Alone

Chapter 17

Once I was sat inside the car, I let out a breath to calm myself down. As I started the car, my mind drifted to my mother. She was undoubtedly the sweetest person I've ever known. I always pondered over how she managed to put up with my brother and me. We weren't exactly obedient children, but she never got cross at us. Instead, she smiled and explained where we were wrong.

She was a hard-working woman, who never failed to fulfil her duties and she always found time to spend with us. Most weekends were spent playing board games or taking us out for a picnic. She was a beautiful and devoted woman, always ready to help and see the good in people. People like her were rare in this world.

Everything was going fine, until one day she was ripped away from us. I was only eight at the time and Christian was barely sixteen years old. My brother and I were at school, and we came back to an empty house. I was clueless as to what was happening around me, Christian assured me that everything was going to be fine when I kept asking for mum, but the expression on his face was something I could never forget.

His whole world was in tatters and rightly so, he was extremely close to our mother and now he had to do everything alone. Christian sat by my bed the entire night and never spoke a word.

I finally understood everything when I saw my mother lying in a coffin the next day.

During the service, my brother stood beside me with an impassive look on his face while I clutched his hand for solace. After the service, Christian locked himself in his room and refused to come out. The next day, he was seated at the foot of my bed and seeing him, I immediately hugged him. He kept saying how sorry he was and that he would never leave me alone again.

Presently, I understood that he was just a child himself and he was forced to grow up and take care of me. That is until CSS showed up and ruined our already wrecked lives.

The day my brother left, I coincidentally received a letter and it was addressed to me from my mother. I thought that it was a messed up joke until I opened the letter.

My dearest Alex,

If you are reading this letter then things aren't going as I had hoped. You must have a lot of questions that are unanswered, but with time you'll understand everything. I do hope this letter finds you well. In this letter, I'm revealing very important information that will affect your future. 

Everything that I have will be divided between you and your brother. Once both of you turn sixteen you will receive this letter, but if things aren't as they should be then you will receive this sooner than expected. 

At the end of the letter is a separate account that I've made for you. I've saved up enough for you to live a good and most importantly a happy life. There were so many things I wish I could tell you, but it doesn't matter anymore.

I remember the first time I held you and the first time you looked at me, I couldn't stop the overwhelming awe and love that I felt when you grabbed onto my finger. Even though I had just met you, it was like I already knew you. My life was complete. 

I knew that this small girl, who I loved very much, would one day grow up to be a brave, kind and strong woman. This world is so big and has so much to offer, I hope you grasp every opportunity that you get and show the world who you are. There are going to be times when life hits you hard and it may seem that everything and everyone is against you, but don't lose hope, my baby. That's just how the world works, you just have to trust in the process and more importantly, trust yourself. There will be times when you feel alone, but always remember that I'm with you at all times. 

The only thing I ask you to do for me is to learn to love yourself. Learn to love yourself before you love someone else. I wish I could be there to see you grow up and be the woman you were destined to be, I will always be there with you in your heart through all the good and bad times. I am and will always be proud of you, my beautiful.