. She told me that I am not her son...I... I don’t know what to think of that. I was not even saddened to hear that. It could be the words of a mourning mother in distress, or, it could be..."

The truth.

Could it be the truth?

"Do you know something, Father?" Leander asked. "Something from the past that could answer the questions I have? The questions that hurt my soul?"

The old priest looked like he was in a serious dilemma.

"I’ll pray for you, son," Father Patrick said breaking the long silence.

"I do not want prayers right now, Father. I need answers," Leander said. He could see that the priest had the answers he needs.

Father Patrick rubbed his chest.

He has the answers to every question Leander Kastello has. But he is forbidden by Canon law. What he was told in the confines of a confession, cannot be repeated for any reason or in any manner.

What can he do? He was in a serious dilemma. He wanted the man his little Melanie loves to be happy. The truth will bind their relationship more and bring hope to Melanie. She wouldn’t think that she is cursed anymore. But he cannot break the Canon law. Not when he is going to finish his race.

Shouldn’t the happiness of the living take priority over some laws written? It’s not like anyone is going to get hurt by the truth... oh, but one person would be hurt...

Ah, yes!

Laws are there for a reason. He cannot give in to temptation. Melanie has the grace of God and lives a happy life. He doesn’t have to do anything more for her. God will take care of her.

But still...

He couldn’t settle his heart. One word. One small sentence would change the course of everything. Would God want him to tell the truth?

"Open that drawer," Father Patrick told Leander.

Leander walked to the drawer and opened it.

"Under the red file, there is an old envelope. It’s a letter addressed to Melanie. You should give it to her," Father Patrick said.

He cannot break the Canon Law. He just can’t. He cannot let his love for Melanie trump the covenant be made to God.

Leander looked at the envelope. "It’s sealed," he said.

The words on the envelope were dim and almost unreadable. But he could infer it was the handwriting of a child and it was addressed to "Jophiel" and written by "Michael".

"I didn’t read it. It was that child..." Father Patrick bowed his head. He smiled. "That child never followed any rules when it came to Melanie... They had a special bond like..." he looked at Leander. "That child left that letter for Melanie in a forbidden place just before..." Father Patrick cleared his throat.

"Melanie was in a hard place then and I couldn’t give it to her. Hand it over to Melanie," he said.

He hoped there were some clues leading to the truth. He didn’t think Leander would hand over the letter to Melanie before reading it himself.

He feared handing over that letter to Melanie because he thought Melanie cannot handle it in the past. But now, a lot has changed, hasn’t it?

Maybe it’s time for the truth to surface.