Chapter 37: The desperation of Lina
(POV: Lina)
Scarllet!
How did this woman manage to enter Nicollas’ territory?
Scarllet sneaks into the room, gliding through the slightly open window. My heart skips a beat, a mixture of surprise and apprehension washes over me as I see her there. My strength seems to drain away, and a sense of dread runs down my spine as she leans over my babies. I sense my entire body tense up, muscles reacting to the imminent danger.
“I see you’ve had beautiful children,” she says. Her fingers gently touching my babies’ blankets, and a wave of despair courses through me. I want to scream at her to stop, to not dare touch them. My words get stuck in my throat, a knot of helplessness and fear. Tears threaten to flood my eyes, but I hold them back. Trying to maintain composure in the face of this intruder who dares invade my family’s sanctuary.
“No… don’t touch… my children,” my voice comes out weak and strained, I’m still exhausted and my throat aches from the screams I let out during labor.
Her malicious and cruel gaze meets mine, and for a moment, an intense connection forms between us. The cutting coldness of her eyes seems to pierce my soul.
I try to gather my strength to speak, to protect my children, but the words come out shaky and feeble, almost inaudible. I sense an agonizing mix of maternal love, anger, and helplessness. My instinct screams at me to protect my babies, but my physical weakness pins me to this bed, immobilizing me in the face of the threat hanging over us.
Footsteps on the stairs echo like thunder in my ears, and Scarllet turns her gaze back to me, intensifying the torment within me even more. The feeling of vulnerability is overwhelming, anger burning beneath my skin.
“You took something from me, now I’ll take something from you!” she declares, grabbing my girl. I try to get up, but I fall face-first onto the floor, tears in my eyes as I witness Scarllet jump out of the window with my daughter in her arms.
Adrenaline courses through my body, giving me the strength to get out of bed, but my body fails me and I collapse onto the floor. Hitting my head, and feeling the blood trickle from the cut on my forehead.
“Renata, Renata, Renata,” I whisper her name incessantly as thick tears fall from my eyes. The door opens and Nicollas enters, his eyes widening at the sight of me on the floor. He approaches, lifts me onto the bed, and I cry uncontrollably.
“She took our daughter, Nicollas,” I say as he heads towards the window.
“Who, Lina?” he asks, looking alarmed.
“Scarllet, she took Renata!” I exclaim with a weak, faltering voice.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
“How did that damned woman get in here!? Why can’t I smell that bloodsucker? Damned! I promise I will find her!” Nicollas speaks angrily.
I look where my other children are crying, only like me. I try to pick them up, and Nicollas helps me. Albert and Sophie enter the room.
“What happened?” Albert asks.
“Sophie, stay here with her. I have to find my daughter,” Nicollas says, handing Lucca to Sophie. “Let’s go, Albert.”
I watch the two of them leave the room and feel an intense pain in my heart. My daughter, my poor daughter.
“Calm down, Lina. I’m sure Nicollas will find her,” Sophie says, trying to comfort me.
“She took her, Sophie. She took Renata, my girl, that damned woman…” I vent, crying intensely.
*10 years later:
With each passing year, I sense an increasing emptiness. My daughter is sorely missed. I try to be strong and maintain hope that one day I will find her, but it’s getting difficult.
Luan Raphael and Lucca grow stronger and more handsome every day. I sense sadness on their birthdays, and instead of congratulating them, they console me. As I am deeply depressed by my daughter’s absence.
Nicollas did everything he could. He spent days without sleeping, without eating, months away from home trying to find her, but no leads emerged.
There was a vampire attack once when Nicollas wasn’t home. We almost died, me and my other children, but Lukky prevented the worst. After Nicollas found out about it, he stopped actively searching. Now we hold onto the hope that she will find us and come back to us.
Sophie’s daughter is beautiful and her name is Isabella. She’s a mischievous troublemaker, very funny. Lukky and Milly’s daughter is named Lucia, she’s shy but very intelligent. As for the boy, Jonathan, he already has a reputation as a heartbreaker.
Our children are best friends, they do everything together. We consider ourselves a family, and they see themselves as cousins.
I won’t lie, I’m happy here, but I’m not as well. It’s complicated. I know my daughter is alive, but I don’t know where or how she is, and that’s what makes me sad.
“Mom?” Lucca and Luan Raphael call me. “Come on, everything’s ready.”
“Alright, I’m coming,” I grab my bag and follow with my family.