| Fan Fiction |
by Chandra
“Leaving you two is the last thing I want to do.”
She held onto her two daughters’ hands and drew them toward her heart. Mist filled her eyes as her lips trembled.
“Rain, you don’t know how happy I was to hear you call me mother. At night when I go to sleep, I’d dream about you, your hand reaches out to me, but I keep on walking away, leaving you behind. When I wake up, my heart is agonizing with guilt and regret.”
Then, Ruby turned to her other daughter. The tears burned profoundly behind her eyes and a lump swelled inside her throat.
“Tavia, I’m not asking for forgiveness because I deserve none of it.”
Ruby held their hands tighter, afraid that she will lose her two precious children in a minute.
“My only wish is to see you and Rain being together as sisters.”
Her gaze had that sorrowful, distant look.
“Before I was forced to marry your father, I was already pregnant and in love with Rain’s father. My parents forced me to abort the baby, and I refused to kill my own child. Then, I begged Rick to save my baby, and when I woke up from the labor, he informed me that my parents had killed Rain. I became devastated. All these years, I’ve lived through the nightmare of losing my first child. It was awful.”
Her eyes subsequently focused on Tavia.
“My child, you have me, your father, a family to give you love, warmth, and everything a child needs and wants. But Rain has no one to give her anything all these years. Don’t you understand? Tavia, she’s your sister.”
“Mom, I know now. I should have not accused you. Please forgive me.” Tavia sobbed as she held onto her mother’s hand harder.
“I’m sorry sis.” Tavia apologized, turning to Rain.
Her eyes shone with unshed tears as Tavia smiled and held out her arms to Rain; and with that simple, accepting gesture, she somehow knew instinctively that here, at long last, was someone prepared to love her wholeheartedly, without reservation.
Rain stumbled toward her, felt her arms enfold Tavia’s against her plumb, comforting breast; and in that moment, Tavia understood, then and for always, that sisters will always be sisters.
She welcomed Rain into her home. And home wasn’t a place – but a place in someone’s heart.
Soon, both Rain and Tavia felt Ruby’s hand fall frigidly and unresponsively back onto the bed. Although her eyes closed, the teardrops tumbled its way down the corner, wetting the pillows. A smile etched on Ruby’s peacefully pale face.
Never mind that the sun was setting. Never mind that Ruby Lin was dying. None of that mattered. All that mattered was that her daughters had reunited, and were willing to love one another.
Soon, the daughters kept shaking their mother’s lifeless body. They screamed, cried, and lamented, nothing can bring Ruby back. She was gone.
___
It was hard to believe her mother was dead. When Tavia finally had acknowledged her sister’s being, she also had to realize that her mother had passed away hours ago. Now, alone in the empty room, Tavia mourned the loss of her mother.
Depression clouded up what was left of Tavia’s mind. A great force withheld her from passing time each hour. She was angry at herself. Remorse took control of her heart and soul. There she stood in silence as the wind whispered softly and faintly through her ears, but it quickly whished away, leaving nothing but cold air.
Starring through the shattered window, at all the pieces of her life, Tavia realized it was her own mistake not to listen to her mother. If only she stood there long enough to hear her mother’s reason. To find out the truth. But all she did was jumped to the conclusion. Assuming the problem. That was Tavia. She did without thinking. Now, she was left with pang of guilt and she could only blame herself and nobody else.
Her voice talking to a ghost, but she couldn’t stop herself. “I should have listened to you mom, I was so stupid. Now that you’re gone, what I’m going to do?”
After that, she couldn’t talk anymore. She doubled over and trembled with the effort to keep in the sobs. This hurt was the price she paid for pride. For stubbornness. For being ashamed of who she was and her inconsideration that hurt everyone around her.
A wave of emotion came over her as her gaze fell onto the ring her mother had given her before she died. It was the ring Alec had proposed to Ruby.
Tavia rubbed a thumb over the round surface of the ring, circling the shape of the halo over its head. Her mother’s words echoed in her ears.
“I’ve always wanted to see your wedding, see the beautiful smile radiate on your face. But pardon me for not be able to attend your wedding. Your father had told me about your pregnancy. Promise me that you will marry him, my child. It would break my heart if my grandchild has no father.”
Taiva had nodded her head vigorously as she’d ensured her mother’s last request. She hadn’t thought of that promise until now.
“But mom, you have to live to see my wedding. You can’t leave me.”
In her misery, she dropped the little ring on her finger. Wiping her face on her sleeve like the crudest of chambermaids, she stooped to pick it up. Bosco Wong got there first, snatching the ring. With a shriek, Tavia jumped to her feet.
“How long have you been standing there?” she demanded, wiping the tears angrily from her face.
But Tavia knew the answer from the expression on his face. It was the look of a man facing a firing squad. The look of a man who learned more than he wanted to hear.
“Tavia—”
she grabbed the ring from him. “You should have said something. You should not have sneaked up on me.”
“If you’re going to bare your soul, you should keep the door locked,” he shot back.
She felt more exposed than if she’d been caught luck naked. Tavia knew beyond any doubt that she looked vulnerable.
She could not possibly feel any more horrible, but she made herself face him and say, “Why are you here, should you be somewhere comforting my sister?”
“I care more about you, Tavia.” he said fervently. “Don’t you know, I’ve been looking for you all these times, worry that you might do something silly?”
