When Sharlene finally woke up after several days of unconsciousness, she was met with worried faces—and a tight hug from Ashley. Lawrence let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
She soon learned that Sheila had surrendered to the authorities. Rumor had it that Sheila had joined the same syndicate that Raymundo had as a form of retaliation for what her sister Angely had done. Sharlene also vaguely recalled hearing someone's voice crying out for help in the endless dark—but Vivianne had chosen to ignore it.
The heir of their clan had reclaimed all the properties that Raymundo Santiago had stolen.
"Sister, Justine wants to talk," Tashia said, calling her attention.
"Is he here now?" Sharlene asked as she gently fixed Ashley's hair.
Tashia nodded. "He's in the living room. I'll take care of Ashley for now. I've missed this kid," she said fondly.
Sharlene exhaled deeply. Now, she would make her own decisions. After another deep breath, she went to the living room, where Justine sat quietly, fiddling with his phone.
"They said you wanted to talk to me," she said directly.
He looked up at her. "Oh, you're here now... Ellena," Justine said softly.
She took a seat across from her cousin.
"I've already processed your birth certificate and the paperwork for the properties your parents left you. You can visit anytime about it, Ellena," he said without hesitation.
"Thank you... But I don't know how to handle all of that yet," she admitted, scratching her head in frustration.
"You can start small if you need to. I know it's not easy, but you need to accept these things. My dad will be after me if I fail to take care of my cousin," he said with a half-sigh.
Sharlene chuckled lightly. "Maybe when my classes are over... I also need to go back to work."
"It's your call. You have my number—reach out anytime, Ellena," Justine said gently.
Sharlene nodded. "Thanks, Justine."
He smiled, but his next question shifted the mood.
"Are you ready to sign the divorce papers?"
That simple question hit hard. Her heart whispered that she was letting go of her husband—Martin would be free of her.
With a heavy nod, she agreed. Her mind may have resisted, but she had no choice but to comply.
"Justine... He still has rights to the child, doesn't he?" she asked softly.
He looked her in the eye and sighed. "Of course. He agreed to the arrangement—you both did. He can still see Ashley anytime. He's still her father, even if you're no longer his wife."
She nodded again. "That's good. We already spoke to Ashley about it. It wasn't easy... I feel bad for her, but we explained she'd still see her dad. Justine... am I making the right decision?"
"Ellena," he said gently, "choosing to stand on your own isn't right or wrong. Trust your gut. You're doing what's best for you and your child."
Without another word, she signed the divorce papers. She was no longer Martin Francisco's wife. And maybe that was for the best.
Lawrence also returned abroad, tending to the work he had left behind.
"Justine... I still have questions. What about Sheila?" she asked hesitantly.
"She's still facing charges—tied to everything Angely and Raymundo did. She was also part of the syndicate," he replied calmly.
"Does she know any of Grandpa's old business partners?" She pressed further.
Justine thought for a moment. "Yeah. She mentioned a mayor from the town of Regondo."
Sharlene blinked. "Mayor of Regondo? Who?"
"Didn't you hear the scandal about the mayor's kids? He shot them... and two of them went missing, remember?" he asked.
She tried to recall. "Right... I remember. That was huge news back then."
Justine nodded. "But there's still no solid evidence tying the mayor to it."
"Wasn't Bernard Fuego the mayor at the time?" she asked.
He nodded again. Something about the name triggered a disturbing thought—something about young women running away… and something more.
"There have been a lot of missing women there. Regondo isn't a safe town right now," Justine said with a sigh.
Sharlene suddenly remembered the murdered women again. She shut her eyes, trying to block the visions.
"Ellena, are you okay?" Justine asked, concerned.
"I'm fine. Sorry if I worried you," she said, shaking her head.
He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "If you have time, you can visit Sheila."
Then he stood. "I have to go, Ellena."
"Be careful," she said softly.
He smiled and nodded. Sharlene walked him to the door and waved as he left.
Still, something lingered. Why was she still seeing those terrible events?
"Sister," Tashia called from behind her.
"Mom... are you really never getting back with Dad?" Ashley asked with sadness in her eyes.
"I have to do this, Ashley. We need to separate. But you can still call him whenever you want," she said gently.
Sharlene sighed, brushing her daughter's hair back. "Don't worry, sweetheart. When you grow up, you'll understand this more."
Ashley hugged her tightly. Life slowly returned to normal. Sharlene resumed teaching. Ashley returned to school, full of energy after everything they'd been through. Field trips were still off-limits, but that didn't matter much.
One day, a group of teachers from Regondo visited. There, she met a fellow teacher.
"Jake Roman," he introduced himself during an event for teacher collaboration.
Suddenly, an image flashed in her mind—something violent. A massacre. An encounter. She shook it off, suppressing her thoughts.
"Sharlene... that's not your battle anymore," she whispered to herself.
She took a deep breath and calmed her nerves.
Leah's presence was quiet now, seemingly at peace. Sharlene still had difficulty controlling her abilities, but she tried to avoid becoming involved in new tragedies—especially those from the neighboring town.
She didn't know why she kept seeing things she couldn't stop. For now, she chose peace.
She visited the properties Justine mentioned. He gave her full freedom over them.
Martin still visited Ashley from time to time, and they would talk briefly—but only as parents.
Sharlene, for her part, was doing everything she could to raise Ashley with the love and guidance she never had. She was taken from her own parents far too soon.
Whatever life threw at her next, she would face it.
Yet... her mind still wandered to the two murdered women from Regondo. Why did they keep appearing?
Don't mind them... don't mind them, she told herself again.
She had already found the answer for the one soul who needed it most: Leah.