Zilla and Lucian's past
Lucian quickly approached her mouth, and she murmured to him in a very faint voice:
– Please… take care of my daughters… I know I was selfish, and I left you with this responsibility alone, but… please, Lucian, take care of them…
Her tears were falling quietly, and her words were barely audible.
Lucian froze, as if struck by lightning. Then he answered her, his tears falling:
– Where are you going, leaving us?!
She looked at him pleadingly, and said in a weak voice:
– Please… call Zeila…
Zeila ran toward her crying, and approached her.
Her mother said to her:
– My dear Zeila… I'm sorry I left you… take good care of your father and your siblings.
Then she held her hand and added:
– Don't cry, my dear, so I don't feel sad… be strong, protect your younger siblings, and don't leave your father alone…
As for Lucian, he was like a body without a soul, his eyes dazed, and his tears falling in bitter silence. His face was drowning in sorrow, as if all the colors of life had drained from him.
Zeila said in a trembling voice:
– She's calling you, Mom… she's calling Dad…
Zeila tried to talk to her father, but his tone was drowned in shock, until she screamed:
– Dad! She's calling you!
Lucian came to himself with difficulty and said in a hoarse voice:
– What?
He approached her slowly, and she asked him a strange question as she staggered:
– Was I a good wife to you?
He replied, crying:
– Yes… you were the best woman in this world…
Ilara smiled, and said:
– And you… you were the best man in my eyes… you were my support, my refuge when the world became tight… I always looked at you with admiration…
She began to imagine herself as a child looking at him with eyes full of love and admiration, then continued as she vomited blood:
– I admired you since I was young… I always watched you silently…
Lucian screamed:
– Stop! Don't talk more, your condition is getting worse!
But she continued with a sigh:
– Please, my love… take care of them… this is my last wish… and take care of yourself…
With difficulty, she raised her hand, wiped his tears, then pulled his head toward her, and gave him a long kiss.
– This… is the farewell kiss… please, don't forget it…
– Don't be too sad for me… you must stay strong… for our children…
Then her hand fell to the ground, and her eyes went still, while a calm smile appeared on her face. She had passed away…
But she left with a smile, because she married the man she loved, lived with him the most beautiful days, had children with him, and spent with him more than ten years of love and warmth… she fulfilled her dream, and departed in peace.
As for Lucian, he screamed like a small child, hugging her cold body, sobbing without stopping, while Zeila cried beside him with a painful gasp.
The soldiers entered, along with some of Lucian's friends, trying to calm him down, but he did not stop crying, while carrying his two little daughters in his arms, who clung to him in fear.
His deputy approached him and shouted angrily:
– Pull yourself together, you're a man! You must endure! Look at your daughters… look at Zeila… she's on the verge of collapse!
Lucian looked at his eldest daughter and found her lost in sorrow, murmuring in a broken voice:
– Mom… Mom…
Lucian hugged his two daughters and said to them in a trembling voice:
– It's okay… it's okay…
And thus passed one of the worst nights in Lucian's and Zeila's life…
The next day, Ilara was buried in the forest, under a tree she loved.
And from that day on, Lucian stopped fighting and dedicated his life to raising his daughters only.
Zeila sighed and said:
– This is my story, Lady Victoria…
Tears filled Victoria's eyes as she wiped them, and said:
– You suffered a lot… and lived a childhood without a mother… what a poor girl you are…
Zeila replied, her tears flowing:
– But it was my father who suffered more… he hid his pain from us, so we wouldn't be sad… he sacrificed everything for us… he was the best father in the world…
Victoria asked her:
– And he raised you alone?
– Yes… at first it was difficult for him, but he learned how to deal with us… he was kind, gentle, never hit us, and never yelled… he was a perfect father…
Victoria smiled and said:
– You're such a lucky girl to have a father like him… many wish to have a father like that…
Then Victoria remembered "Vlad," who abandoned her and her son…
Then she looked at Zeila and said:
– Don't be sad… you can consider me your mother… I'll treat you exactly like my daughter…
Zeila opened her eyes in surprise:
– Really? You'd consider a girl like me… your daughter?
– Of course… I don't care if you're "a monster" as you say, what matters is that you're now my daughter…
– Can I… hug you?
– Yes, go ahead…
Zeila rushed to her, and hugged her tightly, tears streaming from her eyes like a child, but she was trying to suppress her crying so her two little sisters wouldn't hear…
While she was in Victoria's embrace, she remembered her childhood days… when she used to cling to her mother in the same way…
Victoria stroked her hair gently and said:
– It's okay… tell me everything in your heart… from today on… you are my little daughter…
At that moment, Zeila burst into hysterical crying… she missed the affection of a mother she lost at the age of seven… and had suppressed her sorrow all those years, so her father wouldn't be saddened…
After a long time, Zeila calmed down a bit, moved away from Victoria and said shyly:
– Sorry… I showed you something embarrassing about me…
Victoria laughed and said:
– No, it wasn't embarrassing at all… in fact, it made me very happy… because you felt at ease with me…