Free Forbidden Love: Fate (Zac and Ivy Trilogy Book 1) by Wanitta Praks

emerald-green eyes. What’s the difference?
They’re both green.
    I shake myself, tears of pain streaming down
my face. After some painful crying and reliving that nightmare
again, I wander back home. It’s getting dark. Gigi and Clare must
be worried sick.
    Moon comes running to me the minute I walk
inside the house in my zombie-like state.
    “Vivi? What’s wrong? Why are you sad?” she
instantly asks me with just one look at my face.
    Children seem to have an instinctual
awareness.
    “I’m not sad,” I say to her weakly, dropping
her a kiss on the forehead and grabbing myself a glass of water
from the kitchen. “Just tired, that’s all.”
    Moon follows me into the kitchen. Clare and
Gigi are cooking. I force a smile at them. Gigi is the first to
speak. “How’s your new job? Did your student behave?”
    “It was okay. My student behaved,” I tell
her.
    “Just remember if you don’t like the job,
quit anytime. I’m here to support you.” That comes from Clare.
    It’s very touching that Clare cares for me,
but I want to earn my own money for university. I don’t want to
rely on her forever.
    “I know, but I want to save up to go to
university,” I tell her.
    “I have that fund all sorted for you, Ivy,”
she says, her hand still cutting up vegetables.
    Gigi’s over her pot of stew. From the aroma
that hangs in the kitchen, I guess it must be pasta tonight.
    “I know. But I want to earn my own money.
Thanks for your support, though.”
    “If only Brian were here, you wouldn’t have
to take that tutoring job.”
    There she goes again, bringing up the past.
I don’t mind her saying it, but not in front of Moon like this. So
instead of answering like I usually do, I gesture to Moon, telling
her to follow me.
    She holds out her little hand and together
we go back into the lounge. I slump on the couch and close my eyes.
I can feel a little depression in the cushion next to me. I turn to
Moon, open my eyes, and ask, “Have you taken your insulin shot
yet?”
    “Not yet. Mommy said we won’t be eating for
another half hour since you weren’t here yet.”
    “We should be eating soon,” I say tiredly,
then lift her and carry her on my waist to her room. “Come on. I’ll
help you today.”
    “Yes, please, Vivi. Thank you,” Moon says,
giving me a peck on my cheek.
    In her bedroom, I take out her insulin
injection kit and, lifting her shirt, I give her a shot in her
abdomen.
    She closes her eyes and holds her fist
tight.
    “Did it hurt?” I ask her once I’ve
finished.
    “No,” she says with her eyes still
closed.
    I have tears in my eyes. How brave my little
niece is. I hug her and she hugs me back. Together we stay like
this until Moon starts speaking again.
    “Don’t cry, Vivi.”
    Her statement surprises me. I’m not aware
I’m crying.
    Moon wipes the tears from my eyes and says,
“It hurts a little when you push the needle in, but not all that
much. I’m used to it now. It’s all in the past, so stop crying.
Talking about it will only make me think about the pain. And it
hurts when I think about the pain.”
    I cry even harder, my shoulders trembling as
I hug her small frame.
    Moon, my innocent little niece, is right.
Everything is all in the past now. I should try to forget about
everything that happened. To think about it would only cause me
pain. And I want to protect her from this pain. I want to start a
new life. I don’t want to be bound by my past anymore. I want to
look toward the future and start on a fresh path. Moon will not be
affected by the event that took place five years ago. I must think
of her. I have to make sure of that.
    Moon lifts my spirits after that. Eating
dinner that night, my mood improves, and I go to bed thinking about
Zac until I fall asleep.
    I have a strange dream of Zac and me in the
school park filled with yellow daisies. I’m lying on his lap with
my eyes closed, listening to the soft gentle whispers of the wind,
singing in tune with the golden