Lady Anastasia

9

I can't confront anyone, they're all dead. Both Father and Mother. Who am I supposed to interrogate when all the people involved are dead.

I toss and turn in the middle of the night. I can't sleep because of these secrets and unbearable pain. I look to my side and no one is there, the cold air is coming in through the open windows. I couldn't stand up to close them and so I suffered.

At this rate I'm going not only going to be injured but sick. Just the thought of being sick reminds me of my late mother. A cold can't just kill someone in a matter of a few hours. She was just fine before Aurora and I left for the ball.

I don't believe that it's the cold, she was killed, by whom, I have to figure that out on my own.

***

I stare at the clock on the wall and it's showing 2 am, still no sleep. I painfully turn to the other side and try to lie comfortably. Just as I'm about to close my eyes, the door to my room slowly opens.

" P", whisper-shouts Jack. A sense of relief washes over me as I see his face. His smile causes me to smile too as I eye the snacks in his hands. " The doctor said you mustn't consume any junk food but I know you, you can't survive a day without them", he says slyly making me giggle.

He strolls to the bed and places the breakfast in bed tray of plates full of delicacies on my lap ." Thank you", i smile at the food and try to use my right hand but fail. I look at Jack hopelessly and I can feel my eyes burning from forming tears along with my throat hurting.

Not wanting to bother him, I use my left hand but due to not using it, the food flies to the floor, along with the fork. I take in a shaky breath and look at Jack, who is staring at me sympathetically. " Let me help you with that", he sits comfortably, facing me and starts feeding me.

Then I eat, it's been a while since I had delicacies like these. He puts another portion into my mouth and, wow, it's like eating them for the first time. They've never tasted so grand before. Is this how a month after of not having money feels like.

Still chewing, I steal a glance at him and admire him for doing this. He notices and playfully pats my chin so that I can finish my food. It's 2 in the morning and I'm being fed by him and there are no words exchanged but just us sitting in comfortable silence. I use my left hand to take some of the delicacies and try to feed him, he sees that and leans his body to me, then I put it inside his mouth. He smiles at my gesture and expresses his gratitude.

" What's going on, Jack?", he raises his head along with his eyebrows, confused. " I mean, how did mother die?", there's a lump in my throat but I swallow to push it down. He refuses to make eye contact with me but finally looks me right in the eyes.

" You don't have to worry about that now, you're unwell and your well-being is the only important thing to me ", he brushes through my hair. What the heck, I'm trying to find out about my mother and you're just choosing to ignore me.

Frustrated, I say, " Listen Jack, I'm a grown woman, just because I have glass house doesn't mean it's not shutter proof. So come on, tell me, I want to know at least how she died",I'm begging at this point.

He sighs and smile filled with sorrow. "Well, the day before she died she kept screaming for help and that someone was trying to kill her. Aurora and I didn't know what to do but she mentioned something...", he drifts off and look the other way before talking again.

" Your mom was begging for forgiveness from you and your father ", confused, I ask," What for? ". He bites his lower lip continues," She had cheated on your father with another man, and that's how you came about. Your father took you in because he loved your mother ", my tears are swelling up, I can feel the world crumbling down at his words.

" Who is the man?", i ask cautiously. " It's... General Parker, while your father was sick, he took care of her and things ended up where they weren't supposed to ", i lie back on the bed, thinking about the news.

General Parker, he'd been in our family for years before he retired. He used to take good care of me, he didn't want anything or anyone against me. I sometimes wondered why he treated like his own child but he would just say that he loved children. Now it makes sense.

He puts the tray away and places on the table behind him then turns to me. "I'm sorry", i shake my head, " You don't have to be ", i look the other way crying. "It's okay, P", he tries to calm me down. " Get out", i turn the other side, away from his eyes.

Instead of going, he gets on the bed, wraps his arms around me and says sweet nothings to calm me down in which I end up sleeping after. In his warm embrace.