The Heiress's Revenge - A Bloody Affair - Chapter 97

Chapter 97: [97 – A Dream that can never be the Reality]
Elijah chuckled when instead of waking up, the smile on Seraphina face widened and she shifted closer to him, her head resting against his thigh as she hummed in her sleep. Careful of the bandage wrapped around her forehead, Elijah continue to run his fingers through her hair, sometimes massaging her scalp.

He wondered if his actions were easing some of her pain but the smile on her face was clear indication that she was dreaming about something really good. He did not want to wake her up and let her sleep for a few more minutes so she could enjoy her happy dream to the fullest but she needed to eat the breakfast so that she could take the medicines that have been prescribed to her.

Reluctantly, Elijah shook her again, “Wake up, sweetie, you need to eat something.” he said. But Seraphina head a different version in her dream.

In her dream, Seraphina was staring into Elijah’s eyes, with tears trailing down her cheeks while everybody else were looking at the two of them with fond and emotional smiles on their faces.

It was Madison who broke the silence by saying, “Say yes sweetie, Elijah had been waiting for so long.”

“Sera, baby, wake up. You need to eat something.” this was the point where her dream and reality began merging together.

Unwilling to let go of her dream, Seraphina refused to say anything or give into the tugging feeling. She tried her best to resist and remain there in the dream where she had everyone that she loved and so much more. This was how her life should have been and now that she had it, she was determined to not let it go.

“Say yes, sweetie.” Madison said again grabbing Seraphina’s attention but the latter’s eyes widened with horror when she saw her friend and sister-in-law turn into ashes. The shock did not stop there, as she heard chants of “Say yes, say yes.” before everybody started turning into ashes. It was like a scene from that Avengers movie.

She now understood how people in the movie must have felt on watching their loved ones turn into ashes and just disappear. A sob broke through her lips, her body trembling as Elijah too vanished like that.

“No! Don’t go!” she cried, and tried to grab at anything that she could but everything around her simply disappeared and she found herself standing in pitch black abyss. Everything was black and so dark that she could not even see anything.

“Don’t go! Please! Why? Why?!” Elijah panicked seeing the smile on Seraphina’s face vanished. The earlier happy expression was now replaced by somber and serious expression. The frown between her brows deepened and tears began trailing down her cheeks while her eyes were still closed.

“Please, why did you leave me again. Don’t go! I cannot live like this. Take me with you.” as Seraphina’s sobs grew louder, the tremors shaking her body hard as she cried, Elijah panicked. Her gathered her in her arms and hugged her tight.

He wondered if she had dreamt about her family and was at first happy because of that but then she remembered the tragedy that happened but she survived, and that must have been the cause of her pain. It must be why she was telling them to not go and not leave her alone. That was the only thing that he could think of in this situation.

Pulling her tighter in his embrace, Elijah began caressing her hair, patting her head and rubbing her back in intervals while he continued to murmur comforting words in her ear, “I am here, I am here.” he repeated along with, “Ssshh, it’s okay. It is alright, baby. Do not cry, everything is going to be fine.”

Seraphina began crying loudly, burying her face in the crook of Elijah’s neck, soaking his shirt with her tears, “Eli -” that was the only thing that Elijah heard while the rest of the things that she said, muffled against his chest and sounded incoherent.

The few words that he could make out from what she was mumbling, except his nickname, was “Mom, Dad, Chrissy.” that is it. The only words that were audible and clear enough.

Chrissy.

Elijah was reminded of Christopher Sullivan, Caroline’s second elder brother. She used to call him Chrissy as well. The memory of young Caroline running after Christopher calling his Chrissy not only brought a smile on his face but it also brought with it a slight confusion.

Was it just a coincidence that Seraphina also called someone by the name “Chrissy”? It was not a unique nickname but it was not common as well. Elijah was very quickly distracted away from the random thought when Seraphina’s sobs died down and she pulled away from his embrace but kept holding onto his arms, clutching the fabric of his shirt.

“Hey, are you feeling better now?” he asked, pinching her chin between his thumb and index finger lightly and tilting her head slightly to look at her face, “I am here with you, alright. Tell me, what happened.”

Though she was fully awake now but Seraphina did not dare open her eyes. She did not want to face the reality where she had no parents, her grandfather was not there with her, her brothers did not get the chance to grow up and have a family of their own, Madison was left alone, Asher was not as happy as he was in the dream, and Elijah –

She knew that after a point she would be to move past what she had lost. Her family, her childhood, so many of her relationships.

But the one thing that would be hard for her to move past was the hope. The hope of that happy dream that could never become her reality. Madison might found her happiness in someone else after this revenge game was over, Asher might gain the courage to give someone else a chance, but Elijah, that man who proposed her in her dream, she could never have that in her reality.

There was no way that Elijah would even want to be in talking terms with her once she is done with the destructive plans that she had planned for his family along with the Sullivan and the Thompson family.

He would even start hating to look at her because she would be the constant reminder for him that it was because of her, the woman he loved, that he lost everything that he currently holds dear.

“Hey, sweetheart!” the endearment broke her heart a little more. Would he still be so nice and gentle to her after knowing the truth?

“I know that it hurts. I would not say that I can understand how it feels like because I have not been in that situation so I do not now. But what I can do is offer you comfort, is provide you with all the happiness that you deserve in the long life that you have ahead of yourself.” Elijah wiped away her tears and placed delicate kisses on both her eye lids.

Seraphina’s heart fluttered at the kindness that reflected in every word that he spoke. She could not help but think about an alternate reality where Marcus and his companions did not harm her and her family. That dreamy universe where they all lived happily together.

Only in that universe, it would have been possible for her and Elijah to end up together. They would have grown up together, raised by their families, happy and healthy. Her father and brothers would have frowned in disappointment and displeasure like they had done in her dream at the idea of Elijah and her dating.

It would have been so much fun to see Elijah trying everything to gain the approval of her father, brothers, and even her grandfather.

Life would have been so great that way. But that was not the case.

It was just her wishful thinking, a dream. Nothing else. Her reality would always be tragic even after she takes her revenge. Perhaps, this was her fate to never be truly happy. She was only allowed to have a taste, just a taste of what it would feel like to be happy and loved, to love and to care for someone and be cared for in return.

A taste, but never the whole thing.

She must have committed sins in her past life and now, in this life of hers, she was paying for every crime that she must have committed, her path of revenge must be the path of her redemption. Maybe her next life would be better than this. Maybe then, she would actually be able to live this dream and make it her reality.

Seraphina’s eyes fluttered open when Elijah placed a lingering kiss on her forehead, “I am here with you Sera. I will always be there for you and with you. So do not be upset, do not cry, please.”

“Eli -” she called him by his nickname but Elijah did not look surprised until she asked, “Will you marry me?”