There's a time for everything. A time to live and a time to die….
Diana was standing at the cemetery where her mother was buried.
Whoa, is she back to reality now? She wanted to jump with joy but the thought of a particular person saddened her heart.
"Does that mean everything about Liam was all a dream?" She immediately clenched her throbbing heart.
"Diana?" She heard a familiar voice somewhere. The voice she has been wanting to hear desperately for the past few months.
She slowly turned around and as soon as she got a glimpse of the person's face, she burst in tears.
"Mom!" She run to her arms and hugged her tight. "Mom! I missed you so much!"
The woman smiled as she caressed Diana's hair. "I miss you too, sweetheart."
Diana held her mother's hand and led her into an empty bench.
"I really miss you, mom. How have you been? You know what, I had a very strange dream. I dreamt that I was in a strange land and met some peculiar people who seemed to be in the medieval period. The shipwrecked look so real that I thought I would drown to death. I was also scared when I thought I lost the most important thing you gave me----"
"Where's the phoenix hairpin?" Out of all her stories, her mother asked about the phoenix hairpin with worry painted all over her face. "Do you still have it with you?"
"O-of course. I won't ever lose that." She grinned.
"Sweetheart, don't ever lose that no matter what. You should take good care of it just as how you take good care of yourself."
"I know it means so much to you because it was the only memory father had left you. But mom, don't you think it's ti---"
"It's more than a memory, Diana." She uttered meaningfully. "It's your identity."
The woman raised her brow confused. "Mom, I'm not following."
"He will find you soon." She smiled but she was slowly fading. "Don't lose it no matter what happened."
She was vanishing as well as the cemetery she was in…. Mom…? She stood up trying to chase her shadows.
"No, Mom!" She suddenly woke up. She wiped the sweats on her forehead and looked around. Looked like she slept for a few minutes at the house porch.
'Dang it, it was just a dream after all.' She heaved a sigh and shook the last phrase she remembered from her dreams 'It's your identity.' It doesn't make sense to her at all so tried to forget about it. She stood up and went back inside the house.
Nothing has change. Liam was now standing in front of Simon's coffin and he has stopped crying. His hands were on his pockets while his eyes were glued at the person inside.
Good thing Lily fell asleep when Liam came home. If not, both of them might be crying their hearts out and no one would be able to bear the sight, that's for sure.
Truly, life is a fleeting wind. No one knew when it ends.
She was about to go near Liam but she halted when she saw Suzette approached the man. She saw the woman tapped his shoulder. Her face was covered with worry for the man.
She seemed to be saying something and after a few minutes, the woman embraced him. The man lifted his hand and hugged her back.
Her world froze at the scene in front of her but she was able to looked away as soon as she saw the man hugged her back. Good thing no one was watching her since almost everyone was busy doing something.
She lightly hit her chest since she couldn't breathe. Is this what they call jealousy?
She tried to calm herself. 'Diana, this is not the time for such drama!' she scolded herself. 'He needed comfort now… she was just comforting him, okay?' She breathed in and out for a few seconds until she forced the tears back in her eyes. Fretting in jealousy right now is the most stupid thing she could ever do.
Sonia and the others were busy preparing for they know that tomorrow would be a busy day since people will definitely gather from everywhere to come and send their condolences. Though they do not know the dead person but the fact that a popular family held a funeral service, visiting them was a common courtesy in the land.
She was helping them out when Suzette came to get a cup of water.
"Sweetheart, is that for Liam?" Sonia asked.
"Yes, grandma." She smiled sweetly.
"Oh good. Then tell him to wash up and rest now."
"I already did grandma." She replied and smiled at Diana meaningfully.
What was that for? Diana suddenly felt shivers coursing through her. Her smile was usually gentle but this time was a bit vicious. Did she do something bad towards her?
Suzette spitefully sneered when she left Diana at the kitchen along with Sonia. Knowing that she was the first one to approach and comforted Liam gave her a victorious glow.
'I won't let you have the upper hand, woman!' She hissed.
****************************
"You can come in!"
Liam was putting on his shirt when someone knocked on the door.
"I-I'm sorry!" She immediately looked away when she saw Liam's bare chest.
"Is there any problem?"
The man sat on the chair.
"I came to check on you." She softly muttered as she walked slowly towards him.
"I'm fine. You should go back to your room and rest. You look tired."
However, the woman knelt before him and touched his hand. Seeing his wounded knuckles, she took the ointment she brought and applied it onto his wounds.
**Unknown to them, a woman was about to knock but seeing that the door was partly opened, she gently pushed it but she halted when she saw that a woman was already tending his wounds. She tightly clenched her fist in result.
"He tried so hard to speak during his last breath. He said he was so proud of you." She tried to relay Simon's words as loving as he did before he died. Yes, she and Lily was there when he breathed his last.
Once again, Liam couldn't help but teared up. If only he stayed instead of trying to mediate the three brothers, then he should have spoken with Simon for the last time.
"He knew about Beverly's brothers." Diana paused a little and recalled how Simon smiled proudly. "And he was happy to hear that you decided to help them. He was so proud of you."
Seeing the man wept silently, she stood up and hugged him tight. His head was leaning on her belly while his hands were wrapped around her waist.
He looked like a little kid asking for comfort! She smiled in relief as she caressed the man's hair.
"It's okay, cry as much as you want until the pain vanishes away. It's difficult I know, but I'm sure you'll gonna make it."
The man cried for a few more minutes before he broke away from the woman's embrace. Lifting his gaze, he met the woman's wistful eyes.
"Thank you." He muttered gently.
Diana lifted her finger and wiped the man's wet cheeks. His eyes were still holding a melancholic gaze and it pained her heart to see the strongest man she knew broke down like this. It doesn't suit his strong personality.
Ah, how she wanted to take away all his pain!
Their eyes met, eyes that held deep devotion towards each other.
The man was about to say something but to his surprise, the woman bended and captured his lips!
He froze. The grief that shadowed his heart was suddenly replaced with thousand butterflies churning in his stomach. His heart was beating abnormally fast.
Wait, did she just initiate the kiss? He couldn't think straight.
The woman broke away as she looked deeply in his eyes. Her eyes were filled with affection towards him.
"Liam, I love you and I will always do." One more time, she captured the man's lips.
Wait… Did she just confessed?