Chapter 30. Being an Adult

Aleysia moved through the familiar rooms of her childhood home, her fingers tracing the once-familiar contours of the furniture and trinkets that had once been so intimately known to her.

But as she walked around the room, she couldn't help but notice the subtle changes—items moved, décor altered—and the distinct impression that the house had changed significantly in her absence.

It had been years since Aleysia had last set foot in this place, ever since she had decided to leave the United States and follow the Owens family to the remote town of Longyearbyen, which is located in the northernmost reaches of the world.

"I still remember vividly all the things inside the house, once, when I was still able to see things," Aleysia murmured, her words tinged with a bittersweet nostalgia. The changes were subtle, but to her, they represented a profound shift inside her world.

The house belongs to her parents, where they live together happily. Until her mother's death, in the next few years, her father married Brooklyn Wilson. Who gives nightmares into Aleysia's life?

Yolanda, who had been listening quietly, felt a pang of sorrow in her chest. "Aleysia, darling..." she said, her voice soft and tender.

"It's okay," Aleysia replied, her tone reassuring. "I'm over it already. I've accepted that I can no longer see the world. Only a miracle can return my sight."

Yolanda moved closer, enveloping the young woman in a warm embrace. "If only I could do something about it," she said, her words laced with a deep, abiding affection for the girl she had once saved from the clutches of Brooklyn and her boyfriend.

Aleysia returned the hug, her voice filled with gratitude. "You've done so much for me already, and I'm truly thankful for it," she said, finding solace in the familiar comfort of Yolanda's presence.

Yolanda's voice carried a weight of sorrow as she gazed upon Aleysia's pained expression. "If only I'd been braver, you wouldn't have lost your sight," she lamented, the words tinged with regret that had lingered in her heart for years.

The memory of the past, when she had failed to intervene and shield Aleysia from Brooklyn's cruelty, haunted Yolanda. She had witnessed the change of the once-vibrant young woman to a gloomy one, her spirit slowly dimmed by the relentless torment inflicted upon her.

Throughout the life she spent with her stepmother, Aleysia's stepmother Brooklyn displayed no outstanding traits. Her kindness had been a superficial one—a mere mask for the hostility that lay dormant inside her. Brooklyn pretended to be there for Aleysia every day while her father was alive, providing her with warmth and support.

But the moment Aleysia's father had passed away, Brooklyn's true nature had emerged, unleashing a torrent of malice and resentment that threatened to consume the young woman entirely. Her only goal was to completely destroy Aleysia's life, depriving her of all the things that brought her happiness and solace.

Yolanda had been completely powerless as Brooklyn's schemes developed; the woman's thirst for punishment seemed unquenchable. With every horrible deed, every strategic effort to break Aleysia's spirit, the girl's strength had been gradually eroded, and she's always told the police or anyone who's trying to meddle that's between family.

And in the end, it had been Aleysia's sight that had been the ultimate fatality, a tragic price paid for Yolanda's hesitation for everything, her failure to intervene when it mattered most. Because she had failed to protect the young woman she had grown to love as her own, she carried an immense weight of regret in her heart.

Aleysia's voice carried a quiet resilience as she embraced Yolanda. "It was all in the past," she said, "but Brooklyn always used the family card to her advantage, manipulating the authorities and everyone around her. I had no power against that."

"You and your husband took me in; you took me as one of your own, and your children accepted me as their own," Aleysia continued, her tone tinged with gratitude. "That was already a great deal for me. I found life; I found my solace in Longyearbyen, with all of you. That small town has been a haven for me, a place to heal from the traumas that I have had in the past."

Aleysia's arms tightened their embrace, as if drawing strength from the woman who had become a mother to her. "I may have lost my sight, but I've gained so much more," she said, her voice resolute. "The darkness of my eyes no longer defines me."

"My dear Aleysia," Yolanda murmured, her fingers gently brushing away a stray lock of hair from the girl's face. "You have overcome so much, and I am honored to have you in my life, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that your future is filled with the brightness you so deserve."

Aleysia's lips curled into a radiant smile as she replied, "My future is already filled with brightness." Aleysia's lips curled into a radiant smile as she replied to Yolanda.

Their tender moment was suddenly interrupted by the joyful arrival of Whitney, Yolanda's daughter, who came running to join the embrace. "Ooooo, the two of you have been loving each other; I'm joining!" She exclaimed, her infectious energy filling the room as she wrapped her arms around Aleysia and Yolanda.

-

As the Owens family helped Aleysia pack the necessary belongings from the house and talk to the real estate agent, Jamal couldn't help but ponder the sudden shift in events. Turning to his wife, he voiced his thoughts, "Why do you think Brooklyn suddenly gave up all the wealth she'd tried so hard to snatch from Aleysia? And where is she now?"

Yolanda's expression darkened, her tone laced with disdain. "God knows where that wicked bitch is. I hope she stays away from our Aleysia's life forever."

"She's not going to come back and do something really bad after this, right?" Whitney, carrying a box, talked while approaching the group.

Aleysia, walking behind her while holding Whitney's arm, answered, "No, Brooklyn will never come back."

Jamal looked at Aleysia; his curiosity piqued. "How can you be so sure?"

"Ariadne whispered to me that no one is going to hurt me anymore, including Brooklyn Wilson and her boyfriend, Andrew Miller," Aleysia explained, her voice filled with confidence. "I don't know what to make of it or how to react at that time, but I trust Ariadne's words."

Whitney's eyes widened. "Do you think she's the one who made all of this happen?"

Aleysia shook her head. "She didn't say anything about that."

"It could be. That woman is very powerful and rich, after all." Jamal's gaze grew thoughtful as he considered the possibilities.

Yolanda's brow furrowed with concern. "How rich, rich?" she asked, her tone laced with worry. "She's close with our Aleysia, and I don't want her playing with her."

Jamal nodded, his expression grave. "Very rich. If she can get someone like Timothy Johnson, our company CEO, to run errands for her, then she must be extraordinarily wealthy."

Aleysia's voice held a note of correction as she spoke up. "Ariadne isn't that kind of a woman," she said, a hint of complaint in her tone. "She's really gentle and has never asked me to do anything for her. She just lets me do whatever I want or talk to her as I please."

"She's never done anything to you?" Yolanda asked, her maternal instincts kicking in.

"I'm the one who wanted to do something to her!" Aleysia replied nonchalantly; her response caught the Owens family off guard.

At this, Whitney burst into laughter, while Yolanda and Jamal held their chests in a mixture of surprise and pride. The young woman they had taken under their wing had grown in ways they had not anticipated, and she's finally an adult, which means they can no longer tell her what to do with herself.