Chapter 60
Tudo Por Amor ~ Calema ft. Kataleya
"Isla? Isla is that you? My goodness, it's you my child! And you're pregnant, wow!" She looked equally shocked, her lips broadening into a wide smile as both Rhea and I stared at her.
She was a slender, beautiful woman with light hazel eyes that could allure any man into her trap. She had generously passed all her features to me, from her chestnut brown hair to the nail structure.
"I don't, dont believe this! What, what is this?!" I was hyperventilating as I gazed at the woman before me. It was impossible. It was highly impossible.
"It's possible-"
"No, no! No! No! No it's not! You're dead! You're supposed, supposed to be fucking dead! You're dead!" I was screaming like a maniac as I pulled my hair, breaking down in no time at all as I fell to my knees.
How could this be? This wasn't happening to me. My own mother was not supposed to be standing before me right now, she wasn't supposed to be alive. I had buried her seven years ago, six feet under the ground.
A mixture of intense emotions coursed through my body as I screamed and cried at the same time, shaking my head vehemently and convulsing in severe shock, pain, disbelief.
All the memories began to flood into my memory, my eyes hazing as I replayed everything. Every single moment of my life. Especially the moments where I had to live without them for the first time ever.
The moment where the house was sold due to the massive debt. The moment where all the expensive furniture was auctioned and I was left with no possession at all.
The moment where everyone turned their backs on me and I was a complete outcast, losing everyone's support and sympathy. The moment where no one loved me and I felt very suicidal.
The moment I became a beggar on the streets after my own best friend betrayed me, sleeping by the sidewalk. The moment where it was a pure embarrassment to associate with me and no one wanted to employ me.
The moment where I had no family, no food, no money or shelter. The moment I had no one to share my grief with or to confide in.
The moment I lost myself as a person, lost hope in humanity and accepted that I truly was an outcast, completely shut out of the real, warm world and pushed into the cruel depths of darkness.
The moment my love for my parents died.
The moment I resented them for leaving me.
All those tears... Had they been for nothing? All those times I got depressed on their birthdays and the day of their death, had that been fake too? Had I wasted an entire seven years over people who were still alive?
Had I endured torturous emotional grief all for nothing? For people who had never loved me in the first place? People who had lied to me and destroyed my happiness, the last few bits of my teenagehood and majority of my adulthood? People who left me with nothing but so much paperwork concerning unresolved debt? Had I been living a lie?
"Isla, look at me. Baby, baby. Look. At. Me." A relaxing, deep voice spoke to me as I breathed rapidly, sobbing and choking at the same time and it sure felt like I was about to die. I wanted to die.
"It can't, can't be. No, no, no," I could barely decipher anything around me as some strong arms wrapped tightly around my body to stop my body from shaking.
"Baby, Isla. I'm here, listen, I want you to breathe. Just breathe okay. Let's do it together, one, breathe in, two, breathe out," I followed the instructions of the voice I was hearing, attempting to breathe through the tears.
"Get her away from me! Get her away please, no. No please," I whimpered as I felt a hand massage my neck, then my back, and within a few minutes, I could feel myself calm down.
"Yes baby, you can do this, breathe in slow, yes. Breathe out, that's it." I began to cope, my vision slowly clearing as I stared into the familiar grey eyes above me. They were tranquillising me, pulling me into a deep, relaxing hypnosis.
"Yves," I whispered as he stroked my cheek gently.
"It's me baby, you're okay. Come on, let me help you up." I gripped his shoulders tightly as he carried me and placed me back on my feet.
I wobbled a little but he held me tightly, his gaze giving me a silent yet strong assurance that he was going to be with me every step of the way.
Yves was my angel, my saviour.
He was the only person who taught me how to love again. The person that elevated me from nothingness. Saved me from poverty and gave me the best life ever.
He resurrected my soul, and loved me for who I was. He helped me live life with a purpose.
He was the man that loved me unconditionally, the man that saw the beauty in my flaws and taught me how to embrace them. The man who convinced me to do things I vowed I'd never do, like getting married.
He was the man who brought light to my life, showed me the small silver lining in the cloud and made me feel so special. He made me feel worthy of love. Introduced me to a completely different dimension of living and helped me adapt one of the best ways of living and beneficial habits.
Yves was a very special person to me, he was the only person in the world who truly owned and deserved a place in my heart. He deserved my love, the love that came from the depths of my soul.
"I'm so sorry you had to find out this way Isla, but your father died recently, Rhea was reportedly there. I didn't know until a month after everything. I'm so sorry for what I did-"
"Shut up, just shut up woman. I don't want to hear, hear anything from you. Not even your stupid sorry, my mother died, end of story." I refused to look her in the eyes, making a silent attempt to shut out all the painful memories that were haunting me.
