Adelina finally felt free of breathing that repugnant hospital smell of antiseptic for three weeks. How she managed to stay in there bedridden for three years still came as a surprise to her. Just as the news that she had been in a coma for three years. To her, it felt like a long sleep in a dark room where only her existed, reliving over and over again, her last painful memories until it stopped, until she shut it out completely.

She'd started her on her in-patient therapy program with several doctors, which mostly sickened her. Learning to eat, walk, talk all over again, made her frustrated each time. In college, when she mischievously sauntered into a biology class, the lecturer had spoke of Atrophy. It's only now, she realised the frustrating feeling of being temporarily paralyzed. On the stipulations of Dr. Tony, she only ate vegetables, fruits, never 'real food' as she'd described when she demanded food from a nurse one day. She needed to 'eat healthy' as he'd said, to speed up her recovery. And since she'd wanted nothing more than to leave that hospital, she reluctantly complied.

Her mother was always at the hospital everyday, and sometimes, her father, Nicolás and a few other friends. By now, she was able to speak well enough. Although sometimes her speeches may be slurred. She could eat on her own and walk only a short distance so, mostly moved about in a wheel chair.

Before her discharge day, Tony promised to get her a therapist who'd see to he quick recovery but meant she'd have to check in at the hospital once in two weeks, just for official examination. Adelina was the happiest when her mother told her she would be coming home. If she was being witty, leaving the hospital back to the house meant she was going to have to confront the event of three years ago. Events she was determined to keep at bay.

Simone Miller was the one to bring her home; her best friend since the third grade. They attended the same high school and both went to college's in the same city. 'Inseparable', as Lupe had labeled them years ago. They did everything and anything together ranging from causing mischief and getting punished. Together. At some point, people will think they were unidentical twins as Simone was a tall brunette with a slender figure of a typical Vogue magazine model. White pale skin tone, rose red heart shaped lips and large blue eyes. Miss Photogenic as voted in a beauty pageantry she enrolled in when she was younger. In contrast, Adelina was a fair heighted olive skinned woman with auburn brown hair which she usually has cut up to her shoulders. With bow shaped lips and small brown eyes, she never found pageantry something she'd venture into. Even if they were completely dissimilar in both character and physique, they were still dubbed as 'twin' despite Simone being two years older than Adelina.

The driver pulled over in the driveway and Adelina was wheeled out irrespective of all her assurance that she could walk to the house which wasn't much of a distance from the driveway.a "I can walk a great distance to the house," she whined for the upteenth time which made Simone throw her head back in frustration.

"You seem to have forgotten me, Adel. You know when I'm determined to make something happen, it always does. Now, you're going to stop whining because I won't let you walk and hurt yourself," she intoned with finality.

Adelina remembered her all too well. So even when she whined, she knew it was pointless. Her eyes wandered to Simone's hands on the chairs handle behind, to her long index finger adorned with the vintage Edwardian ring. And her lips curled into a smile. A lot has happened in the three years she was away. Although, she saw this one coming. "I was wondering when you both will come to your senses and realise you were made for each other."

Simone chuckled. "Well, Nicolás had always been a jerk to me when we were little. In a million years, I never imagined us getting married."

"I always knew," Adelina continued. "From your bickering every second of the day." She laughed. "It wasn't hard to see, really."

Simone smiled ecstatically, rubbing her shoulders. "You don't know how glad I am that you're here. My wedding just wouldn't feel right without you as my maid of honor." And she patted her softly. "Welcome home, Adel."

Now, they were just few steps away from the front porch of the three storey French Normandy mansion. Adelina glanced about the house. How she's missed the sight. Simone drew open the three inches front door and wheeled Adelina into the mostly dark room. Except for a candle light in the middle of what Adelina suspected to be a cake, the living room was dark. Just as she was about to asked where everyone had gone, the voices came out in a loud boom. "Surprise!" Then the lights came on, followed by the fall of balloons exactly where she sat and the huge banner up front that read, 'Welcome Home Adelina.'

As expected, she had startled. Knowing her family, she expected a sort of celebration when she returned. A party, quite the party. So, this small gathering came as a surprise to her. However, she was very grateful for it, for the familiar faces that greeted her. Her parents and brother, a few extended relatives and her cousin sister, Olivia, who was already a matured young lady by now, compared to the last time she had seen her.

Manuel came towards her with a small box, handing it to her. "Welcome home Mijá." He encircled her in a bear hug and when they pulled apart, urged her to open it. When she did, her mouth dropped open. Typical of her father to present her with gifts like this. She'd almost forgotten how it felt like. "But Papá, I can't even drive."

He shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't matter. It's yours."

Her face lit up with a beam. "Thank you Papá."

