Elena sat huddled in the corner of her dark, suffocating room, tears streaming down her face as she mournfully lamented her fate. Her eyes were swollen and red from endless hours of crying.
Suddenly, the door to her room creaked open, and her mother cautiously stepped inside. She surveyed the sight before her with a mixture of pain and concern etched on her face.
Elena's mother, Helen, stood at the door with a weary expression on her face, concern etched deeply on her features. She spoke softly, her voice tinged with both worry and frustration. "How long are you going to be like this?" she asked, her words heavy with disappointment. "It's been seven months now, and you're still like this. You've barely left this room, and you hardly eat anymore. When will you snap out of this?"
Helen's words were tinged with frustration and disappointment as she spoke. "No matter how long you stay like this," she said firmly, her voice sharp, "it will never change the damage you caused with your stupidity."
Elena's shoulders slumped as her mother's words dug into her already fragile heart. She knew her mother was right. The pain of regret and guilt weighed heavily on her, only magnifying her despair. She couldn't bring herself to respond to her mother's harsh words.
Helen moved closer to her suffering daughter, her voice quivering with a mixture of sadness and frustration. "If only you had listened to your father and me," she said, tears brimming in her eyes. "None of this would have happened. We warned you, and yet you still made that foolish choice."
Elena's heart ached with guilt and shame. Her mother's words stung because deep down, she knew they were true. She had ignored their warnings, and now she was paying the consequences.
Elena's voice trembled as she asked her mother a desperate question, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "Mom," she said, her voice shaking, "is there any way I can somehow take back what happened and correct my mistakes?"
Helen sighed, her heart heavy as she looked at her daughter's tear-streaked face. "Oh, honey," she said softly. "I wish it were that easy. But the past is the past. We can't turn back time and rewrite history."
Elena's voice was filled with desperation as she spoke, her eyes imploring her mother for reassurance. Her words were slurred and her body trembled slightly, as if she were on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She looked wild and disoriented, like a caged animal.
"Mom, I think I'm going crazy," she said, her voice cracking. "I feel like I'm losing my mind. Nothing makes sense anymore. Please tell me I'm just dreaming",
Elena's voice was choked with emotion as she pleaded, her eyes filled with tears. "I can't go on without him," she said, desperation lacing her words. "Tell him he has to come back to me! He has to forgive me!"
Her mother, watching her daughter's anguish, felt powerless in the face of such deep-seated heartache. "Oh, my dear," she said, trying to provide comfort. "I know it hurts, but you can't take time back"
Elena's voice was a desperate plea, echoing through the quiet room, "Tell him to come back to me!" she screamed, the words tearing out of her with a raw intensity. "I can't live without him! He needs to forgive me—he has to come back!"
Her mother tried to calm her down, knowing the pain Elena was going through. "Elena, darling, please calm down. Yelling won't change anything."
The air crackled with tension as Mr. Felix burst into the room, his expression filled with anger and frustration. Without warning, he raised his hand and slapped his daughter across the face, his blow landing with a sickening thump.
Elena gasped in shock, her cheek burning with pain as she stared at her father in disbelief.
Felix's tone was sharp and biting as he reprimanded his daughter. "Shut up and stop crying!" he snapped. "Last time I checked, this whole mess is your fault. You're the reason he's gone!"
Elena's face paled at her father's harsh words. The guilt and shame surged deep within her, the guilt that she knew was true.
Mrs. Helen's voice trembled as she pleaded with her husband, "Honey, please don't be so harsh on her," she implored. "Can't you see she's depressed and in pain? She's already suffering enough."
Felix's face remained etched with anger. "I know she's suffering, Helen," he replied, his voice still cold. "But she brought all of this upon herself. We warned her, but she didn't listen."
Felix's expression softened slightly as he spoke of Raphael, his tone tinged with regret but still harsh. "Raphael was a good man," he said, his voice carrying a hint of sadness. "The best son-in-law anyone could ever hope for, and a husband any woman would be lucky to have." Elena's heart sank as her father spoke of Raphael, his words both a reminder of the man she lost and a harsh rebuke for her past choices.
Felix's voice was full of anger as he glared at his daughter. "But what did you do?" he asked, his voice harsh and biting. "Your own selfish actions led to the death of a good man. You caused this, Elena. You're the reason he's gone."
Elena hung her head in shame, her heart heavy with guilt. She couldn't refute her father's words….he was right. She had caused this tragedy.
Elena's voice cracked with pain and guilt as she spoke, her eyes filling with tears. "Father, mother," she said, her voice trembling. "I'm so sorry. You both are right ….I failed you both. And Raphael, wherever you are," she said, her voice choked with sobs. "I'm so sorry. I can't live without you."
Her parents exchanged a glance, their hearts heavy at their daughter's despair. Felix's expression softened, but the pain was etched deep in his eyes.
Felix's voice was harsh, filled with disappointment and anger as he looked at Elena. "From now on, I do not have a daughter," he said firmly. "For the sake of my reputation and for what you did to Raphael, I disown you. You are no longer a part of this family."
Elena's eyes were filled with hurt and disbelief, pain twisting her heart. She had expected her father's anger, but not this. Disowned by her own family? It was a punishment beyond what she had prepared for.
Mrs. Helen pleaded with her husband, her voice filled with sadness and disbelief. "You can't do this," she said, her words filled with desperation. "She's our only child! We can't just abandon her now."
Felix's expression remained stern, his decision made. "I'm doing this for our family's honor," he replied firmly. "Elena has disgraced us with her actions. I cannot have such disgrace in my home."
Elena's voice was filled with despair and resignation as she spoke to her mother. "Mother, Father is right," she whispered. "I don't deserve to be your daughter anymore. My reckless actions have brought nothing but anguish and pain."
Mrs. Helen's eyes brimmed with tears, her heart heavy. "Please, darling," she pleaded. "Don't say that. You're still our daughter, no matter what you've done."
.Felix's tone was cold and resolute as he spoke, his eyes meeting Elena's. "You have seven days to leave this penthouse," he stated firmly. "After you've mourned your husband, you are no longer welcome under my roof."
Elena's heart sank, a mixture of sadness and fear gripping her. Seven days to mourn the loss of her husband and find somewhere else to live. It felt too fast, but she knew it was useless to argue.
Felix gently guided his wife, Mrs. Helen, out of Elena's room, closing the door behind them with a resounding thud. Once they stepped out, Mrs. Helen turned to her husband, her eyes brimming with tears.
"How could you?" she whispered, her voice shaking. "How could you talk to our daughter like that? She's grieving too; didn't you see how broken she is?"
Felix's expression remained cold and unyielding as he spoke to his wife. "She stopped being my daughter the day she became the reason behind her husband's death," he said, his voice filled with anger. "And she didn't listen to my warning. She knew the consequences."
Felix's footsteps echoed as he walked away, disappearing into his study room, while Mrs. Helen headed to the kitchen, her footsteps much lighter and more hesitant.
In the kitchen, Mrs. Helen found herself alone, her thoughts swirling like a storm. She leaned against the counter, tears streaming down her face. This was not what she had envisioned for her family. Her heart broke for Elena, her daughter. How could her husband be so cold and unforgiving?
With tears streaming down her face, Elena clutched a frame of her late husband, Raphael Murphy, her heart heavy with grief and guilt. She looked at his picture, her voice strangled with emotion.
"I know you all are wondering what I did," she whispered, her voice cracking. "So, this was how it began." Memories flooded her mind, the start of her love story with Raphael playing like a bittersweet film in her mind.