Chapter 45 : Five Percent Hope

Angela stood frozen for a few moments, her gaze fixated on the pink diary lying on the floor. Paralyzed with confusion, she struggled to piece together the events that had transpired while she was asleep. With a mix of trepidation and curiosity, she approached the door, only to discover that it remained locked. Whoever had entered her room hadn't intended to steal the diary; rather, leaving it scattered on the floor was a deliberate message aimed directly at Angela.
Opening the door cautiously, she peered out into the lobby, but it greeted her with an eerie stillness and an empty, frigid atmosphere that sent her heart pounding in fear. Did Mrs. Vera purposefully leave the diary there? And if so, what was the hidden meaning behind it? Angela tried to shake off her mounting apprehension, carefully returning the diary to its rightful place within the drawer. After a quick, refreshing shower, she resolved to uncover the identity of the intruder, her mind drifting towards the idea of discreetly gathering information.
With thoughts of the diary consuming her mind, Angela slipped noiselessly into Leonardo's room. Her eyes fell upon his slumbering figure as she moved about, tidying up the space with a delicate touch. Yet, before she could complete her task, she was startled by the sound of Leonardo's voice from behind.
Leonardo sniffed the air, his senses detecting her presence. "Did you sleep well?" he inquired, his voice laced with a hint of curiosity.
Angela turned abruptly, facing him directly. Her expression reflected a mixture of emotions as she responded, "What do you think?"
A heavy sigh escaped Leonardo's lips as he struggled to find the right words. "It bothers me as well," he admitted, his voice filled with a tinge of sorrow. "Knowing that my father was..." He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence, choosing instead to steer the conversation in a different direction. "What are your plans for today?" he asked, attempting to shift their focus away from the unsettling discovery.

Angela's mind was consumed by the weight of what she had uncovered, leaving little room for thoughts or plans. Ignoring Leonardo's question, she leaped with curiosity. "Did you happen to touch the diary while I was asleep?" she inquired, her tone tinged with suspicion.

Leonardo frowned in response, his confusion evident. "No," he replied, his voice tinged with genuine surprise. "Why do you ask?"

Shrugging off her suspicions for the time being, Angela chose not to mention her encounter with Mrs. Vera. She set her doubts aside and continued with her tasks. However, before long, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation, revealing Mrs. Gale standing on the other side. She informed Leonardo that Lara was on the telephone, seeking to speak with him.

"Tell her I'm not in the mood to talk," Leonardo replied brusquely, his tone betraying his troubled state of mind. Mrs. Gale silently nodded and retreated from the doorway. Turning his attention back to Angela, he added, "And you can leave as well."

Sensing the depth of Leonardo's suffering, magnified by the revelations from Esmeralda's diary, Angela decided not to argue or offer comfort at that moment. Instead, she quietly left him alone in his room, allowing him the solitude he seemed to need. During lunch, she discreetly entered Leonardo's room, placing the tray of food on the table as he slept in bed. Without disturbing him, she made her exit, leaving him to his rest.
Leonardo remained secluded in his room throughout the day, and as night fell, Angela ventured in once more, a tray of food in hand. She found him seated on a stool, gazing into the mirror with a vacant expression. Setting the new tray on the table, Angela quietly exchanged it for the empty one, her heart brimming with relief at the sight of the emptied plates. "Would you like some coffee before bed?" she offered, hoping to break through the walls he had built around himself.

"No," Leonardo replied solemnly. "You can leave now."

Another night passed, leaving Angela in a state of confusion. Leonardo's desire for solitude remained steadfast. Understanding his need for introspection, she refrained from initiating conversation, allowing him the space to unwind and evaluate himself. But deep down, she worried about him sinking further into his self-destructive thoughts.

As the clock struck ten, Angela found herself still wide awake, troubled by the silence of the night. The urge to check on Leonardo's room tugged at her, yet she knew it went against his wishes. Feeling restless and with nothing else to occupy her mind, she decided to open Esmeralda's diary once again. With hands trembling, she turned to the remaining pages, some of which were illegible due to damage. However, the latest entry was surprisingly clear, and she began to read.

"Dear Diary," she whispered, following the written words. "Today I was alone in my room. I wanted to talk to Leonardo about us, but he was too preoccupied with Lara and his paintings. Since Lara entered his life, I've been nothing to him."