Following this was a bunch of other presents Adelina had to spend half an hour unveiling. After she was done, she made her way to the dining table where different treats had been dished out. Her eyes popped. 'Real food'. Without wasting any more time, she grabbed a plate and served herself a couple of 'empanadas' which she delved right into almost immediately.

"Should you be eating that?" Olivia emerged from behind her, with squinted eyes in concern.

"No! She shouldn't," came Simone's voice. She raised a brow, snatching the plate from Adelina's hands before handing her a bowl of charred salad. "This is what she should be eating," she gestured to Olivia who was already laughing at the scenery that had just played out.

"Somethings never change," she remarked, recalling how Simone used to always chide Adelina, make sure she took her drugs whenever she was sick and as she was told, sing her to sleep most halloween nights when they were little.

Adelina on the other hand, heaved a sigh. Simone Miller was never going to change even when she's fifty and married. She managed to take a forkful of the salad before setting the bowl down. Not at her welcome party was she going to torture herself with this 'hell' in disguise of a meal. Both Olivia and Simone drew out a chair from the table and got comfortable in it. No sooner had all three of them started to chuckle at each other's mention.

"So Olivia, I hear you're in your senior year," Adelina changed the course of the conversation from the teases they'd been throwing her way.

"Yes," she said rather unenthusiastically. "I just hate the fact that it has to be in a school in El Salvador."

Adelina chuckled. Manuel's always been one to send his children to their homeland for high school. According to him, it ensures they never forget their root. It was the same with Nicolás and Adelina. Simone even had to school there as well as she didn't want to get separated from Adelina. "If it makes it any better, I finished high school there as well."

"Yeah," Simone nodded. "Me too. It's pretty fun there. Don't you like it?"

Olivia shrugged. "It's not that I don't. It's just, Papá was supposed to send me there three years ago. But with everything that happened that time, he just enrolled me in a high school closer to home. I'd gotten so accustomed with everything. I was even going to run for Student Body President this year, and all of a sudden, he's shipping me to a boarding school in El Salvador. It sucks." She concluded with a grim.

Adelina smiled knowingly. "You could still run for Student Body President over there."

"I know, I know," she attested. "It's just going to be really hard. You know, I'm new and all. I don't even have the popularity I had here. And then there are those popular kids over there." She shrugged again. "I don't think I want to do that anymore."

Simone patted her in the back. "Whatever makes you happy dear."

She looked at her skeptically. "Really?"

Adelina didn't fail to notice this. "Let me guess, she threatened to fly to Salvador and deal with anyone that tries to bully you?"

Olivia's mouth opened in surprise. "How accurate!"

And they all laughed.

Manuel and Lupe were watching them converse and laugh heartily and at some point, tears brimmed in Lupe's eyes. He pulled her to his chest. "It's very real Mi amor, our daughter is back."

A bead of tear dropped down her left cheek. Seeing all three of them together, smiling and laughing, filled her with unimaginable joy she hadn't felt in years. And seeing Adelina, reminded her of how she might have just lost her only daughter three years ago. "I still really want to know what happened that night Manuel."

He huffed. "I do too."

"What got our Adelina so intoxicated and all messed up with swollen eyes from crying? When I think back to that day, it breaks my heart. I want her to talk to me. Tell me if something or someone is bothering. I don't care if she thinks she's outgrown that."

"I understand how you feel Miel. But remember what the doctor said? We mustn't expose her to overwhelming emotions right now," he recalled and Lupe shook her head in understanding. Something happened that night which has left Lupe wondering for years. She only hoped that when she finally confronts Adelina about it, she wouldn't shrug off the question as she'd always do.

Adelina approached them with a huge smile on her face. Her face was glowing compared to how it'd been like in the hospital. Although her skin was still somewhat pale and she looked quite lean, she was still looked very much curvy and beautiful. And her smile still held that sensational aura.

"Are you enjoying yourself Mijá?" Lupe asked, going over to wheel her closer to where she'd been sitting.

"Yes Mamá, thank you so much for this. It's exactly how I'd have planned it."

Manuel chuckled. "You know, I wanted to make it big, trust me." They both laughed at this. "But on second thought, decided to save the grand celebration for your twenty-ninth birthday. And no Mijá, you cannot refuse that."

Adelina smiled, nodding in surrender. "I won't." She glanced around the room before saying, "I noticed Nicolás left early."

"Oh yes," Manuel affirmed. "He had some business dealings to finish with the McCurby's."

Adelina's expression went cold at the mention of that name. She dreaded hearing it the entire evening, even when she knew it was quite unavoidable. Luckily for her, she hadn't seen the one face she needed not get even a glimpse of and nobody had mentioned him much to her relief. At least, until now.