Chapter 147 - Can't Share

Mike visited his brother in his office in the Infinity Jade Tower.

"Bro, Caroline and I are getting married in a civil wedding ceremony and then a church wedding the year after. I'm here to officially invite you and your family to attend my wedding. I'm so happy and excited bro!" said the smiling Mike.

John smiled. "Really? I thought you'll have a long engagement first? Anyways, since you are both a.d.u.l.ts, why not? I'm genuinely happy for you, bro!"

Mike was all smile while chattering about the wedding.

John studied his brother's face for a long time. His only wish is for the couple to be happy and not encounter too many problems and challenges just like what he and Catherine had experienced in their relationship.

He wishes the lovers a smooth sailing marriage life.

"So, when is the civil wedding take place? It's kind of absurd to have a civil wedding when you can have a church wedding right away, why is that?" he asked.

Mike scratched his head.

"Caroline wants to follow your style, civil wedding first then church wedding later," Mike answered. "I just let her decide..."

"Ah, okay. Caroline wants to wed you two times," John grinned.

"Well, I don't mind marrying her up to ten times if she wants. I just want my beloved woman to be happy," Mike replied.

John was amused while observing his brother's animated face. Mike was besotted to Catherine's twin.

"Ah, bro, I want to see my sister-in-law and my nephew and nieces upstairs," Mike said.

"Catherine will be going out today to meet Caroline in the mall. They will have sister bonding session and I'm sure they will finally reconcile and let bygones be bygones," John said.

"That's great news!" Mike said. He was happy to hear that the sisters are finally willing to meet each other and he was sure they will reconcile after their meeting. He was wondering why his girlfriend didn't tell him about it? Maybe, she forgot to tell him. He'll call Caroline tonight after she comes back from the mall.

"I'm going upstairs, you wanna go with me to see the kids?" John said.

"Sure! I'm missing the kids, James and baby Angel," Mike replied excitedly.

"Let's go!" John said and put his phone in the pocket of his pants.

Mike and John exited the office and boarded the elevator going to the 15th floor.

They were about to enter the flat when the door opened and Catherine steps out of the door.

She smiled upon seeing her brother-in-law. "Hello, Mike!"

"Hi, sis! I'm going to visit the kiddos. Where are you going?" Mike asked.

"I'm going to meet Caroline in the mall. We're just going to bond and catch up with each other's lives," Catherine answered.

She planted a quick kiss on her husband's cheek. "I'm going now, guys," she said to the men.

"Bye, sis!" Mike said.

Catherine entered the elevator while waving her hand at the men, then the door was shut, she pressed the button intending for the ground floor.

She hopes that she and Caroline can finally settle their differences today so that they can finally repair the rift in their sibling relationship.

Back in the living room of John's residence.

The brothers were talking about the twin sisters.

"Do you think they would reconcile today?" asked Mike apprehensively while putting his nephew on his lap.

John raised her brow. "Are you afraid that they will quarrel today and not make any progress of patching up their differences?"

"Yeah... based on what I have recalled in the past... Caroline is adamant not to see her twin when I bought up the subject last time...so yeah...I'm kind of worried about them. I want the family intact, gathering around us while the judge was officiating our wedding. It's a family affair, so everyone should be present. I'm just afraid that old past will be rekindled and brought up again resulting in them having another row," Mike added with a gloomy sigh.

"You got a point, bro. Anything can happen during the sisters' meet up. But I'm sure they won't create a scene and make a mess of themselves in a public place. Let's just hope that their meeting today is the end of their feud," John responded.

"I hope so," Mike smiled a bit.

John patted his brother's shoulder comforting him. "Don't worry, if worse come to worst and the sisters aren't ready to reconcile yet...then I will attend your wedding alone," he assured him.

"Thank you, bro!" Mike was feeling a bit relieved hearing his brother's reassuring words.

