A Tale Of A Mother

From her childhood until her marriage, Elysia's parents never truly supported her.

They were far from the most supportive people she had ever met, and their actions turned her life into a perpetual cycle of brief joys followed by crushing disappointments.

It was a form of emotional torture. But life has a way of writing its own chapters, and for Elysia, the next chapter was marriage.

At the tender age of fifteen, she was married off to a man more than ten years her senior. Little Elysia had no real understanding of what marriage entailed.

All she knew was that her parents' marriage was a disaster, filled with endless arguments and neglect. She assumed all marriages were like that, including her own. Despite her tumultuous upbringing, Elysia was mature beyond her years.

She vowed never to subject her future children to the same hardships she endured. She wanted them to experience nothing but happiness.

Six months into her marriage, she realized that Raiden, her husband, took care of her like she was a child.

Eventually, she learned that Raiden had fallen for her the first time he saw her, although she had no idea at the time.

Ever the obedient wife, she listened to what he had to say and followed his lead. But people cannot hide their true nature forever.

By the time their first wedding anniversary approached, Elysia could no longer ignore the truth about Raiden.

He might have taken care of her mentally, but physically, it was a different story.

Raiden became a beast during their intimate moments, hurting her repeatedly. She was often left in pain, sometimes unable to walk for days afterward.

Elysia couldn't understand why Raiden, who seemed so caring otherwise, became so brutal when it came to intimacy.

However, she endured it all, believing that her situation was still better than her parents' marriage.

Her parents had never cared about her well-being, and she knew many other children suffered similarly.

Elysia endured Raiden's cruelty because she had no other choice. Divorce was a foreign concept to her; she didn't even know it was an option.

Life carried on, and Elysia became pregnant. The birth of her first child, Ryn, brought her a joy she had never known.

Then came Vanessa and Heidi. Elysia was determined to be a better mother than her own had been.

She wanted to give her children a stable, loving home, unlike the one she had grown up in.

This meant sacrificing her own well-being to ensure their happiness. Whenever Raiden wanted her, she gave her body to him without protest.

She never stopped him, never fought back. Her priority was her children and their well-being.

Despite the pain and suffering she endured, she focused on raising her children in a stable, nurturing environment. Their smiles and happiness were her ultimate blessings.

There were many times when Raiden's demands were relentless, lasting for hours. Yet, Elysia never objected. She lived her life caring for everyone else except herself.

With each passing day, her feelings for Raiden faded. How could she love a man who treated her so brutally?

But then, as the years went by, Elysia fell ill. It was then she realized the true nature of Raiden's care for her.

He had taken care of her mentally, but it was only to ensure he could have her body whenever he desired.

The realization struck her hard, but she remained silent, enduring everything for the sake of her children.

She really didn't understand why Raiden became a beast during their intimate moments.

Although she bore it each time, she justified it by comparing her situation to her parents' marriage, which was far worse.

Her parents never cared about her well-being or even acknowledged their children's problems, and Elysia knew that, unfortunately, many parents around the world were just as neglectful.

Elysia never stopped striving to become a better person, even if she didn't know exactly what that meant. She focused on being a better wife and, most importantly, a better mother every day.

Elysia's love for her children was boundless, and it was this love that kept her going, no matter how much she had to endure.

As her illness progressed, Raiden stopped coming home, and his rare appearances became even less frequent. Elysia's health deteriorated rapidly, and her body grew weaker with each passing minute.

Then came the day when she learned of her husband and son's deaths. Elysia wasn't asleep but resting when some children came to deliver the news to Heidi and Vanessa.

She remembered how they ran to the scene, but inside, Elysia felt a sense of relief.

At least one beast was gone from the world. However, the memories of Raiden resurfaced, and they were all memories she desperately wanted to forget.

Elysia wondered why she could only remember the bad times with Raiden.

She realized that people often remember the bad more vividly than the good, and she was no exception.

She felt sorrow for Ryn, but couldn't ignore that he was becoming just like his father.

Despite her efforts to shield him from negative influences, Ryn had picked up many of Raiden's traits, behaving coldly toward others as Raiden had.

Deep down, Elysia felt a strange relief that Ryn had died before he could become an ultimate beast and ruin another girl's life. One less monster to haunt the world. But her relief was tempered by worry for Heidi and Vanessa.

She never wanted her children to have a life as disastrous as hers, yet their circumstances were even worse.

