Past - 25
Third Party's POV:
"Why did he say things like that? What did I even do to him?" Tears flowed down Elysia's eyes without stopping, recalling Ares' cold words.
"Finally I found you," Sven approached her, he had been looking for her everywhere.
When he noticed Elysia crying, his footsteps halted, "what the f*ck! Are you crying?"
He came towards Elysia with rushed footsteps and crouched down in front of her.
"Who made you cry? Say the name, and I'll break their bones, just say it!" he placed his hands on either side of her on the bench and said seriously.
His words reminded Elysia of Ares' departing words and tears rolled down with more intensity.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sven panicked, looking at her face, unsure of what to do.
"Sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything, huh, can't you stop crying?" He asked in a slightly panicked voice, trying to wipe the tears off her cheeks.
"Look, see, I'm truly sorry, huh?" Sven held his ears with his hands, almost begging for her to stop crying. Elysia's tears were his weakness and it was the only thing he didn't know what to do with.
Elysia's tears weren't stopping. She wanted to let them out, once and for all. She silently lowered her face again, crying quietly.
Sven cursed the person who made her cry like this. He wanted to break their bones for every tear she was shedding due to them.
He scratched his head anxiously, thinking about ways to stop her crying. Her amber eyes were red and swollen due to her continuous crying.
Suddenly, having an idea in his mind, Sven stood up and stepped back a little. He ran his hands through his hair, glancing around.
'What's this girl making me do?' He thought, but seeing her tears, he didn't give much thought to his reputation. Clearing his throat, he started singing;
🎵"Elysia, Elysia, don't feel down, you got me,"🎵 making a mic with his hand, he started dancing awkwardly. Although he tried to be confident, his expressions give him away, revealing his embarrassment.
Elysia slowly looked up, hearing him singing, her mouth agape in shock, seeing him dancing clumsily, even her tears seemed to pause because of surprise.
🎵"Life's got its bumps, but you're my star,"🎵 He attempts a waltz-like spin, but it turns into a half-stumble. Sven extended his arms out pointing towards the sky, then pointed at Elysia and gently flicked her nose. She covered her nose like a kid, making him chuckle.
🎵"Let's forget the blues, no matter where you are."🎵 He spin around once and opened his arms, his eyes fixed only on Elysia as she stared at him with large eyes.
🎵"With a twirl and a jig, I'll chase those tears away,"🎵 Sven gently brushed the tears away from Elysia's face and then his own imaginary tears, pretending to toss them away.
🎵"Laughing through the troubles, come what may!"🎵 Singing the last verses of his made up song, he did a final little funny twerk and wiggled his eyebrows, looking at Elysia.
"Did my sexy moves made you speechless? Already fallen for me?" He pursed his lips to stop from smiling when he noticed she stopped crying. "Ah!!! This happens everytime; girls can't handle my sexiness," he smirked and did an exaggerated hair flip.
A smile appeared on Elysia's face, breaking into giggles through tears. "What sexy? You looked funny," she sniffled in between giggles and wiped her tears.
A wide grin took its place on Sven's face, chuckling along with her, making him relieved that she wasn't sad anymore.
"At least you smiled," he sat beside her on the bench, gently ruffling her hair, and softly wiped her cheeks.
"Thank you," Elysia muttered, wiping her eyes. In the past, she always used to hide somewhere before crying her heart out, but since she had met Sven, and felt like crying, he would somehow find her everywhere, no matter where she was...
"If you really want to thank me, then don't cry too much," he flicked her nose again, making Elysia glare at him playfully. It had become his habit to always flick her nose whenever he got the chance, but Sven was totally unaffected by her glares. "I wouldn't say don't cry at all because I know you can't do it. You even cry if some stranger is crying in front of you," Elysia gave him a long side glance, thinking he was exaggerating a little too much.
Yes, she sometimes ends up getting emotional if she sees someone crying, but it wasn't so often... Maybe it was, but not that much!
"Don't give me that look, clumsy head, you know I'm right," Sven commented with a smile before turning serious. "Would you trust me enough to tell me what happened for once?" He asked softly, looking at her expectantly.
