The Billionaire's Awakening (Unedited Version)

Chapter 26: Past and Present

All rights reserved @ 2016 by MsDreamerGirl84

"Without hope, we fail to exist." ― Lailah Gifty Akita,

Taryn Asker's POV

Baby,

I'm sorry for everything. I'm a selfish mother. When you grow up, you'll understand what I mean, and I hope you will forgive me. I deprived you the life you always wish, with your father. My life had been full of anger and revenge and you suffered from it. 

I love you so much, baby. Please forgive me. And I hope your father will forgive me, too.

Forever loving you,

Tara Asker.

I stared at the yellowish paper, holding the tears back. I don't understand why would she calls herself a selfish mother. She didn't do anything. She carried me and raise me like a good mother would. She was a selfless mother for me. Whatever she meant here is still confusing me.

My eyes lingered at the suicide letter. It was nicely tucked under my pillow that night and I guess she sneaked it under after tucking me into sleep, and then the day comes, she was gone. Overdose herself with sleeping pills while her body was laid peacefully on her bed. 

I never forget it. I never forget that day when I ran to her room that morning, with all smiles in my face. It was her birthday, theia said. 

"Mommy, mommy, mommy," I climbed up to her bed and shook her shoulder. She was cold, and I thought she was just sleeping. I shook her shoulder more while calling her but she was sleeping. "Mommy, wake up!" I called again, but she didn't move. 

I decided to call for theia and so I did. I was still smiling when I left her room, my small feet bouncing across the hallway to the living room, then to the dining room, calling theia's name and found her in the kitchen busy preparing breakfast.

"Theia," her back was facing me, head bent forward as she decorates the cake.

She turns to look at me, and I laughed. She had an icing on her forehead and right cheek. 

"Yes, dear?" she smiled sweetly. 

"Mommy doesn't want to wake up!" I pouted petulantly and theia looks down at her watch and then her face scrunched up.

"Did you try to wake her up?" she asked in her almost soothing voice and I nodded vigorously, my head bobbing up and down profusely, the smile making its way up my face again.

Theia's smile slowly withered and quickly drop the knife and scrambles out of the room frantically. I ran following her as she scuttles through the hallway and then into mom's room. 

"OH MY GOD!" a loud shrieked from theia, the horror in her voice didn't escape me even at that age. The two helpers in the house ran into the room and then they took me out. Theia was screaming with her eyes damped with tears.

"Taryn," theia Tamara's voice drags me out of my horrifying reverie. A stray tear, drop on my cheeks I didn't realize it escapes my eyes  and I wipe it away as I put the letter back in the box before turning to face theia. 

"Dinner is ready," she smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes traveled to my memory box, then to the pictures on the bed beside the box. She smiled bitterly. I saw her eyes glistens but the tears never came. 

"I'm sorry, theia. I'll just put this away and I'm coming," I said, picking all the pictures and cards that came from my mother and placed it back in the box.