If the Sun Has Faded Away (UNDER REWRITING)

Chapter 27: Light In The Darkness

The brick wall felt cold against my back. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to steady myself. A tear slipped from my right eye, and I wiped it away quickly.

How would I face John?

I opened my eyes and glanced at the house across the road. His house stood tall, familiar, yet distant. A flicker of light through his curtains caught my attention, though it was still daytime. The front door hung slightly ajar, as if someone had just stepped out or was about to.

Go to him. Now. Before you lose your chance.

I had been standing there for what felt like hours, my feet glued to the ground. My heart screamed at me to move, to go, but the weight of everything that had happened held me frozen in place.

Crowther had said John would understand, that I should talk to him. It seemed so simple then. But now, with his house just a few steps away, doubt gnawed at me. John had always been my safe place, the one person I could turn to.

But what if things had changed? What if I had pushed him too far this time?

You didn't trust him before, Divya. How can you ask him to trust you now?

A shiver ran through me. That voice in my head wouldn't let up. It reminded me of every mistake I had made, every warning I'd ignored. John had told me to stay away from Krishna Kumar. I hadn't listened. Now, I wasn't sure I deserved to ask for his help.

Tears burned in my eyes again. My legs trembled, and I collapsed to the ground, burying my face in my hands. I couldn't stop shaking.

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"Lucinda? Is that you?"

A soft hand touched my shoulder, and I jumped. Looking up, I found myself staring into familiar brown eyes.

"Aunt Mimi..."

I stood up quickly, wiping at my tear-streaked face, though I knew I couldn't hide what she'd already seen.

Aunt Mimi looked at me, her usual sternness replaced with a look of surprise. We'd hardly ever spoken face-to-face, despite living so close. It was usually John who visited me. When I did go to his house, Aunt Mimi never gave me much more than a passing glance.

"John! Your friend's here!" she would call in that clipped voice of hers. Her eyes always held a subtle disapproval, as though I was intruding on something.

But today, her gaze was softer.

"I... I'm sorry, Mrs. Smith. I'll go."

The words felt clumsy, awkward. Calling her "Mrs. Smith" seemed wrong, but "Aunt Mimi" felt presumptuous, considering how she'd always treated me.

Before I could turn to leave, she spoke again, her voice gentler. "Aunt Mimi is fine."

I froze. A small, involuntary smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

"What happened, Lucinda?" she asked, her hand still resting lightly on my shoulder.

"Nothing, Aunt Mimi," I whispered, my voice shaky. I couldn't bring myself to meet her eyes. She was everything I wasn't-composed, elegant, strong. Right now, I felt like a mess.

"Look at me, Lucinda. Please."

Her tone was softer, almost tender. Slowly, I lifted my gaze to meet hers.

"I may not approve of how close you and John are," she said, her expression tightening slightly, "but I'm not blind. I can see you're hurting."

"I'm fine, Aunt Mimi," I lied, though my voice betrayed me with its quiver. The last thing I wanted was her pity.

"Are you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because I found you crying against a wall."

I bit my lip, trying to hold myself together. "I appreciate your concern, but really, it's not necessary. Let's just... pretend this didn't happen, okay?"

She shook her head slowly. "That's what I've been doing for years, Lucinda. Ignoring you."

Her words cut deep, hitting harder than I expected. I'd always wanted her to notice me, to see me as someone who mattered to John. And now, when I wanted to disappear, she chose to acknowledge me?

"You've ignored me for years," I said, letting out a bitter laugh. "And now, when I ask you to, you suddenly notice me?"

Aunt Mimi's face remained steady, but she gently wiped a tear from my cheek. I tensed at the unexpected tenderness.

"I wasn't ignoring you because I didn't care," she whispered. "It wasn't easy for me."

I stared at her, taken aback. "Aunt Mimi..." My voice cracked again, more tears threatening to spill.

She wiped them away, her touch light. "You're stronger than you think, Lucinda," she said softly. "I see a lot of myself in you."

I shook my head. "I'm not like you, Aunt Mimi. I'm not..."

"You are," she said with quiet conviction. "I haven't made it easy for you, I know. But I've always noticed. I've seen how much you care, how kind you are, even when I didn't acknowledge it."

Her words sunk in, heavy and surprising. She'd been watching, all this time.

"You're important to John," she continued, her tone gentle but firm. "You mean a lot to him."

Her words sent a chill through me. Aunt Mimi, of all people, saying that?

"I never wanted to come between you two," I mumbled, my voice thick with emotion.

She gave me a small, sad smile. "You're not a threat, Lucinda. John loves you. He's found in you the warmth he lost when his Uncle George passed."

I looked down, unable to hold her gaze any longer. "You'll never lose him, Aunt Mimi. He loves you too."

Aunt Mimi's smile faltered, and she chuckled softly, as though remembering something distant. "I've always been strict with him. I wanted to raise him right. George... he was the one who indulged John, made him laugh." She paused, her smile turning wistful. "Maybe John sees some of that in you."

I nodded, unsure of what to say.

"Lucinda," she said, her voice quiet but certain, "sometimes we have to put aside our fears. John deserves to know what's going on. Whatever it is, you need to tell him."

My chest tightened, the weight of her words pressing down on me. "I'm... scared, Aunt Mimi. What if he-"

She cut me off gently. "Scared? Of what, Lucinda? John's never given you a reason to doubt him."

I swallowed hard, my heart racing. "What if he doesn't understand?"

Aunt Mimi frowned, her eyes softening with sympathy. "You won't know until you try. He deserves the chance to be there for you, just like you've always been there for him."

She pulled a handkerchief from her bag and dabbed at the smudged makeup on my face. Her fingers brushed the corner of my lip, and I winced.

"You're bleeding," she whispered.

I closed my eyes, the shame washing over me again. How had I let it come to this?

"You'll be all right, dear," she said quietly, her tone so soothing it nearly broke me.

When I opened my eyes again, she was smiling at me, a real, kind smile-one I'd never expected to see.

"Now, come on," she said, gently taking my arm. "Let's go inside."

"Inside?" I asked, my nerves spiking.

"To the only person who can help you right now."

Before I could protest, Aunt Mimi led me toward the house, and for the first time in hours, I felt a small flicker of hope.