This habit of Elysia was the most difficult one for Sven to break through. She never shared her problems with anyone, or her worries, or if someone hurt her anyhow. She had a habit of keeping things to herself, crying alone, and never showing her state to others. Esme and Sven had a hard time breaking this shell of hers, and now she at least didn't hold herself in front of them, but she still kept a lot of things to herself. They even didn't know what actually happened to her in the past, which resulted in having a severe case of PTSD. She never shared it with them, and neither did her parents talk about this.
It was like a forbidden topic in Lawson's home.
But Sven wanted to break all her barriers, completely bringing her out of her past.
Elysia stared at the ground, contemplating Sven's words for a while before she spoke in a small voice. "Ares..."
'Of course, Ares! Who else if not him?' Sven cursed Ares inwardly but listened attentively to Elysia.
"Ares thinks I'm a bad person. I don't know why he thinks like that. I didn't even do anything to them, but...he said he is disappointed with me!" Elysia instantly gulped back the tears, refusing to break down in front of Sven once again.
When it came to Ares, even a single harsh word from him was enough to make Elysia cry for months. She was that sensitive about him, yet today he said so many harsh things.
"What did he say?" Sven asked calmly. Not a single crease came to his forehead in front of Elysia.
"Just this," Elysia answered and didn't tell Sven about what else Ares said. She didn't want Sven to think worse about Ares than he already does.
Sven stayed quiet, silently observing Elysia. He knew she wouldn't tell him anything further, but he wasn't going to let this go this time. Ares had crossed his limits this time...
Sven dropped Elysia at home after school and went directly to Ares' place.
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Elysia's POV:
I entered home quietly, making my way to my parents' room on tiptoes. With my bag in hand, I felt like a spy in a movie; absurdly, my parents weren't even home.
Mom and Dad's anniversary was approaching in a few days, and we were planning to surprise them.
Esme and Sven were idiots to give me a stealing task. They knew I couldn't play a spy, yet they sent me to bring my parents' wedding photographs and keep an eye on them.
As I reached the room without a noise and placed my hand on the doorknob, I heard Dad's familiar voice from inside. I thought Dad said they needed to go somewhere?
"Sandra! We can't take the risk. If that man ever found us and tried to take Ely from us, do you think we have a chance to win against her biological father?"
My hand froze on the doorknob, processing Dad's words.
F-father?
My biological father...?!
But I...
"Can we not use Sierra's will, Dean? She made us Elysia's guardian, so—" Mom responded, her voice sounding worried.
"No, we can't, honey! In this world, money speaks louder than truth," Dad interjected.
Sierra?
Biological father?
Guardian?
What were they even talking about?
"Then, until when would we hide, Dean? Until when would we hide Elysia from the world? She is young for now, but as she grows up and starts her own life, she will need her freedom. She will start questioning us. Do you think we would be able to answer her without telling her about him?" I heard Mom's frustrated voice. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, not understanding at all.
Mom and Dad know about my biological parents?!
How could that be?
"What else are we going to do, Sandra? Tell Elysia that her mother faced abuse for years by her lover? Tell her how her own biological father tried to kill her mother because she was pregnant with her?" Dad responded, his voice shaking.
A gasp escaped my lips as I felt everything around me still. The bag I was holding fell from my hand with a thud, but I couldn't move as my mind went blank...
Abuse?
Kill?
My mother?
Silence fell inside the room suddenly, and within a few seconds, the door flew open, revealing Dad and Mom, staring back at me, equally shocked. Their faces turned pale, while I looked at Dad without blinking, my eyes blank.
"E-Elysia," Mom called. My gaze gradually shifted to her welled-up eyes, and I felt a pang in my chest as tears flowed down my cheeks too.
"Oh, my baby," Mom rushed towards me, taking my still shocked form into her arms. I felt her body shaking as she stroked my back, but I couldn't react to anything. Dad's words still rang in my head like a broken record.
Kill! Abuse! Kill! Abuse! Kill! Abuse!
I felt my breathing falter as my body started shaking violently, and I couldn't breathe, my eyes shut close.
" You want me to forgive you? Then bleed! " An eerie voice cut through my thoughts.
" You are going to do as I say and tell your papa that you like to play in dungeons," her calm voice.
