Tears of Sorrow

I sat in my room, reading a book beneath the luminescent, starry night on my balcony. The soft, cool breeze brushed against my skin, easing away the tension in my body. But my peaceful evening was soon interrupted by Kiki, my Mirelune.

She suddenly jumped onto my lap and let out a soft, adorable sound. I smiled, placed my book aside, and gently began stroking her fur.

I looked up at the stars, becoming lost in my thoughts. Then, without realizing it, an unexpected question escaped my lips.

"What does it feel like to explore the world?"

The thought surprised even me.

I had never been interested in exploring the world beyond Green. Whenever I went outside, the attention from the people made me uncomfortable. That was why I rarely left my room, and even my family seldom saw me outside.

My eyes wandered toward the forest below the balcony. Then I saw something. Between two great oak trees, a red flame floated in the darkness.

I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was imagining it. But it was still there. The flame hovered silently between the trees, glowing with a strange, majestic beauty.

My eyes widened. I quickly stood up, startling Kiki, and scooped her into my arms.

My curiosity got the better of me.

Without another moment of hesitation, I rushed out of my room and headed straight toward the forest-toward the mysterious red flame.

When I finally arrived in the forest, the mysterious red flame was nowhere to be seen. I looked around, searching between the trees, but it had completely disappeared.

"Where is it? It was just right here."

I continued looking, but there was nothing.

The rustling of branches and the distant hoot of an owl made the forest feel strangely eerie. I waited for several minutes, hoping the red flame would appear again.

But it never did. Eventually, I sighed and gave up. "Maybe I should just go back for now... Perhaps a cup of tea will help me stop imagining things."

I turned around and headed back toward the house. I was almost at the front door when it suddenly opened. Someone stepped outside, carrying a portmanteau.

I stopped.

It was Uncle Louis. He glanced around suspiciously, as if making sure nobody was watching him. He slowly closed the door, not noticing It was already behind him.

"A pleasant evening, Uncle Louis."

I addressed him respectfully, despite my deep contempt for him.

Uncle Louis was started for a second. He then regained his composure after he saw that it was me, and cleared his throat.

"A pleasant evening to you too, Vera." He replied with an obvious fake smile.

Hearing him use the nickname Grandmother have me irritated me, I loathed it when he called me that.

"What are you doing out here in the middle of the night? You could catch a cold." He spoke with false empathy.

My eyes narrowed as I listen to his words. Hearing him say that just left him even more exposed.

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle-But I do not need it, because I love the cold, fresh air tonight. That is why I decided to take a short stroll." I said, pretending to smile.

"Good to know then. It'll be going now because I have somewhere to go too. Have a pleasant night, Vera." He said while grabbing the portmanteau, then walked past me.

I turned around and watched him leave-though I never expected that he would never come back here again.

The next morning, I was awakened by the loud cries coming from Aunt Izra's chambers.

Concerned, I quickly made my way there to see what had happened. When I arrived, I discovered the terrible truth.

Uncle Louis had stolen several valuable belongings, including Aunt Izra's jewelry, before leaving the house the previous night.

Aunt Izra was devastated. The man she believed loved her had abandoned not only her, but also their two sons.

Seeing her on the floor, crying and screaming in despair, made my heart ache.

I couldn't help but wonder:

Why does marriage have to be so frightening?

Thankfully, Father had just arrived home from work, accompanied by Uncle Harith and Uncle Joaquin.

I quickly composed myself and greeted them respectfully.

"Good morning, Father, Uncle Harith, and Uncle Joaquin."

"How long has she been crying?" Father asked, looking at his sister with a worried expression.

"Mrs. Lila said she's been like this since this morning," I replied.

Mrs. Lila was Grandmother's cousin. She had been living here with us for many years, along with her family.

Father nodded and walked toward his sister.

Meanwhile, Uncle Joaquin approached me.

"Vera, could you take Izael and Izaeron to Mother's room?" he asked, gesturing toward them.

I glanced at my cousins standing quietly in the corner of the room. Izaeron's eyes were filled with tears, while Izael stood beside him with an unreadable, almost emotionless expression.

I then turned back to Uncle Joaquin.

"Understood, Uncle. I'll take them to Grandma." I was about to walk toward my cousins when Uncle Joaquin spoke again.

"Don't mention this to Father, okay?" he said softly. "We'll handle the situation. For now, I'll leave it to you to comfort those two."

He gave me a gentle smile, as if assuring me that everything would be taken care of.

I smiled back. "I understand, Uncle."

As I walked my cousins toward my grandmother's chamber, the two remained completely silent. Neither of them said a word throughout the entire walk.

When we arrived at Grandmother's room, I noticed that Mother and Aunt Angeline were already there.

"Good morning Grandma... Mother? Aunt Ange?" I said, surprised. "Good morning. Sorry for the late greeting."

I immediately greeted them respectfully.

"Good morning to you too, Vera," Aunt Angeline replied, giggling softly in her sweet voice.

"Vera, what's the situation?" Mother asked, her gaze fixed on the window.

"She still hasn't calmed down," I answered, looking down.

"Hmm... She must be devastated," Mother said worriedly. Her eyes then shifted toward Izael and Izaeron. "That man... How could he leave his family like this?"

Aunt Angeline's smile faded. Her warm eyes filled with sympathy as she looked at my cousins.

Suddenly, Izael spoke.

