In Time

Epilogue (2)

After their marriage, they had a pair of son and daughter, Kaden and Kyrie, who were separated by 4 years old. Kaden inherited Kevin's intelligence. He was that kind of student who didn't need to study, but would always top at the class. At the age of twelve, he was offered full scholarship for bachelor degree. At the age of seventeen, he had finished his master degree. He then started up his own business in technology industry with the fund that he had invested in the stock market since he was six years old. If someone asked how could it be possible for such a young boy to start investing, Kevin and Clarisse also couldn't answer. The only thing that they could share was on his sixth birthday, Kaden went to look for Uncle Sam, the Lou Family's lawyer, to make an agreement between him and Kevin, in which Kevin would be his legal financial advisor until he reached seventeen. Any losses that were made by Kevin's sole decision would be penalized double the amount of the losses. For sure, Kevin ignored his son's request. However, Kaden went to Grandpa Lou which resulting Kevin signing the nonsense agreement.

As for Kyrie, no one could handle her except Clarisse. As the princess in the family, everyone had spoiled her rotten. Even Kevin somehow would spoil her to some extent. The bottom line that she couldn't cross was making Clarisse angry and worry. There was once when she talked to Clarisse with higher tone, Kevin who had always cared for her immediately slapped her. Although she was a free spirit girl, she was actually very talented. She won several competition in ballet. Later on, she became fashion designer and jewellery designer. Having a rich brother, she demanded him to invest in her companies.

She then fell for Jayden who was actually Kaden's business partner that turned into friend. Jayden was a mature man who never liked girls who had princess' syndrome. However, when he met Kyrie, he was the one who spoiled her to another new whole level, even Kaden could only shake his head unbelievably. They were in relationship for only a year before getting married. Actually, Kyrie who was a free-spirit didn't think of getting married at 24, but her grandma's (Clarisse's mom) only wish was to see her getting married. Clarisse's mom always had that conservative mind which daughter should get married to finally attain the happy ending. As her health kept on deteriorating, Kyrie wanted to grant her wish. A week after their wedding, her grandma passed away. 

That was also the first time that Kaden and Kyrie saw Clarisse cried. As far as they remembered, their mother had never cried. Even if she shed tears, it was because of watching dramas or feeling touched, but oftenly it was because she was too happy. This was the first time she cried in agony. The first time that they saw her so weak, as if the whole world had collapsed.

In the room full of white clothes, Clarisse looked at her mother's photo, quietly leaning on Kevin's shoulder. She could hear footsteps coming closer to her. She didn't turn her head, but she could listen to what the people behind her clearly.

"Clarisse, after all, he is your mother's son."

"Let him pay his last respect."

Clarisse didn't budge, she closed her eyes. 'At last, she still needs to face this fact.'

"Clarisse, you won't let your mom has any regrets in this world, right ?"

She then turned around and looked at her aunts and uncles, as well as cousins. They were the people who had helped her, as well as destroyed her. She knew well that her mother and her wouldn't be able to survive after being abandoned by her father if not by her aunts' helps all along the way. However, to protect the man in front of her. They forced her to the corner.

She couldn't remember well, but it was around the age of twelve, she was again abandoned by the man that she trusted. It was a joke if she said that she had never trusted men before. However, the two men that she thought were her mountains ended up abandoning her. Perhaps, her brother felt overwhelmed to be responsible for mom and her so he chose to leave. She understood that being her mom's children was not an easy task. A mother who was not settled with her own emotions, indeed would only burden her children. Her mom's favourite sentence was 'I do these for your own good.' or 'I will never harm you' or 'Why am I the only one who cares for this family ?'

Overall, her mom had always been playing victim which somehow tire people around her. She also felt tired of her mom. Later on, she realized that even though it was not perfect, it was still a way of her loving her children. Therefore, after many years, Clarisse could tolerate her more. Later on, her mother also realized that she had to change which made their relationship much better.

Honestly, Clarisse hated her brother more than her father. Because he was her only hope. She never thought that she would once again be abandoned. Moreover, her mom had threatened him before. "I will cut all ties with my sisters if you dare to look for them." However, he still chose to leave. Years after he left, her aunts thought of reuniting the family again, yet she didn't even want to recognize him as her brother. The first sentence she said when she met him was "I do not have any brothers."

Her aunts were afraid of her mom so they wanted her to be the bridge, but she was not willing to. 'Why do I have to accept him when he is the one who abandons us ?' Her stubborness brought a dead-end to her aunts so they blamed her that she was the one who broke their sisterhood between mom and them. To protect him, they said that he was innocent and told her that her mom could kill her brother. If so, why didn't they think that her mom could kill her if she helped them ? Her mom had clearly stated that she had no longer have son and would never forgive him even if she was dead. 

There was once that her mom told her that she would get up from her death bed if he dared to come to pay his last respect.

Clarisse stood up with Kevin's help nad walked toward the man that shared the same blood as her. "Do not cry, you do not worth to shed any tears for her. Do not call her mom, you never treated her as your mom. Do not show any remorse or regret just to show others how sad you are. It is disgusting."

She then looked at her family. "Have you guys forgotten what I told you ? As long as you never bring up about him, you can reconcile with my mom. Why? Is it because she won't know you guys do not keep your promises that you dare to bring him here ?"

Years before, she persuaded her mom to reconcile with her sisters and brothers. After all, they were so old that they didn't know when they would leave this world. "Do not do anything that you will regret, mom"

That was why they could reconcile, in terms that they wouldn't bring up the forbidden son.

"I have forgiven him, but I do not wish him to be part of our lives any longer. Wishing him the best. Let him live his life and let us live our own lives, just like strangers."