" You liked your papa, didn't you? Don't worry, I will send you to him now! " That voice again, that calm robotic voice, and blood, so much blood...
"Elysia, it's okay, I'm here, I'm here, you're safe," I could hear Mom's familiar voice, but it felt like it was coming from very far away. "Dean, her tablets! She is having an attack."
"Elysia, focus on me, focus on my voice only, I'm your mom, your Sandra mom! No one else." Mom's familiar voice again.
" Where are you, Elysia? I'm gonna find you, " that creepy calm voice and that knife.
Darkness...
So dark...
"Come out of it, Ely! You can do it, my baby. Your Sandra mom needs you." I felt a strong hold of arms around me, tightening further.
Warm...
Familiar...
Home...
My home...
My mom...
I opened my eyes and instantly met with her familiar hazel ones. The previous voices in my head grew distant now.
"M-mom," I spoke, my voice still shaking and uncertain. Mom cupped my face, nodding her head.
"Yes, it's me, you're here with me now. I won't let anyone hurt you. Everything is okay now," I felt her gentle hands on my cheeks, wiping my tears.
The voices in my head suddenly slowed, drifting farther and farther, eventually leaving nothing but a long profound silence. My eyes fixed on Mom without blinking.
In this vast world of billions, if even one person truly becomes yours and stands by your side with utmost sincerity, then those painful moments of life, those helpless years spent in despair, the tearful nights endured in darkness – all of that doesn't seem as painful in front of that one person.
Sometimes, just one person is enough...to mend your broken pieces.
"I love you, Mom!" Words escaped from my lips as my arms flew around her, embracing her with my everything.
It takes a lot to be a mother, and not every woman deserves to be one, like someone I once knew...
"I love you the most, Ely! You're God's greatest blessing for us," she held me firmly, stroking my head gently. My tears stopped, my body stopped shaking, and my surroundings became brighter once again.
My gaze shifted to Dad, standing just beside Mom with tablets and water in hand, quietly observing us. Regret was evident on his face, and I sensed he blamed himself for the things I overheard.
Gradually releasing Mom, I rushed into Dad's arms, reassuring him that he wasn't at fault, and I was okay.
After taking my tablets, I sat beside them and, in a low voice, asked, "I...I want to know the truth." Turning my gaze toward them, I caught uncertainty and worry on their faces.
"...Please," I requested. I didn't know how the truth might affect me or what I would think of my biological parents afterward, but I needed to know.
Mom looked at Dad inquisitively. Dad glanced at me before nodding in confirmation and walked toward their bedroom drawers.
He retrieved an album and sat on my other side, handing the photo album to Mom. My eyes silently watched their movements, patiently waiting.
Mom opened the photo album, placing it on my lap. A picture showed three kids, two girls, one boy, probably five or six years old, standing together and laughing at the camera. My eyebrows raised in surprise as I turned my gaze to Mom for confirmation.
She nodded with a somber smile and responded, "That's us. The boy is Dean, the girl in blue is me, and..." my eyes shifted to the other girl. Hazel brown eyes, beautiful chestnut brown hair, and the brightest smile. "This girl in the green dress is Sierra... Sierra Wills, your mother!" A silent gasp escaped my lips, staring at her bright innocent eyes and beautiful face.
M-my mother?
The woman who gave birth to me?
I was in a state of shock, processing the words and absorbing the situation. Mom turned the page, showing me other pictures. From children to becoming adults, they were all together, growing up.
"Dean, Sierra, and I were neighbors. We met at a very young age and quickly became friends. We were inseparable; going to school together, playing, studying, and everything. We were always together. When we were in high school, Dean and I fell in love, and Sierra was the happiest for us. She was the most beautiful person we had ever met in our life, cheerful, kind, loving, caring, but very stubborn." I looked at Mom as she recalled their past, a faraway look on her face. A somber smile played on her lips, while I just listened without blinking. "You know, you're just like her, Ely! Everything about you, your looks, the way you smile, the way you act, even the way you talk," Mom softly stroked my head before continuing.