“Bosco, I appreciate the concern, but I need to be alone right now.”
“I understand you’re depressed of your mother’s death. But you cannot push me away. I always love you.” Bosco professed earnestly, gazing deeply into Tavia’s eyes.
“It’s too late. I’m getting married soon.”
“You’re lying.” His answer was immediate, thinking this was some lie she’d concocted just to punish his revenge on her father.
“You want to see me repent because of my plan to make your father suffer.”
The expression on her face pained Bosco even more.
“You still don’t forgive me, do you?”
She was silent, showing no reaction.
“Tav, you have to understand. I did what I had to do because I didn’t want to look weak in front of your dad.”
He ran a splayed hand through his hair.
“Look, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you.”
When Tavia stared expressionlessly at him, Bosco began to panic.
“I didn’t do your mother’s surgery because of Rain’s pregnancy.” He quietly confessed.
His bald statement shook her.
In the foyer of the room, Tavia hesitated and gazed back at him, briefly moistening her lip with her tongue. Bosco held back his breath. She was weakening, surely. She had come to see reason.
Pressing her lips together and praying she would show no emotion, Tavia shook her head.
“I forgave you, Bosco. It’s just that my love for you has faded away.”
She gave him a smile so chilly she felt the cold twinge in her fillings.
No. his mind screamed the word, though he made no sound. When he managed to gain command of himself, he said. “No. You still love me; I could see it in your eyes. You won’t let go of our love.”
Bosco suddenly grabbed her shoulder. Before Tavia could say another word, he kissed her, so long and hard and suggestively that for a moment she forgot where they were standing.
For a second Tavia felt only the deep sweetness of intimacy, the sharp ache of yearning. He possessed some sort of dark magic that pushed aside her determination and made her shamelessly change her decision. In spite of the moment, Tavia remembered herself and pulled away.
“You can’t walk away after the kiss, Tav.”
It’s over between us. Her mouth formed the words, but her voice deserted her. Reaching back, Tavia clutched a chair for support and searched herself to find even the tiniest shred of willpower.
Tavia cleared her throat, tasting the tears she had shed. “It’s over, Bosco.” she said again, this time audibly.
She relinquished his hold on her shoulders, turned on her heel and headed toward the door.
___
The rims of her eyes welled up with tears again, infuriating her. Rain immediately broke down onto the cold floor and wept.
She was crying inside. Life was not fair. It was never fair for her.
There were so many questions in her mind, yet it was unanswered. Those questions popped into her head formed into an endless whirlpool. Why did her mother have to leave her once again? Why did Raymond have to marry Tavia?
Her heart was a weapon afflicting anguish with every pound. However, an unbroken cycle, and in the end, no answers were found.
Only a short while ago, Rain had believed with all her heart that Fate had pitied her. Now it seemed as if she had done something terribly wrong that everything must be taken away from her.
When she had finally reunited with her mother, her father, and her sister, Ruby’s death occurred. Only to have found love and trust with the man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with, she was going to lose him. Rain came to a conclusion that she was simply not meant to have those things.
Then, the nightmarish reality appeared in front of her as Ron’s figure came into view. The terrible, soul-shriveling hurt inside her burned unbearably.
Rain stared at him, and then, despite her uncertainty, fatigue, and a broken heart, she started to laugh, almost weeping with grief.
Her madness must have disturbed even him, for he reached out a hand to steady her.
“Are you all right?”
With false patience, he took her hands away and held them in his.
“I know you don’t want to see me, but you have to think for the baby.”
What was he talking about? She thought, twisting her hands out of his grasp.
“Rain, I’m willing to take responsibility for my action. We can work this out for the baby’s sake. I won’t let you take all the difficulty yourself. I will be there for the child.”
Rain felt all the blood in her body drain to her feet. The buzzing in her head crescendo. Nothing made sense anymore.
Her jaw dropped as soon as she digested his words. Rain reeled in shock as she stared at him.
When she finally found her voice, she said. “You’re lying. I cannot be pregnant!”
If he was lying, he was good at it. He looked earnest and bewildered, even upset. He wasn’t entitled to be upset.
“Get out of my life; I’ll never want to see you again.”
She’d probably regret her action once she thought about it, but she didn’t feel like thinking about it anymore.
Rain was tired – tired from the sobbing, tired of being angry at Ruby’s decease, and her silicit for Tavia to marry Raymond. And for some reason, Rain didn’t have the strength to believe Ron’s nonsense talk right now.
“You, bastard.” Swift as a lightning, Jimmy Li ran into the room and shoved him up against the wall. “You took my daughter’s virtue. And you came here shamelessly to confront her.”
The old man pressed the side of his forearm into Ron’s windpipe. Red-faced from lack of air, Ron forced out a gurgling sound as his eyes bulged. He pushed Jimmy’s arm, but the burly man was a rock – angry and unwilling to budge.
===============================================================
Chandra
02/09/08
A Preview for Upcoming Chapters
……………………………………
…………………………………..
__________
“No matter how many times I see this, it never ceases to take my breath away.” Ruby weakly told him.
“Rube, do you remember how you’ve always wanted to watch the sunset and how much you love the sight of it?”
_________
“Rain, I love you! I really do. You have got to believe me.”
“How can I believe you when the person you’re marrying to is not me?”
____________
“I’m sorry, Tavia.”
“No! I don’t want to hear your apology. I want my baby. I want to see my child.”