400 Days After Fina

From the Author

This is for the loves I had, have, and will have.

This is for my father who passed away in 2014.
For my first love whom I pulled Fina's name from.
For the woman who pushed me to write this sequel.
For the queen that loved me unconditionally even when I wasn't the most stable.
And for the people that supported me through the lengthy process of writing this story.

Before I even thought of writing a sequel to 30 Days with Fina, I already knew that Jellane is going to end up with Angel. Not only are their names mirror images of each other but Fina knew upon receiving news of her terminal illness, that her two favorite persons must be together, either in love or in friendship. That was why she pushed Angel and Jellane together through her dying wish.

But I only began writing 400 Days After Fina after I have fully understood the process of moving on from the death of a loved one. It took a while for me to accept my father's passing in 2014 but when I finally did it, I knew I had to share my story somehow. It also didn't hurt that I had to undergo the miserable process of moving on from someone I loved but needed to part with.

Everybody grieves differently and everybody moves on differently. After Fina died, Jellane's progress was certainly frustrating, but it was necessary for her development. She's too stubborn and too much of a coward that it was impossible for her to move on in a healthy and traditional sense. She's lucky Angel understands that moving on from someone isn't a linear process as most would expect. It's a messy undertaking that has its good and bad days.

And that's what I want everyone to remember from this story. Everybody copes with loss differently.

Like Jellane, I dealt with my pain in a way that most would find frustrating if not disappointing. I drowned in my ocean of pain and for a while, I let the waves toss me around and take me wherever.

Help came for me in the form of a Dove. And I rejected that help at first because so many has already passed me by, only to leave me again behind. I thought that bird would just be another curious onlooker. But through a literal nightmare, I realized I should accept the help extended to me and see where that little white Dove would take me. And I've never been happier.

I hope dear reader, that you learned through Jellane's struggle. Love isn't always chocolates and roses, moving on isn't always linear, regrets are often forgivable and happiness is a choice that you can choose. And with the end of this book, I can finally sleep with a few lessons less to spread.  

I hope you had fun reading. Thank you for sticking until the end!

Godspeed!