"Dean and I got married shortly after our high school ended. We were really young, and our parents were against our marriage at a young age, but Sierra took our stand. She used to say 'When you truly believe that you want to spend your whole life with that person, then there's nothing else that matters!' She protested, argued, and stood like a protective shield in front of us. We don't know how she convinced our parents, but she did, and on our wedding, everyone was happy, but she was the happiest." Mom smiled suddenly, a beautiful and loving smile. A very slight smile automatically spread across my lips.
"Dean's parents shifted to Austria after our marriage, and my parents also returned to Belgium, but not before sharing their uncertainties about our marriage. We knew their concerns were valid; we were young and didn't have established careers. Still, we wanted to prove our parents wrong by working hard and showing them that we could make it." Mom's face turned somber as she continued.
"Things changed for us in college. In an accident, Sierra's parents died. The strong and cheerful girl we had known our whole lives became quiet and lost. We grew worried about her because she built a wall around herself and didn't let us in. It took more than a year for her to smile a little. We tried to be with her all the time, and by the end of our college, we noticed she was returning to her cheerful nature again. We were relieved, thinking she was overcoming her parents' death, but we didn't realize there was something we didn't know..." I felt mom's voice shake slightly, making me look at her in confusion.
"It was the time when Dean and I were thinking of making use of my baking skills because I loved baking. That day Sierra suddenly visited us in our rented apartment and told us to come with her. We followed her confused, and then... she brought us here," Tears dropped from her eyes as she looked around, her voice shaking.
"She said it was our wedding gift, and we were too shocked to even say a word at that time. She wanted us to start our bakery and fulfill our dreams. She was too stubborn and didn't let us go until we shifted here. We learned years later that it was the money she and her parents had been saving for their whole life, and," Mom gulped, wiping her tears, "that silly girl gave us that money. Dean and I had already decided to save money and give it back to her one day but didn't tell her because she wouldn't have listened to us."
"One day, Dean's mother fell sick, and doctors weren't too hopeful. We had to fly to Austria urgently and stayed there for a while. We stayed in contact with Sierra, and the last time I talked to her on the phone, she told me that she had fallen in love with someone. She was so happy and wanted us to meet him once we returned. We were, of course, happiest to know that she had also found someone she wanted to spend her life with."
"We returned after Dean's mother was okay and instantly contacted Sierra to meet the guy she mentioned on the call, but we strangely couldn't reach her. We got worried and immediately went to her house, but we were shocked to know that the owner had already sold the house. We searched everywhere she could be, but we couldn't find her. It was like she disappeared without a trace. We filed a missing report and went to everyone who could help but futile; she was nowhere! For years, we kept searching for Sierra, but there was no news about her, no clue, nothing."
"This place didn't feel like home without Sierra. One year later, Dean's mother died, and we flew back to Austria. There were some family matters, and we had to stay back in Austria and then Belgium. But we kept asking for updates about Sierra's missing case, but every time we were answered with a no. Then one day, after more than ten years, we returned to the country. The first thing we did was to check on Sierra's case, and they said they still didn't find her. We were devastated, without knowing what really happened to Sierra. Then we returned to this place, and all of our questions were answered at once." Tears flowed like an unstoppable tsunami from her eyes. My own cheeks were damp, expectantly looking at her to continue.
I needed to know what really happened!
"We...we got Sierra's letters, we got to know about you," a sob released her lips, and I instantly held her cold hands. Dad held our shoulders, and I noticed he had tears in his eyes as well.
"What... happened to her?" I asked, my own voice shaking. Mom looked at me, wiping my cheeks.
"The man she fell in love with was a liar. He was already married before and had a son too. Sierra was truly hurt at his betrayal, and she confronted him and wanted to leave him, but..." My hands shook, bracing myself.
"But?" I asked.
"That...that man didn't let her go. He kidnapped her, kept her somewhere far, very far from people. She said in her letters that it was a desolate island or someplace she didn't know. For years, he kept her there, forced her, and didn't treat her well when she tried to run away." Mom was telling me the truth, I could tell, but she wasn't going into details, and I knew why.
The abuse my mother faced was all done by the man she loved the most...
An intense sense of pure hatred grew within me, and the intensity was something I had never felt before.
"Your mother said he was a very powerful man. She was unable to escape his clutches, no matter what she did. Then, she became pregnant...with you," mom's voice lowered, squeezing my hand.