Her eyes filled with tears as she looked between Rhea and I. Rhea had her arms folded, she felt equally betrayed. And the realisation that Rhea was my sister dawned on me and it finally made sense.
That aura she had, the special connection that we had, the same hair color. All the similarities that the family members pointed out in passive.
It was truly fate that I had been living with my biological sister all along, in the same house. The man who had died had been our father.
Who knows where she would've ended up if Sienna hadn't gone out that day, or if she wasn't compassionate enough to take her in?
"Rhea-"
"You lied to me too Mom! I thought you were dead, Mr. Yves told me that you ran away. I tried not to believe it, but you did. You abandoned Dad and I!" She sounded infuriated as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"You don't understand, I did it for you-"
"No! Dad died before my eyes, I was probably going to be in the foster home if Sienna and Mr. Yves and Isla didn't accept me into their family. You never loved me and you made sure to remind me that everyday since I began growing up." Rhea sniffled as Ocean moved to hold her hand. He could tell that it was a very sensitive and serious moment, and he wanted to comfort his closest friend.
"Rhea, Isla, you're both my children, I love you dearly, give me a chance to explain and make amends," she pleaded as I shook my head in disgust.
"Listen, Rita. I will never ever accept you as my mother anymore. I buried my mother and she's gone. I mourned for seven years, I was homeless because every single Kingston belonging was sold to pay the endless debts-"
"The people we owed were going to kill us, we had to-"
"Run away? At my expense? You truly have no heart. I slept on the streets for months, I was a beggar for the longest time ever, I was a cold and hungry orphan. I was reduced to nothing at all because you left. Up till this day, these memories pain me, they drag me down and sometimes I can't sleep. Sometimes my husband wakes me up from the nightmares of losing you and Dad, but you had the audacity to lie to me. You allowed me to live a lie, you allowed me to suffer while you were still alive, and I honestly hate you. Hate is such an understatement because I have a deep resentment for you. I really regret having lousy parents like you, things shouldn't have been this way, but you brought this upon yourself." I shook my head, wiping my tears furiously.
"We may have seen each other, and I may be aware that you exist, but we are disowning you as a mother. You have truly disappointed Rhea and I, you don't deserve our love or sympathy, hell you don't even deserve my breath right now. There's so much I want to say but I won't, you are a waste of my time and breath. I'll never forgive you, I'll never love you, that's it. And I hope we never meet again. Ever." I didn't hesitate to tell her exactly what I was thinking, and I meant it. I wanted nothing to do with her at all.
It was then that I realised a number of businesspeople had left their work and offices to come and witness the havoc. Even Terrence was present, watching the drama unfold before him. I was certain that my screaming fit had attracted so much attention.
"I will still love you nevertheless, you're my blood. And I hope one day, you will change your mind and find it in your heart to forgive me." I didn't bother responding to her, instead picking Ocean up and taking Rhea's hand then walking away with them. Yves followed us, his strong arm secured around my waist.
"I'd like you to leave my company immediately and you are never to step foot here ever again." I heard Terrence speak to her in an authoritative tone. I respected him for that. I really did.
"I'm so sorry baby," Yves handed me his dark glasses to disguise my swollen eyes. I loved him.
"I'm just in shock. It feels like I'm dreaming, I was lied to my whole life. My whole life Yves," I sniffled, choking up another sob as he wrapped his arms around me, consoling me.
"Don't cry my love, I'm here for you," he kissed my forehead as I sighed.
"Don't cry Mommy, we love you." Ocean's tiny voice met my ears, and that alone brought a smile to my face.
"I love you too." I wiped my tears after pulling away from Yves.
"You two will be okay, alright?" Yves bent down to hug Rhea tightly as well and she smiled. I couldn't believe that I actually had a sister. Moreover, I had been living with her all along, unaware that she actually was my sister.
"I'll see you later tonight. I just want to go home." I shook my head, opening the car door for the back seat. I carefully placed Ocean then buckled his safety belt, placing a kiss against his cheek. Then I also helped Rhea into the car before finally shutting the door.
"Are you sure you can drive alone?" He held the small of my back.
"I'm sure, I'm okay. Thank you for everything, I'll just see you when you come back." I nodded.
"I'm worried about you. I think I'll close the deal quickly then come home immediately, I don't want you to feel like you're alone because I'm always here to support you." Yves spoke in a gentle tone.
"I know you are, I appreciate that. Katerina and Sienna are at home, I'll be fine I promise." I gave him a hug which he reciprocated.
"I love you so much, remember that." He whispered into my ear. Those seven words gave me a sense of security and reassurance. And I was truly grateful for him.
"I love you even more."
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