12

"December what is going on here?" Nala asked as she held onto her arm stopping her from running away.

"Nothing—I don't feel good so I am going back," December replied with a shuttering tone.

"Are you not going to look at me?" The woman spoke. December's eyes closed and she breathed in heavily before speaking.

"I— don't deserve to look at you, I rather jump off somewhere high than to look directly at you—" December had a hard time speaking,

"I am sorry! I am guilty, but I fixed everything, Now you have your daughter with you...I hope you can forgive me now," December spoke heavy heartedly as she was choking on her words when she spoke.

"Never!! I can never forgive you—not for what you have already done, but for what you are doing now! How can you take our love for granted— why didn't you tell me that upfront! Why didn't you tell me that you were only acting like Aurora!"

"I am sorry—I didn't have the courage! I knew you would be hurt if you found out the truth-I—I didn't want to get abandoned again," December's voice became small and her tears had made their way out of her eyes.

"So you decided to abandon us instead? How could you have forgotten that we loved you—" Amelia walked over to December.

"You—you loved Aurora, not me—I just took her place," December hung her head.

Amelia started into those grey guilty eyes that were trying to escape. She slowly lifted her hand and stroked her cheek.

"I was sad! I was disappointed—" she said as she stroked her, "But not because you lied to us, not because you took Aurora's place for so many years, but I was sad and disappointed because I couldn't make you trust in my love for you, I didn't love you enough, I didn't give you the assurance that whatever happens you could just walk up to me and tell me the truth instead of running away without looking back—" Amelia's eyes were filled with motherly love.

"Aurora wants you to come back home, I want you to come back home, it's empty without you," Amelia sounded as if she was begging December to come back.

"I can't— even if you have forgiven me—" her lips trembled as she spoke out, "Fathe—no, He will not forgive me, he will never accept me, I dare not see the disappointment in his eyes," December replied.

"No, He is waiting for you, he misses you, even if he doesn't show it he loves you, just like his own daughter,"

December shook her head sideways and gulped down the sadness. "No, he never loved me, I think he knew from the start that I was not Aurora, and now that the truth is out, I dare not show him my face. It will kill me, I will die if he rejects me-" December was not ready to face anything. It took her a huge effort to hide her past self and start as a new person, she didn't want anything to repeat itself.

"Dear! Don't think like that, he will never regret you,"

"Can you please not tell him that you met me—," Amelia was hurt, she couldn't bear seeing December in so much pain.

"Okay! I will not tell him, but can I come to meet you at times? This mother misses you very much,"

December gave a light nod, on which Amelia hugged December tightly, her eyes were wet too.

"I will wait for the day you decide to come back, We are waiting for you," Amelia whispered.

Nala had no idea what had happened just now before her eyes, she stood petrified staring at them.

When December and Amelia parted, Nala didn't ask anything from December, she didn't want to enter into something very personal.

A few days passed like that, and Nala forgot about the incident. They got busy with life like always.

It was Friday afternoon when December walked back to her dormitory. She received a call from her Aunt, she was the only blood-related family December had left; Emily was her mother's sister.

"Hello," December spoke.

"Hello, dear. How are you?!" She spoke in an excited voice.

"I am great! What about you? Is everything going on well? What about Uncle Eddy?( Emily's husband,)"

"Everything is great!—I called you to ask if you were free this weekend," She spoke with caution.

"Yes, I am free, is everything okay?" December shifted the phone to her other ear.

"Yes, yes everything is great, your uncle and I were thinking if you could come and spend some time with us—you can refuse if you want to. It's just an invitation." Emily had just recently gotten in touch with December as before that she had no idea where she was, so she wasn't very close to December but she loved her dearly.

"Why not? I would love to visit you…" December unlocked her room door and walked in.

"You would come?" Emily was caught by surprise.

"Sure! I was just thinking of staying at the dorm this weekend, but now that you have invited me I would love to come," December smiled ear to ear as she spoke.

"This is such great news! I will tell your uncle about that!" Emily got excited.

After December ended the call she freshened up and looked at her watch, it was 4:30.

"I should reach there by 9 if I pack up now," December pondered and then pulled out a leather bag and stuffed it with a few clothes and picked up her wallet, and she was good to go, and just then Nala walked through the door, her face was not happy at all.

"You going somewhere?" She asked.

"Yeah! My aunt invited me over for the weekend. Wanna come?" December added.

Nala's frowning eyebrows parted and an unexpected change in her facial expression took place.

"Can I come?" She asked with amazement.

"Yeah! If you are okay with sleeping on the floor," December joked.

"Done!" She replied.

"Then you have 5 minutes, pack up we are leaving," December replied.

"5 minutes are more than enough!" She made a determined face and walked towards her wardrobe.