A tear fell from my eye, already understanding what happened next.
He tried to kill my mother because of me...
"He wasn't happy, and tried to kill Sierra. After that day, she didn't say how she escaped, but she did, and she ran away from there. She didn't contact us because that man knew about us. We don't know how Sierra lived by hiding from him, but when you were born, she saved those memories for us to see. She wrote us letters and placed that in our letterbox. She told us about you," mom took a box from dad and showed me a stack of pictures.
I took them with a shaking hand. The first picture was the same woman with bright hazel eyes, holding a baby wrapped in a white blanket. She was smiling in the picture, holding the baby to her chest.
"It's..." I couldn't complete my sentence as a lump formed in my throat. Mom nodded.
"Yes, it's you and your mother!" A sob released from my mouth, holding the pictures with cold shaking hands. I shakily flipped the next pictures.
In all the pictures, she was holding me to her chest, cradling me in her arms. But I noticed something; she was getting paler and paler in every picture. I looked at mom, and she seemed to understand my gaze as she held my shoulders, pulling me close to her.
"Sierra was sick." She spoke slowly. "She...had cancer, stage four, metastatic breast cancer." My teeth were clenched tightly to keep myself still, but it was unbearable. Mom was also talking very slowly, as it was hard for her to speak.
I held the pictures with shaking yet firm hands. In between pictures, there was a paper that caught my eyes. I held the small folded paper, taking it out between pictures.
"It's for you..." Mom said. I looked at her, and she explained, "Sierra wrote it for you. She wanted to give this to you when you get to know about her."
I turned my gaze back to the old paper and unfolded it with shaking hands. A beautiful writing greeted me first and then those words...
" My Dearest Elysia!
If you're reading this, then I may not be with you by that time. I'm writing this letter right now as I stare into your beautiful eyes. You're playing with your toy currently. You really love your small teddy bear. You always keep it with you, and you cry whenever you don't find it near you. You also cry when you don't see me around. My baby is such a Mama's girl...
You see, my baby... I wish to see you grow up into a beautiful person, inside out. I wish to see you smiling brightly and I wish to see you happy in your life, but... life may not allow me to be with you by that time.
However, I want you to know that you are very precious to me, too important, the world's greatest treasure. You're my daughter Elysia, and I know you'd grow up stronger than me, and I just wish for you to find happiness.
Forgive your Mama for not being there for you as you grow older, and forgive your Mama for not being able to give you the home you deserved. I'm sorry, my baby, but know that, I may not be by your side, but I will always be with you, and I will always love you...!
Your loving mother,
Sierra Wills! "
Pain...
Agony...
Longing...
After years of misunderstanding my mother, I finally got to know her, finally got to know how much she loved me, how much I meant to her, I finally got to know my mother who gave birth to me, yet...
I lost her...
I lost her once again...
I clutched her letter to my chest, clenching my teeth in pure agony, feeling lost. A storm of tears dripped from my chin, dampening my clothes.
Mom pulled me closer as I sobbed on her shoulder, mourning for my mother who endured so much pain for years, who lived like a nobody just for my sake, who died silently after years of sufferings...
"W-who...?" I asked between tears, my voice trembling. "The man...who is he?" If there's someone who needs to pay, then it's that man.
"We don't know," mom answered. I turned my burning gaze to her, lips parting in disbelief.
How could they not know about him?
"Your mother never mentioned who he was. She just talked about you and told us to hide you. That's it, we don't know who that man is, that's why we were worried about how we were going to hide you..."
"Why do I need to hide?" I queried.
Because he would try to kill me?
'Two could play the game,' a voice inside my head whispered venomously.
"Because your mother said so, Ely!" Mom stated firmly, "and you're going to respect your mother's and ours wishes, am I understood?" My eyebrows furrowed.
"Am I understood, Elysia Dean Lawson?" Mom asked again, looking directly into my eyes. Her gaze turned searching and sharp.
I lowered my gaze and nodded, "Yes, mom!"
I would not hurt my parents for this, but this matter wasn't done here, not so soon...
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This chapter was too long, so it has also been divided into two!
Please, do share your thoughts!