Timeless Love

Tears and Trust 🌦️

Warnings: mentions of child abuse, mentions of abuse, mentions of alcoholism, English is not my first language and I apologize for any mistakes
Word Count: 5,2k

October 1930

The alarm clock on y/n's table goes off and signals a new day. Sitting up in her bed, she rubs the sleep from her eyes, and gets out of her warm and comfy bed. Y/n grabs the cardigan that her mother lays out for her every night and wraps it around her small frame. Opening the door of her room with a crack, she sees her sister getting out of her room as well.

Despite being a very energetic kid, y/n is everything but a morning's person. So, she just gives her sister a small smile and they both walk down the stairs into the kitchen where their mother is already cooking breakfast with eggs sizzling in the pan and toasts ready on the plates. The table is already set, Lilith always does it like her maids did when she was a child. Sometimes she misses living such a privileged lifestyle. Where she doesn't have to turn every penny to pay their bills.

Some days where she's cleaning up Michael's mess or sees her bruises in the reflection of the mirror when she gets ready for bed, her father's words echo in the back of her head at what he had told her about her engagement with Michael; he told her that she needed to be careful and to rethink her decision. At first, she thought he was worried because she wouldn't marry into money and she'd be having a poor life. Well, he was right about that. But what her father was really worried about, was that he feared Michael would get violent at some point in their marriage, because apparently poor husbands or husbands who suffer a failure at one point in their lives, tend to do that. She still remembers the day as it was yesterday that they fought on Christmas Eve over her decision... Now it turned out that she should have listened to her father.

But Lilith needs to remind herself that Michael wasn't a bad husband...he only turned to drinking because the company he worked for was shutting down. She also knows that Sarah is constantly in her ears that she should never justify Michael's actions. And she's right, she should not. He's hurting her and even her children who she thinks begin to understand the concept of the abuse. But despite everything, Lilith still loves Michael with all of her heart, even if it's shattering with every night he comes home, drunk and not showering her with his love like he used to. Growing up sucks. Back when they were still kids and she would secretly meet him after school to spend time together or to teach him how to read...those were the moments she truly longed for. But with every adding drop of alcohol he drinks and every new punch or hit throws like a blanket over the happy memories she's had with him. A blanket that doesn't allow her to see through and keeps her from even being close to these memories.

"Good morning, mom," Lucy cheers excitedly and hugs her mother around the waist. Lilith smiles at her oldest daughter and leans down to kiss the top of her head before looking at y/n as soon as Lucy ran over to the table and sat down in her chair. "Morning, y/n, how'd you sleep?" Lilith knows that her youngest daughter isn't much of a morning person and is always a little bit grumpy in the early hours of the day. "Just fine, could've been longer." Lilith laughs softly and gives y/n a kiss on her hair as well before turning her full attention back to the food cooking on the stove. After patiently waiting, Lucy and y/n finally have their food on the plates and they are eating it at their usual slow pace. Lilith sits down, still in her apron, and just looks at her two happy girls enjoying their breakfast. She knows Michael wouldn't be up until noon, he came in last night at around 2 in the morning. So when he wakes up, the kids will be at school and she's on her way to work. Sarah once told her about the free spot at the garment factory where she has been working since her husband died to pay the bills and care for Steve who was still a baby. Lilith has been working day shifts ever since. It's not something she enjoys doing but having learned from the past six years, Michael won't apply for a job any time soon and at least that is some way to earn money to care for her daughters. Some days, a huge wave of guilt washes over her; this is definitely not the life her parents wished for her to have; an abusive and alcoholic husband who is making her work to keep their family afloat.