At sixteen, they were now burdened with the responsibilities of running the household, tasks meant for adults.

Elysia lay in bed, unable to move, consumed by worry. Heidi took care of her, but Elysia's mind was never at rest.

Her thoughts constantly revolved around her daughters. When Heidi informed her that Vanessa would take on the financial responsibilities of the household, Elysia cried.

The pain of knowing her sixteen-year-old daughter was sacrificing her childhood to support the family was more excruciating than her illness. She wanted to recover, to help Vanessa, but felt utterly powerless.

Elysia's life had been one of sacrifice and endurance. Now, bedridden and weak, she could only hope that her daughters would find a way to survive and thrive in a world that had shown them little mercy.

But when she learned that Vanessa was overworking at night, her heart sank deeper than it had on the day she buried her fourth child.

The regret was suffocating, a constant reminder of her perceived failures. That tragic day, when she had to lay her own child to rest, haunted her incessantly. Now, knowing about Vanessa's sacrifices, her sorrow deepened further.

Elysia's life had been a series of harsh, unexpected blows. She had tried to endure everything but often felt she had failed.

This was why she never questioned Heidi or Vanessa about Raiden and Ryn; she had become numb, indifferent.

She felt no empathy toward them anymore, her heart hardened by betrayal and relentless suffering. Her parents, too, had failed her miserably, adding to her cold demeanor.

Heidi was puzzled by Elysia's silence regarding her father and brother, but Elysia saw no need to explain.

Vanessa visited infrequently, and when she did, Elysia had to muster all her strength not to break down in front of her.

She often asked Heidi about Vanessa but frequently forgot to ask Heidi how she was doing.

When Elysia was diagnosed with cancer, she felt an unexpected sense of relief. It was perhaps the happiest day she had experienced in years.

Her children would no longer have to bear the burden of her illness and responsibilities. Finally, she thought, she could leave the world and its sufferings behind.

Yet, a deep worry gnawed at her: Heidi and Vanessa would be left alone, with no one to call their own, no one to share their joys and sorrows.

The final blow came when Elysia learned that Vanessa had turned to prostitution to support them financially. This revelation was the most excruciating pain she had ever known.

Her daughter was enduring the same suffering she had once faced, selling her body to countless men every night just to provide for the family.

The cycle of pain and sacrifice had not ended with Elysia; it had passed on to Vanessa.

This realization shattered Elysia's already broken heart. Seeing Vanessa suffer as she once did was unbearable.

Elysia's own pain paled in comparison to the anguish of knowing her daughter was living the same nightmare.

The regret and guilt overwhelmed her, making her feel as if she had failed in the most crucial aspect of her life: protecting her children from the very suffering she had endured.

The weight of this knowledge was more than she could bear, overshadowing even her terminal illness.

When she heard Heidi's screams, Elysia couldn't hold back her tears. She realized that now, not only Heidi and Vanessa, but her children would also be torn apart from each other.

The family and stability she had longed to provide had crumbled before her eyes. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't give them the life she had envisioned.

Instead, they were trapped in the same cycle of pain and suffering she had desperately tried to shield them from.

Feeling like the worst mother imaginable, Elysia could only think of Vanessa in her final moments.

She agonized over the affection she had failed to show Heidi, the expectations she had left unfulfilled.

She had promised herself to give her children the love and affection she never received, yet she had overlooked Heidi's needs entirely.

In her last breaths, Elysia grappled with the realization that while she may have been a source of strength for Vanessa, she had been a neglectful mother to Heidi.

The sacrifices and struggles Heidi had endured for her went unnoticed, unappreciated.

As Elysia passed from this world, she carried with her a heavy heart burdened by regrets, unrequited love, and unspoken words.

Elysia's story serves as a poignant reminder that no matter how hard one strives to excel, there will always be moments of inadequacy.

Despite her efforts to provide a better life for her children, she found herself falling short in many ways.

In the end, Elysia's realization that nobody is truly "enough" for someone highlights the imperfections inherent in human relationships.

Rather than striving for an unattainable standard of perfection, she learns to accept the uncertainties of life and embrace the unexpected.

Her desire to change fate, even in the face of overwhelming challenges, reflects her unwavering determination to create a better future for herself and her loved ones.

Elysia's story serves as a poignant reminder that while we may not be able to control our circumstances, we can choose how we respond to them, and sometimes, that choice can make all the difference.