Piercing My Heart

80

Mila covered her face while resting her elbows on the table. I placed the files down to give her my undivided attention. She sighed as she met my eyes.

"I can't focus on my task when all I can hear is our daughter weeping upstairs."

"I know." I looked down. "It's painful."

"It's absurd! Why would she leave her like that?! At a party too?! When we all just got her back! The party was to celebrate rescuing Zena!"

"I-I don't know." I felt pathetic. "I have no idea why she did it."

"No wonder Taemin was distraught." Mila gulped. "I'd have been too. And then to have vowed to keep it a secret. It was weighing on him."

"She's wasting away, Mila." I shook my head. "She's losing weight because she's not eating. And there's only so much Hailey can do. She's weak when it comes to Hailey, but not even Hailey can get her out this slump."

"I wish Hailey was her mate." Mila groaned causing me to laugh. "It would solve so many of our problems!" I chuckled at her. "Can't you just compel them to be mates?!"

"I can't compel Zena." I laughed. "And I wouldn't even if I could."

"I know." Mila sighed. "I'm just thinking of anything to ease her heart."

"I made a mistake doing that once." She looked my way. "The only one of our friends that I've ever compelled was Lexi. It was to remove the pain of her parent's death. For years, she was happy go lucky without any tinge of suffering. Hailey and Taemin told me to remove it because she needed to learn to channel her grief and how to deal with it. So I did, and it was excruciating for her." I looked down in guilt. "I robbed her of decades where she could've learned to cope, but then was suddenly thrust into a position where the grief hit her like a brick wall."

"You were trying to help." Mila softly spoke.

"They said it gets easier with time, but they failed to mention that the pain never goes away." I breathed out. "Zena needs this to grow from. She'll come out stronger and it builds character."

"I know, but it still hurts."

"I know." I kissed her temple.

I heard another bout of cries and couldn't take it anymore. My heart was breaking along with my daughter's. Mila left the room while I also needed to leave. I opened a portal to Maryland and stepped through. I made my way to the corporate office and waited till my Mother was free.

"Little one?" Mother removed her eyes from the computer. "What are you doing here?"

"Coming for Motherly advice." I paced the room. "Naomi left my daughter."

"What?!" Mother's eyes bulged.

"You heard me correct the first time. She left and my daughter is pained. I feel powerless and don't know how to help. I feel like I've failed as a mother. So I'm coming to my mother to tell me how to fix it."

"Oh, Lara." Mother sighed.

"What do I do? How do I help her?"

"The only time I've seen you come close to what Zena is experiencing is when Mila wanted to divorce you."

"It was a tactic to hurt, which it did. We both couldn't cope with the thought of the other physically leaving though." I stated. "Naomi has left Zena for months."

"Months?!" Mother stood as I nodded. "That's unheard of."

"I'm well aware. It makes me wonder if they were actually mates at all." I scoffed. "Hailey can't leave her side. She doesn't even have the energy to eat. She's getting scrawny. She has restless nights where she can't sleep. Hailey has to wrap her in her arms. She doesn't want to speak to anyone. Hailey, Dom, El, Mila and I are the only ones she lets in. Mere, she's wasting away. And I'm powerless to help her. I'm just standing and watching my daughter die before me." My voice cracked. "I can't relive that."