Chapter 35
Chapter 35:
I blink my eyes open, feeling the release and comfort of the air around me as it envelops me in a calm, tranquil tenderness. The air carries a soothing peace, cradling me, rocking me like a child in a mother’s arms.
“Melissa p>
The voice is as smooth as silk, as soft as velvet. It seeps into me, its familiar warmth wrapping around me like a blanket shielding me from the cold.
I know this voice. It is the only voice that calls me by my full name. The only voice that is a bittersweet reminder of the person who loved me as though I were the only treasure in the whole world.
I turn toward the direction of the voice.
And I see her.
“Mum p>
She smiles. It can’t be.
My mother is dead. She is in the afterlife.
Wait—am I already in the afterlife?
My confusion melts away when she walks toward me, her face glowing with the brightest, most mesmerizing smile. She stops in front of me, her deep blue eyes reflecting my own, shining with the familiar embers of her love for me. A love that shielded me for fifteen years. A love whose strong presence and aura I still feel wrapping around me.
When her fingers lift to touch my face, the warmth of that love spreads through my entire body, igniting me, reviving me.
I watch tears fall from her glassy blue eyes, streaming down her cheeks.
“Hello, my little Melissa,” she whispers.
Hot tears sting my eyes as I throw myself into her arms, feeling them wrap around me in an ethereal embrace, soft yet firm. Her warmth soaks into the core of my being, molding me back together piece by piece, breath by breath. I could feel her essence filling the void left in me by her death nine years ago.
With her, I find the peace I have always longed for. With her, I feel safe.
I feel whole. I feel found.
I am home. I am finally home.
“I miss you so much, Mum,” I croak into her neck, inhaling her scent, drowning in the familiar blend of cherries and cinnamon.
“I miss you too, my love. There is never a moment that passes when I do not watch over you.” She pulls back slightly, her hand caressing my face, wiping my tears away. “You have grown so much into the most, strongest woman I always taught you to be. I am so proud of you p>
Ⱡ𝖆𝓉𝓮𝓼𝓉 ςһ𝓪ρ𝑡𝑒𝗋𝓈 ⳑ𝖆𝓁𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀․ⅽ𝗈𝗺
I clutch her tighter, silencing the voice in my head that warns me this moment won’t last. I hug her with the fear that she might slip through my fingers again, taken from me the same way the world took her all those years ago.
But alongside the fear comes happiness, swelling inside me at finally seeing her again. Finally holding her again.
Her hand strokes my hair, the steady rhythm offering a coziness only my mother could ever give. She pulls back and kisses my forehead.
“I love you, my baby. But why do you deny yourself the love that you truly deserve p>
“What p>
She smiles. “I am talking about Asher p>
My breath catches. “How… how do you know about that p>
“My love, I watch over you. And I know everything p>
Fresh tears sting my eyes and spill over in torrents. Did she also know how agonizing it was to hide my feelings all these years?
“Mom, I love him,” I whisper, my voice broken by tears. “But I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance to tell him p>
My mother pulls me back into her embrace, and I bury myself in her scent, letting the pain in my heart yield to her healing touch.
“My love, you will get the chance to tell him p>
“How, Mom?” I mutter into the crook of her neck. “He’s badly injured. Mum, I’m scared he won’t make it. And it’s all my fault.” My eyes shut as more tears fall. “It’s all my fault p>
“Shhhh, my love. It is not your fault. None of this is your fault p>
She lifts my head from her shoulder, cupping my face in her hands, her loving eyes radiating so much affection it nearly breaks me.
“Melissa, you will definitely get the chance to tell him how much you love him. I have seen how much you care about him, how much he means to you. I have also seen how much Asher loves you too p>
“Why, Mum?” My cracked voice whispers into her neck. “Why do feelings like this have to be so hard p>
“Nothing good comes easy, darling.” She smiles, her fingers wiping away the tears on my cheeks. “In life, there are obstacles we must face and fight toprotect the people we love. And we do that because they are worth it. Asher fought for you because you are worth it. You are worth the love you deserve. And it is out there, in that hospital, waiting for you to come back p>
My heart squeezes at the words “come back.” To be totally honest, seeing my mum after nine long years of struggling through adolescence and adulthood with countless challenges, I am torn between staying here with her and going back to the real world. Back to Asher.
I love Asher. So much. But I also love my mum.
“Mum p>
“Don’t say it, Melissa.” She smiles softly, shaking her head. “Don’t think too much about the right choice p>
She cradles my face in her hands and kisses my forehead. “You have to go back. You and Asher do not belong here yet p>
“But Mum p>
“I love you, Melissa. And I will always be with you. Always p>
My gut twists into painful knots as her words hit me. “Mum, no. Please! I want to stay here with you p>
“My love p>
I cling to her tightly, the fear of leaving her tightening around my throat. “I want this, Mum. I want to stay here with you. I don’t want to go back to that world. At least not yet p>
“Melissa, Asher needs you p>
“I need you too, Mum p>
The light around us begins to fade. A whooshing sound, like a mighty rushing wind, pricks at my ears, my senses. I cling tighter to my mum, fighting against the invisible pull dragging me from behind.
“Mum, don’t leave me. Please, stay with me p>
The wind drowns out much of my voice, and briefly, I begin to fear she didn’t hear my plea.
She pulls me back, a few inches away from her face. I grab her hands, wrapping them in mine, hoping that my grip will keep me here with her.
“Mum, I don’t want to go,” I sob. “I love you p>
Her deep blue eyes sparkle and glimmer as her tears fall, their warmth landing on my hands that clutch tightly around hers.
“I love you, my little Melissa,” she says with a gentle smile. “Always and forever p>