A Daughter’s Tears [Part -2]

She looked at her mother’s sleeping face.

"You escaped all of troubles."

Her voice cracked.

"But, I couldn’t."

Her hands clenched into fists.

"Kary needed someone."

"Nira needed someone."

"The family needed someone."

"So I stayed."

Her breathing became uneven.

"I picked up responsibilities that were never supposed to belong to me."

She wiped her eyes but fresh tears immediately replaced them.

"For years I told myself you were a burden."

"For years I blamed you."

Then her expression softened.

A sad smile appeared on her face.

"But every morning I still came here."

"Every night I still checked on you."

"I still cleaned your room."

"I still fed you."

"I still talked to you."

Her gaze slowly lowered.

"Because no matter how much I hated you..."

"...I never stopped loving you."

The tears finally overflowed.

"You weren’t always like this."

"You were my mother."

"My hero."

"The person who taught me how to keep moving forward."

The room became silent once more.

Only Clara’s quiet sobs remained.

And for the first time in years, she allowed herself to cry like a daughter instead of standing strong like a guardian.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

Then another.

Then another.

The dam finally broke.

Clara laughed weakly through her tears.

A broken laugh.

A lonely laugh.

A daughter’s laugh.

Somewhere along the way she had become strong.

Too strong.

Strong enough to carry everyone.

Strong enough to protect everyone.

Strong enough to survive.

But nobody ever asked if she wanted to be strong.

Nobody ever asked if she was tired.

Nobody ever asked if she was afraid.

Everyone simply expected her to keep standing.

Because Clara was reliable.

Because Clara was strong.

Because Clara never fell.

But tonight—

Clara sat quietly beside the bed.

Her mother’s hand rested within her own.

Cold.

Still.

Unmoving.

Outside, the distant sounds of Fantom City drifted through the window.

People preparing.

People praying.

People fearing tomorrow.

An undead army was coming.

Everyone knew it.

Nobody knew if they would survive.

For so many years Clara had carried everyone’s burdens.

She protected her sisters.

Protected her home.

Protected what little remained of their family.

People looked at her and saw strength.

An accomplished adventurer.

A dependable older sister.

Someone fearless.

Nobody ever saw how tired she truly was.

Tonight that mask finally cracked.

Her eyes drifted toward the moonlit window.

And before she realized it...

A certain face appeared in her thoughts.

Black hair.

Golden eyes.

That annoyingly calm smile.

Victor.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

Even now, thinking about him made her chest feel strangely warm.

She remembered his confidence.

The way he never seemed intimidated by anything.

The way impossible situations somehow felt less frightening whenever he was around.

And for the first time in a very long while...

She had allowed herself to imagine a future.

A future where there was no war.

No responsibilities.

No endless burdens.

Just ordinary happiness.

A small home.

A family.

Someone waiting for her when she returned.

Someone she could lean on instead of always being the one others leaned on.

Her smile widened slightly.

Then reality returned.

The smile disappeared.

She lowered her head.

"How ridiculous..."

A shaky laugh escaped her lips.

Tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed.

The future she dreamed about might never happen.

And that frightened her more than any monster.

Tears began falling again.

This time she didn’t stop them.

"I’m scared, Mom..."

The words came out so quietly that they almost disappeared into the darkness.

For years she had never admitted it.

Not to anyone.

Not even to herself.

But now there was nobody left to pretend for.

Her voice broke.

"I’m really scared."

The confession shattered something inside her.

Suddenly all the emotions she had been suppressing came rushing out.

"I don’t want to die."

She lowered her head.

"I haven’t done anything yet."

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I haven’t fallen in love."

"I haven’t built a family."

"I haven’t had children."

"I haven’t restored our family’s name."

A sob escaped her throat.

"I haven’t watched Kary become the amazing woman I know she’ll become."

"I haven’t seen Nira achieve her dreams."

"There are still so many things I want to see."

Her grip around her mother’s hand tightened desperately.

As though she were a child once more.

As though she were begging the world not to take everything away.

"I want to live."

The words came out broken.

Raw.

Desperate.

"I want more time."

Her shoulders trembled violently.

"I don’t want everything to end here."

Tears blurred her vision.

She could barely see anymore.

"Please..."

Her voice became nothing more than a fragile whisper.

"Just this once..."

"Please tell me everything is going to be alright."

"Tell me I’ll make it through this."

"Tell me I’ll see tomorrow."

"Tell me I’ll get the chance to live the life I’ve always wanted."

She pressed her forehead against her mother’s hand.

Like a little girl seeking comfort.

Like a daughter begging for strength.

"Please, Mom..."

"Please give me courage one last time."

The room remained silent.

No answer came.

No comforting embrace.

No reassuring words.

Only moonlight.

Only stillness.

Only the quiet sound of a daughter crying herself to sleep beside the mother she could neither fully forgive nor ever stop loving.

The room remained silent.

No answer came.

No comforting voice.

No reassuring touch.

Nothing.

Only stillness.

Only moonlight.

Only silence.

Even as her daughter pleaded and begged, Gianna remained silent and unmoving. Clara didn’t care that there was no response, as she continued to cry until she fell asleep.

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Authors Notes: Dear Readers, Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure! Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement really keep me motivated to keep bringing *Journey to Become the Zenith* into existence. If you’re loving the Chapters, I’d love it if you supported my book with a Powerstone, review, or even a Golden Ticket—it helps me develop as a writer and lets more readers enjoy the story. I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to share!

With love,

Scorpio_saturn777

Creator of Journey to Become the Zenith

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