His eternity

Prologue 1

7 years before...

Little droplets of salted water flowed down her reddened cheeks and landed silently on the edge of the framed image that she held tightly clasped in her hands. Blinded by the utter despair and pain that consumed her insides, she tried to wipe the drops off the glass with the ends of her sleeve in a hectic motion. In this very moment she felt as if she was left completely alone in this world. Alone with herself and the voices in her head that slowly but surely filled her head and screamed at her how useless and pathetic she was. How she could have saved her and how it was her fault that she was taken away from them.

The tight grip on the framed photo loosened immediately and the glass shattered on the floor. Her little hands got caught in her hair as she was desperately pulling at the ends in a sad attempt to stop the voices. Her mouth opened for a silent scream, trying to voice her pain and self hate. Her breath started to come out in pants and it got harder to get the air into her lungs as the seconds passed.

Slowly but surely, a small voice fought through the negative, loud cries in her head and an instant sense of security spread through her. Her voice entered her mind and spoke to her.

"Calm down, my little sunshine. Don't ever forget that I will watch over you and protect you. I may not be by your side anymore but that won't ever stop me from sending my love to you. Cause my love for you, little one, is endless."

Her mind went back to the memories of that last day she spend with her. The way she had laid in her arms, how it felt when she stroked her hair and how she always gave her the feeling that everything would be okay in this world, no matter what happened, as long as she had her. And now that she was gone, she had nothing. Or at least that's how she felt in that moment. The person that made her home feel like the best environment anyone could possibly grow up in, the one that gave her unconditional love and guided her on her journey to become a young woman.

Caught up in her thoughts and memories, she was unaware of the figure that was approaching her from behind. A big, heavy hand landed on her shoulder and made her flinch. Her flushed face rose and her eyes lifted off the ground. Her gaze fell on the face of the familiar man in front of her that she easily identified as her father. His eyes seemed to reflect many komplex emotions, the pain she was feeling being one of them. Silently, without uttering a word, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight. She felt his tall figure towering over her small frame and she felt as if he was a protective wall that kept away the dangers and the depression of the real world.

He murmured words to himself over and over again that "everything would be fine" as he stroked her hair. As she tried to calm her nerves, several questions shot into her head and spilled out of her mouth.

"W-what are we supposed to do now, Dad? How is this all going to work without her ? W-Why her ? I wanna have her back, I j-just want her b-back!" 

The last bit of the sentence was swallowed by a hiccup noise escaping her mouth. 

"We will work everything out. Don't stress yourself with grown-up problems, sunshine. I will handle it and things will work out for us in the end."

"But what about the bakery, Dad? What about her dream? We can't afford to get workers, right?"

"Like I said, don't worry your pretty little head about that. I will cut short on a few other things and then I will hire workers. Nothing's gonna change for you."

He softly kissed the top of her head and picked up her small frame. He looked down and studied her face. Under her eyes, dark circles had formed and the dried tears had left small stripes on her reddened cheeks. Her eyes were half closed and with a loud yawn the last bits of energy left her body. He carefully carried the young girl to her white bed with pink covers and laid her down onto her fluffy blanket. Another glance at her told him that she was already asleep. He gave her forehead a last kiss and whispered to her sleeping form:

"Nothing will change for you, sunshine. I promise. And I will do everything in my power to give you the best life possible. I will find a solution for you to ensure your happiness, even if that means that you will hate me forever."