Chapter Eight: Confrontation

When Agony stepped out from behind the door, Xenia was utterly taken aback,

She had no idea what to say... she had expected him to scream at her,

Instead, he gestured toward her, motioning for her to place Calli on his back?!

' Since when has he been listening? What a companion with a sister complex! '

She then began preparing the ingredients for breakfast before asking Agony to help start the oven,

She placed two cups of flour, three heaping spoonfuls of what she assumed was fresh milk, and three eggs,

Then, she began whisking them manually before adding vanilla, baking soda, and sugar...

Moments later, Agony stepped into the kitchen and began operating the steam oven in silence...

Xenia hesitated, but decided she'd try to mend things between them...

" Joe, since when have you been enjoying the show? "

His body tensed slightly before he turned toward her and said,

" What do you mean? "

She replied calmly,

" I know you were listening to my conversation with Calli, Why pretend to be clueless? "

His skin crawled at her piercing gaze. He exhaled slowly, then said,

" You're so cruel... Aren't I your son? Why are you speaking to me this way? "

She ignored his theatrical response and answered with a faint smile,

" Don't try to toy with my emotions...

Yes, you are my son... my own flesh and blood, But don't think I don't know you, I know you're trying to distract me from questioning you!

Don't you know it's rude to spy on others? And what about that sister complex of yours?

Don't you realize your excessive protectiveness is only going to hurt her in the end? "

His hands clenched, and he spoke in a repressed voice,

" Why do you care now? After all this time? Don't you think it's a little too late?

And what, my protectiveness will hurt her? I care about her "

Xenia replied with a cold tone, as if speaking to an adult – not a child,

" You fool, Yes, your overprotection will hurt her, Look at me! Do you want her to become a bad mother like me? Didn't I become this way because of my father's overprotectiveness?!

And I'm not telling you to leave her alone, just... don't overdo it "

She paused for a moment, then continued...

" Also, I know you feel inferior... because of me, and because of Edgar,

But that's no excuse for your deviation, or your self-loathing!

Do you think I wanted to become this? No! No! My father – whom I loved... sold me to a miserable man like your father!

And you... you were the result of me sleeping with him!

How could I cherish you, when you remind me of my own wretched self?

Edgar became my only way to survive, I kept wondering,

'What if he kicks me out one day? Where will I go? Will he throw Agony out with me?'

Yes, I hated you – and I loved you, You were my weakness,

but also the reason I endured life in this crumbling shack!

I was a princess who once lived in a house a thousand times bigger than this,

then became a slave overnight!

Your life has been hard since birth—but mine was beautiful... until it shattered in an instant!

Haven't you heard the saying? 'You don't appreciate a blessing until you lose it' "

Then tears flowed gently from Xenia's eyes.

Aghh! A deep pain seized her heart...

Then, suddenly!!!

She collapsed to her knees, gasping for air,

her face pale, as if she were on the verge of death!

Agony panicked, fear consuming him.

He ran to her, held her face, weeping:

" Mom! Breathe, Mom! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

I didn't know you were feeling all this! Please don't leave me! Mom!! "

Xenia's eyes fluttered shut,

and her body crumpled to the floor...

She had lost consciousness!!!

She found herself in a foggy world,

numb and unfeeling,

but she heard voices – calling her name.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

Agony and Callista hovered above her.

Agony was wiping water on her face, crying,

while Callista rubbed her hands.

Her eyelids were too heavy to keep open,

so she shut them once more...

and heard nothing!

She felt as though she were floating on clouds...

——

She was in a grey world, blanketed in thick fog, Time was meaningless there, and direction had long lost its significance, But suddenly... the mist cleared...

And before her unfolded a vision of her former life—a life that felt as distant as a forgotten dream...

She found herself in her old room, the one that had always wrapped her in a sense of safety.

The white bedsheets, her neatly stacked books on the wooden shelves, the faint scent of lavender rising from her pillow – everything was just as she had left it years ago.

She sat on the bed, and without warning, her little sister burst into the room, laughing, Xenia rushed to embrace her, The child was still so small, so innocent, her voice as soft as a lullaby, She asked simple questions about life and giggled at every answer, as if the world were still a place of wonder.

Then the scene shifted...

She saw herself once more indulging in the hobbies she had long abandoned—drawing, singing, reading beneath the golden shafts of sunlight pouring through the window, For a fleeting moment, she felt alive again, Whole, As though nothing had ever been broken.

But peace never lingered long...

The light dimmed. Shadows crept in, and the air grew heavy! A familiar face emerged from the darkness... her relative, the one who had exploited her when she was a child, And then came the memories... merciless and raw,

Her tears, Her silent screams, The helplessness etched in the eyes of her younger self, The voice within her that had always cried out: "Why won't anyone save me?!"

She saw herself curling into bed each night, hugging her own body, trembling with cold and fear, She saw the nights she'd hide the bruises beneath long sleeves,

She saw herself staring into the mirror, hating what she saw!!

The visions shifted swiftly again...

She glimpsed Xenia's true life—her real one, Lavish, luxurious, so unlike her own, A life of pampering, not survival...

And then, abruptly...

She saw her wedding day... Edgar's cold face, the dress she never chose, the fear in her chest as she was led down the aisle like a lamb to slaughter.

She saw herself beneath the rain, screaming soundlessly as her tears melted into the storm.

She saw Agony as a newborn, and how she looked at him with a mix of love, guilt, and denial.

She saw the moment she shattered, begging her father, and the cottage that became a tomb for her soul.

And finally, she saw herself...

Standing on the edge of a cliff. Below her, a raging sea. Above, a starless sky.

She leaned forward, ready to fall, when two small voices called out to her:

" Mama... don't go..."

She turned!

There they were – Callista and Agony – reaching out their hands to her..

And in that moment,

She smiled....

——

Agony was terrified when he saw his mother gasp... then collapse,

Her hands were freezing cold, He tried speaking to her, but she wouldn't respond!

He was scared she'd leave –

before he had a chance to answer her words...

He ran to Calli in a panic and woke her up!

Together, they began wiping Xenia's face with water...

Finally, her eyes fluttered open for a moment,

but she soon shut them again,

Her face was pale as paper,

cold sweat dripping from her forehead..

Edgar entered the house—

but no one came to greet him.

He walked to the kitchen,

and froze at the sight before him!

His wife was lying on the floor, her face deathly pale!!!

while their children tried to wash her face with water!

He shouted at the top of his lungs,

" What happened?! "

Callista cried as she answered,

" Mom... Mom fainted seven minutes ago! "

Edgar screamed, shaking her,

" Damn it! It's been too long since she passed out! Why hasn't she woken up yet?!

Agony, go to Doctor Rick and bring him here!

His house is nearby... he'll come quickly, Hurry!!! "

" Xenia! Xenia! "

" Mom! Mom! "

The doctor burst in moments later, panting,

and knelt beside her to examine her..

Suddenly!!

Xenia's feet began to tremble,

then her waist, and then her whole body began to convulse violently.

Her eyes rolled back...

and white foam started pouring from her mouth!!!!