Her Voice 2 [JENLISA]

Chapter 35

Jennie

Everyone was cuddled close to the door, waiting. Silently, scared and so impatient. The air was filled with a sense of fear while still buzzing with excitement. I could tell this had been the long-awaited moment for everyone.

I looked around the now familiar faces. Lisa brought me to the Kang's home almost two weeks ago. I had thought after leaving Manoban's estate, I would be able to start a new life. Away from fear and pain. Away from my past.

Yet…I was still haunted by memories that were slowly strangling the life out of me. I wanted to say it got easier over the days, but every time I’d close my eyes, Irina was all I could see. Her face, her tears…shaking and bleeding as she slid onto the floor in submission. Awaiting her fate.

It was the last image of her I had ingrained in my head.

The last memory of my only friend.

I never wanted to forget.

A memory could last a lifetime. The past could mock you till your last breath. Together, they were a burden you carried to your grave.

I felt a warmth spreading through my palm, to my fingertips. Looking down, I saw that Lisa had our hands entwined together. She’d been doing that a lot. Holding on to me as if she were scared I’d disappeared. Always finding a reason to touch me when I was in her vicinity. Never letting me out of her sight for too long. I could always feel her gaze burning into my back when I was with the girls. She’d find me, hide in the shadows, and watch me. My silent stalker.

My head lifted up to stare at the woman beside me. She was tall, strong, hardened by the life bestowed upon her. My Lisa. The woman I loved from the bottomless pit of my soul.

Sometimes, I’d catch the look in her eyes. A pained look, filled with dread. She thought I hated her. She thought I was angry.

I hadn’t spoken much. Yes, I met the rest of the family. Maybe we even bonded. But everything was still a blur to me. A fog had settled over my eyes, and I was walking through life in a daze.

It was hurting Lisa. And seeing her so lost…it hurt me more. It was a never-ending cycle.

I just didn’t know how to break free…I didn’t know…how.

A sudden cry startled me out of my thoughts. A loud, angry, strong cry. Lisa released a shuddering breath from beside me. The others cheered. My eyes stung and then I felt wetness dripping down my cheeks, a trail of tears. Of happiness. And a deeply etched longing.

Lisa brought our laced hands up and she kissed the back of my knuckles so softly her lips barely whispered over my skin. With her other hand, she swiped my tears away. My heart clenched in a good way. To see a woman like her, harsh and unyielding, capable of doing something so gentle—it made my heart ache. “Okay?”

I nodded. Lisa's fingers caressed my cheek before she touched my right ear. “Is it hurting you?”

“No. It’s okay. I am getting used to it now.” My fingers brushed the little piece in my ear as I spoke. Hearing aids.

I got them three days ago. I remembered the time when I had wished to hear Lisa's voice. It was always a burning ache in my chest, knowing there was no possibility of it. But she made my dreams come true.

I was completely deaf from my left ear. I could go under the knife, maybe have a surgery done, the doctor said, but it was not guaranteed. I only had about fifteen percent of success. My right ear, though—if I used hearing aids, then it wasn’t totally useless.

“Good,” Lisa muttered. She leaned down to quickly capture my mouth in a chaste kiss. My lips tingled when she pulled away. “I don’t like the thought of you hurting, myshka.”