In the next thirty minutes, Mike played with his nephew James while John was holding baby Angel in his lap.

~~~0~~~

Catherine arrived at the mall on time.

Caroline was already sitting on the table inside the Apple Cafe, she arrived fifteen minutes early. She ordered a Strawberry Banana Smoothie and Mango Pineapple Smoothie for her twin.

Catherine entered the cafe's door and saw her sister sitting alone on the table in the corner. She walked towards the table.

Caroline turned her head around and saw her twin approaching the table.

That was the moment the sisters' eyes locked...

Tension began to rise.

There were a few minutes of awkward silence.

Catherine settled on the chair opposite her twin. "Hi, sis..."

Caroline smiled. "Marriage life suits you well. You look great!" she commented casually.

Time is short. Catherine wants to discuss right away the past events that lead to their fall out. "Regarding what happened in the past..." her voice trailed off. She found it hard to bring back the past and how she violently assaulted her sister in the pool because she was suspecting that her twin was planning to flirt with her husband again.

Another bout of silence ensued.

Caroline stared at her sister's face. "Sis, I apologize for trying to snag your husband once, but I was already over it. That was all in the past. Let's reconcile and start all over again," she said sincerely.

Catherine saw the seriousness in her twin's face and feel the honesty on her voice. She also needs to apologize for hurting her physically.

"Apology accepted. I want to apologize that I hurt you physically in the pool. My heart was filled with jealousy during that time. I just kind of explode, maybe I was reminded of the past and wasn't able to flush it all out of my system... and we haven't had a real closure about those issues. So, that's the reason why I lose control," Catherine explained. After letting out the heavy burden in her heart, she feels lightheaded.

Caroline smiled. She feels much better now that she and her sister were bringing out all the skeleton from their closet. It freed them from the shackles of the past.

"I have forgiven you already, sis," Caroline said.

Catherine grinned. "I also have forgiven you..."

"Alright, this calls for a celebration! Let's celebrate!" Caroline gushes in an exhilarating manner.

"So... how should we celebrate?"

"Today, I want to tell you that...soon... I'm going to get married to Mike. Your entire family is invited to my wedding. It's going to be a happy occasion for all of us," Caroline told her sister the good news.

"Wow! That's fantastic! Congratulations!" Catherine gushes happily. Mike finally found the woman that can make him happy and complete, and she's glad it's her sister. Caroline found her match with Mike. They're perfect for each other.

"Yeah, we're on the process of completing the requirements for our civil wedding ceremony that will be held the moment we finished complying with all the necessary papers needed for the wedding," Caroline shared excitedly.

Catherine watched her sister's face glowing with happiness while discussing her impending wedding to Mike.

Time indeed flies too fast.

"I still remember... we left our village due to extreme poverty. We came into the city looking for a greener pasture. We undergo all kinds of hardsh.i.p.s and problems and here we are now. I've married already and got two children while you're also getting married to the man of your dreams. Indeed, we are no longer the same naive lass from the village. We've come a long way..." Catherine nostalgically recalled the past.

"Agree, we've come too far," Caroline responded in a low voice almost like a whisper.

Her sister was already living with bliss and contentment surrounded by her devoted husband and beautiful children. She, on the other hand, was yet to face the biggest trial in her life, and right now she has no idea how it will end.

Her future looks dark and filled with uncertainty, no matter how hard she's trying to cheer herself up.

Catherine brows knitted together at the sight of her twin displaying conflicting emotion on her face. The happiness was gone on her sister's face and was replaced with sadness, worry, and something else...

"A-are you okay, sis? You look like you are about to cry?" she asked her twin.

"Huh? Who's crying? Not me," Caroline lied and displayed a fake smile on her face. She was surprised that her twin was able to see the pain hidden in her eyes. Was she that transparent? She shut her eyes for a few seconds, blocking the tears from emerging in her eyes.

Right now, she wanted to confide to her sister that she killed another human being... but her twin was enjoying a happy life now. Why should she share with her the burden that she was carrying inside? It will only tamper her sister's happiness and she doesn't want that to happen. She would rather swallow her sadness and keep it to herself than make other people suffer along with her.

What happened to her will affect everyone in her family. So, she'd rather face her demons alone and try solving it her way.

Catherine can still detect the sadness and anguish on her twin's aura. "If you have a problem, sis... you can share it with me. I'm willing to share your burden, maybe I can help you," she offered.

Caroline breathed deeply and smiled. "You are just overacting, sis. I'm alright. Nothing's wrong with me and my life. I'm just feeling a bit emotional when you recalled our life in the village. That's all." She smiled broadly for her twin's benefit.

Catherine was amazed, surprisingly, the sadness was gone from her sister's face. She could be telling her the truth. Sometimes people feel the blues after remembering their past. There's no reason to doubt her sister, after all, she's leading a good life now.

Her twin had her own house and lot, car, and a good amount of monthly cash allowance. Recently, she purchased a piece of land which is a good investment amounting to 10 million pesos ready to be made into a resort. Then she's also going to marry a wonderful rich guy.

Her sister is indeed a lucky woman!

"Sis, where do you want to go from here?" Catherine asked.

Caroline smiled. "Let's paint the town red," she grinned jokingly.

"Okay, how about if we visit a beauty salon for self-pampering and go shopping? What do you want to do first?" she asked her.

"Let's go to the salon. I haven't had a hair cut for along time. My hair needs trimming," Catherine replied.

"Sure, let's go!" Caroline replied and intertwined her arm with her twin.

The women exited the cafe in high spirits looking forward to bonding in the salon, doing shopping together and just enjoying each other's company.