Angela sighed deeply as she turned to the next page, finding it almost completely ruined. Mud had smudged Esmeralda's handwriting, making certain words indecipherable. However, a sense of determination filled her, urging her to piece together the fragments that remained legible. She painstakingly rewrote the salvaged words on a blank sheet of paper, struggling to form coherent sentences.

"Dear Diary," she mused aloud, staring at her composition. "I saw... I was afraid... he was staring at me from... I want to tell them about... he was staring, he was hiding, who was the... I'm really scared of... I want to know if..."

"She was afraid of someone else," Angela murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. Confusion washed over her, her heart sinking to her stomach. Closing the diary, she carefully placed it back under her bed just as the heavy rain poured outside. She lay on her bed for hours, her gaze fixed on the ceiling as her mind raced. "Who are you afraid of, Esmeralda?" she whispered. "Could it be Mr. Vera?"
The cold morning greeted Angela as she woke, and after a quick shower and freshening up in new attire, she made up her mind to have a conversation with Leonardo. She knocked on the door three times before cautiously entering, finding Leonardo already seated at the small table, sipping his coffee.
"I apologize for disturbing your serenity, but there's something you should know," Angela spoke, her voice filled with a mix of apprehension and determination. Leonardo, dressed entirely in white, remained silent, prompting her to continue.
"I believe Esmeralda was afraid of someone else," Angela said, her voice trembling slightly. Leonardo's eyes met hers, a silent question forming on his lips.
"It was my father, and we all knew that already," Leonardo replied matter-of-factly, seemingly dismissive of Angela's statement. However, her recollections from the previous night flooded back, and she struggled to articulate her thoughts.
"No, it wasn't just your father," Angela interjected, her voice filled with a mix of uncertainty and conviction. "In the broken phrases I deciphered from her diary, she mentioned someone else. Someone who was... I don't know... but it's evident that this person terrified her. She believed she was being stalked, yet she had no idea who this person was."
Leonardo remained motionless, allowing Angela to continue her monologue uninterrupted. She explained how she could almost feel Esmeralda's fear through the words she had written as if she were glimpsing the world through Esmeralda's eyes. "Esmeralda saw a man lurking in the darkness," Angela emphasized, her thoughts briefly drifting to the mysterious woman in white she had witnessed. However, she chose not to bring up that topic with Leonardo, keeping her focus on the revelations from the diary.
Leonardo sat in silence, his mood once again plunging into deep introspection, and Angela couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. It terrified her to witness him retreat into his thoughts, shutting her out. She realized she had limited control over him, as she was merely his nurse.
"You should go for a walk," Angela suggested, trying to coax him out of the darkness that enveloped the room. "It's too dark in here." She attempted to persuade him to visit his studio, hoping the change of environment would offer some solace. But Leonardo remained unmoved, keeping his inner turmoil hidden. There was something he was withholding from her, something deep and dangerous. She could sense it, but she had no power to force it out. She was just a nurse.
"I want her forgiveness," Leonardo mumbled, his voice filled with self-reproach. "I wish I could see Esmeralda again and ask for her forgiveness." His voice grew grittier. "My father and I are the demons in this house."
Angela interjected sharply, cutting through his self-condemnation. "Stop this nonsense, Leonardo," she urged, her agitation seeping into her tone. She knew she had to prevent him from descending once more into the abyss of sorrow and guilt.
Their argument was interrupted when someone knocked on the door, followed by its opening to reveal Mrs. Vera. Excitement colored her voice as she spoke. "Your doctor is on the phone, Leonardo. He has arrived and wants to speak with you."
The next day, Leonardo had an appointment at his clinic, accompanied by Mrs. Vera and Angela. They sat outside the doctor's office, unable to hear the conversation taking place inside. As Angela drove them back home, Leonardo recounted bits of his discussion with the doctor.
"I need a cornea donor for my surgery," Leonardo lamented, his words tinged with despair. Optimism was not in his DNA, and he seemed ready to give up on the doctor's slight glimmer of hope. "Finding a cornea donor for my eyes seems impossible," he sighed. "I've been put on the list, but I doubt I'll ever find a donor. I'll never be able to see you again."
Angela's empathy compelled her to respond, her voice filled with gentle reassurance. "In life, everything has a 5 percent chance of happening, Leonardo," she said. "And sometimes, that 5 percent can be the very thing we need."