"No! Father didn't leave us!" he shouted angrily. "He just has business to attend to! He didn't leave us... or my mom!"

His voice broke as he burst into tears. He stamped his feet and clenched his fists, struggling between anger and sadness.

Mother, Aunt Angeline, and I could only stare at him in silence, unsure of what to say.

"Will he... will he really come back?" Izaeron asked in a weak, trembling voice.

He looked at Izael, his eyes filled with anger and tears.

"Are you sure about that, Brother?! Will Father really come back here?!" he shouted. "Because if he doesn't come back within three days... that can only mean one thing. He already left us and Mom!"

"What are you saying, Izaeron-"

"I said what I said!" Izaeron interrupted, his voice breaking. "And you know what? I don't care if he never comes back! Because he never even noticed me since the day I was born!"

Tears streamed down his face as he spoke, his anger slowly giving way to hurt.

What Izaeron said was true. Uncle Louis had barely paid any attention to his second son. We never understood why, but his indifference had made Izaeron feel as though he were unwanted.

What hurt even more was that Aunt Izra had never seemed to notice how deeply her youngest son was affected by his father's neglect.

The two were about to start fighting, but I quickly stepped between them and stopped them.

"Hey, hey. Calm down, you two," I said gently. "Don't fight. I know you're both upset, but fighting won't make things better."

I looked at Izael, then at Izaeron, hoping they would listen to me.

"It seems this situation will take a while," Grandmother said as she stepped out of the room where Grandfather had been resting.

Grandfather had been bedridden for eight months now because of an unknown illness. His condition had left the family deeply concerned, though no one knew what had caused it.

Grandmother remained calm and composed despite everything happening around her. "Azira, Angeline, could you both go to Izra?" she asked. "I don't think my sons will be able to calm her down."

"Yes, Mother," Aunt Angeline and Mom replied at the same time. They exchanged a brief glance before leaving the room together.

Then Izael said something that struck his brother deeply.

"Maybe Father didn't notice you because you were always causing trouble," Izael said harshly.

Izaeron's expression fell. Tears immediately filled his eyes before he broke into a sob and ran out of the room.

"Izaeron!" I called after him.

I turned toward Izael, shocked.

"Izael, how could you-"

"Vera," Grandmother interrupted calmly. "I'll take care of him. Go after Izaeron before he gets lost again."

I nodded and immediately ran after him.

I searched through every room in the house, checking the hallways, the stairs, and even the quieter corners where he sometimes wandered. But he was nowhere to be found.

"Geez, this child... Why are you so good at running away?" I muttered between breaths.

After several minutes of searching, I decided to check outside. That was when I spotted him. Under the willow tree beside the lake, Izaeron sat alone, hugging his knees against his chest as he quietly cried.

I slowly walked toward him, careful not to frighten him. "Izaeron?" I called softly.

I crouched down beside him and gently touched his shoulder, only to realize that he had fallen sound asleep.

A small smile appeared on my face as I carefully lifted him into my arms and held him close. Seeing his peaceful sleeping face brought me a sense of relief.

"At least you're safe," I whispered softly.

Five days had passed since Uncle Louis left.

Aunt Izra had slowly begun to move forward, though I knew there was still a lingering pain buried deep inside her. Izaeron, on the other hand, had gradually returned to his usual self. He was once again playing with my brother and Harrison as if he were trying to forget everything that had happened.

But Izael was different.

He remained quiet and distant. He hadn't left his room for three days, and now... he was missing.

And here I was again, outside searching for one of my cousins-only this time, it wasn't Izaeron. It was Izael.

I walked through the forest, already out of breath as I searched between the trees.

"Those two really are brothers. No DNA test needed," I muttered, shaking my head.

I continued deeper into the forest, wondering where Izael could have gone.

As I continued searching, I finally spotted him a few seconds later.

There he was, sitting on a large rock with his knees pulled against his chest, just as Izaeron had done days ago.

"Izael, there you are. Everyone's been frantically looking for you," I said as I walked closer.

I stopped in front of him and looked down at him. His face remained completely emotionless, and seeing him like that made me worry.

Despite my hatred toward Uncle Louis, I couldn't help but think that he was lucky to have a son who loved him so deeply-even if that love had only lasted for a short while.

I looked at Izael quietly, wondering what could possibly be going through his mind.

Izael slowly lifted his head, and his eyes met mine.

His eyes were filled with sorrow.

"Izaeron was right. Father did abandon us," he said quietly.

He paused before continuing, his voice weak.

"He really left us... because he doesn't love us anymore."

A faint, sorrowful smile appeared on his face, as though he had finally accepted the painful truth he had been trying to deny-that perhaps his father had never truly loved them from the beginning.

This was only the second time I had ever seen Izael show his emotions so openly. Seeing him like this made my heart ache.

I crouched down in front of him and gave him a gentle smile.

"Izael, no matter what happens, I'll always be here for you. If you ever need me, you can come to me, okay?"

I pulled him into a tight embrace, holding him close and refusing to let go. For a moment, he remained still. Then he hugged me back.

The tears he had been holding back for days finally broke free. He cried loudly in my arms, his voice trembling as every bit of sadness, anger, and hurt from the past few days finally came pouring out.

I held him tighter, letting him cry until he had nothing left to say.

And that was the day I made a promise to myself. Whoever hurts my brothers and cousins, I will always be there to protect them. Because I am the eldest grandchild of the Greenvale family-and I will never let them face their pain alone.