𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄

** FORTY-SEVEN **

"Out of suffering had emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars." -
Khalil Gibran

*****

AS THE SUN began to set, casting a mesmerizing glow on the tranquil sea, Chinecherem remained fixed to her position by the seashore as she silently wept. The breeze carried her tears away.

For a long time, she had endured the painful taunts and hurtful words from her twin sister, and now she was left to reflect on the agony her words had caused.

The pain she was feeling was palpable, etched into her every feature as she stared out at the vast expanse of the ocean. Each wave crashing on the shore seemed to echo the turmoil within her as if the natural world understood and sympathized with her anguish.

With her gaze fixed on the distant horizon, she tried to reminisce on the memories of laughter and shared secrets that once defined her and her sister's bond, but they were little, foreign, and also distant. They were overshadowed by the shadows of those hurtful words and painful memories from over the years till that day.

Those painful and taunting words had strained their relationship with bitterness.

All her efforts to change that over the years have been futile. And it brought nothing but immense pain to her heart.

She surrendered to her tears and pain. A profound sadness etched upon her face. Her heart which had been shattered into countless pieces, ached with the weight of betrayal inflicted upon her by her own sister. Her words resonated in her mind in repeat. It kept playing over and over again in her head.

Tears streamed down her cheeks like delicate rivers, mirroring the cascading waves before her.

The salty water mingled with her tears, and it was as if nature itself was weeping alongside her. The gentle sea breeze brushed against her face, offering whispers of solace in the moment of darkness.

Lost in her thoughts, she let out a soulful sigh, her heart heavy with sorrow. At that moment, she made a fateful decision, succumbing to the overwhelming despair that consumed her.

Then she stood up from the sand with wobbly legs, tears still cascading down her face. She began to take slow steps close to the water. With each step she took, the bitter waves taunted her, their melody a haunting echo of her pain. The sea beckoned her deeper, whispering secrets of eternal rest.

Her spirit weakened, her resolve faltering, and she longed for an end to the anguish that was eating away in her heart. The pain was unbearable and she wanted it to stop.

She just wants it all to end.

She strides closer and closer to the water until the water touches her feet. She glanced at it but she couldn't feel a thing except the pain in her heart.

So she kept taking more heavy steps towards the vast expanse of the sea. The rhythmic crashing of the waves echoes in her ears as she steadily makes her way further into the water.

With each subsequent step, the cool embrace of the sea engulfs her legs, creeping slowly upwards to her knees like tendrils of liquid silk.

As the water rises higher, a tingling numbness begins to seep into her limbs, a bittersweet sensation that mingles both agony and relief. The pain intensifies, merging with the gentle pull of the waves, making it difficult for her to resist the allure of the deep, dark abyss before her.

Just as she reached a pivotal moment, when her body was almost immersed, and she was about to surrender to the dark abyss, she felt a pull on her waist.