Chapter 121
Aurora
I found myself sitting by the river bank with my hands filled with sand and my flare ankle-length flowery gown soaked with water.
My eyes shut in satisfaction as the cool breeze swept through my face, tossing my hair in different directions.
The calmness of the environment was therapeutic as I could listen to the river flowing, splashing against a few big rocks that stood in its way.
It created a melody so pleasing to my ears and soothing to my nerves.
It was strange how I grew fond of the river within a short time. It rapidly became my refuge.
Without a care in the world, I buried my dirty fingers into the sand to retrieve small flat rocks that were stuck in the soil, which I ended up tossing across the river.
“Argh!” I groaned in frustration as the stone didn’t make it across the other side of the river despite its slim width.
I gritted my teeth in annoyance as I threw another rock again for the tenth time, but it ended up sinking into the depth of the clear waters.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
Tired and emotionally downcast, my eyes were the first to drop to the floor in sadness, followed by my slumped shoulders.
Why wasn’t I getting it after so many attempts?!
The splashing of the water against the rocks increased my anger and frustration as tears loomed around my eyes. Before I could shut it, droplets of tears fell into the river, creating a mixture.
My body slowly dropped beside the river as I enjoyed the feeling of the cold water against my warm skin.
The coolness of the water slowly erased the frustration that gathered around my heart.
If only I could swim, I would cover the length of the river in the blink of an eye.
I laid there undisturbed, enjoying the sound of the running waters, the cheerful melodies from the birds, and the chiming of insects.
“Can I help you?”
I thought I heard a feminine voice…or. Maybe I was hallucinating.
My eyes remained shut. I didn’t know how many hours I had slept by the side of the river.
“Hello,” the voice rang in my ears again. It sounded firmer this time.
Maybe I wasn’t hallucinating after all.
I lifted my eyes to see the origin of the voice, tilting my head to the side to catch a clear view of the stranger that stood before me.
My eyes met with an unfamiliar woman in her mid-twenties with long flowing jet-black hair.
Consumed with curiosity, I sat up, allowing my eyes to travel around her as if studying her.
She was tall, a reasonable inches taller than I was. Dimples appeared on both sides of her cheeks as she flashed a smile at me.
Her skin was fair and glowing. For a second, I thought I was staring at Aphrodite.
I can’t forget the way her hazel eyes twinkled and her red lips curled in excitement.
Was she even real?
Lost in admiration, my eyes wandered to her slender body and her moderate curves.
A wave of jealousy crashed on me as I suddenly felt intimidated by her looks.
She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
I didn’t notice she wasn’t alone until the sound of a toddler filled the air.
Squinting my eyes, I was met with a boy, not more than 3 years old.
He had a striking resemblance to the strange woman and…the triplets.
His hair was messy, and his eyes were happy and full of life. I was tempted to cup his chubby cheeks, but I refrained from myself.
“Mama, up,” he tilted his head to the woman’s direction, stretching his arms upwards before giggling, displaying his incomplete dentition.
The scene was so cute that I found myself blushing. But before smiles could form on my face, images of my protruding belly popped in my head, vanishing the smile.
If only I didn’t miscarry.
“Why so sad?” The boy asked, his eyes sparked with curiosity as he adjusted himself in his mother’s arms.
“I’m not sad,” I replied, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill down my eyes hard and fast.
I wasn’t ready for the toddlers series of questions.
“Don’t lie. Mama said it’s not good to tell a lie, right?” He turned his head, fixing his gaze on his mother’s proud ones.
“Right, Mama?” he repeated before his mother gave him a nod and a peck on his cheeks.
“It’s bad to tell a lie,” she affirmed, gripping him tighter in her arms.
I wanted to do that to my baby so badly, but he was gone.
I watched him struggle to come down from his mother’s arms before running to meet me.
I almost laughed at the way he panted after the short sprint. His legs were short and firm enough to carry him without falling.
Before I could process what was happening, he engulfed me with a bear hug, though his short, chubby hands were not enough to go around me.
He gripped my neck tighter before, clasping his tiny fingers behind it before planting a kiss on my forehead.
“It’s okay, honey, everything will be fine,” he encouraged me. I felt his small hands tap my back rhythmically as he comforted me.
I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore, I let them pour, holding onto him as he continued rocking me.
Slowly, I release myself from him before flashing a smile.
“I feel better now,” I said, nodding my head before cupping his chubby cheeks against my palms, enjoying the softness of his flawless skin.
“It’s fine, Aurora,” the woman said, sitting close to me. It didn’t take long before her short black dress got soaked in the river.
I was about to respond to her when something clicked in my head.
Her words replayed over, and curiosity flushed through me.
Aurora?
How did she know my name?
“We’ve been watching you trying to throw the rock to the other side of the river, but you fail each time,” she replied, interrupting me.
My jaws dropped in astonishment as I shot her a confused look.
“It’s easy. Let me show you.”
She picked up a rock from the ground before throwing it across the river.
I gasped in surprise as I watched the rock bounce on the river thrice before landing at the other side.
“That was amazing,” I almost jumped in excitement as a wide smile plastered across my face.
“How did you do that? Is there a technique to it?” I asked curiously as eagerness got the best of me.
“It’s nothing. Even my son can do it.”
She wasn’t through with her words when the boy threw two rocks across the river, and it landed just like the way the previous one did.
“That’s impressive,” I said while giving the boy a high-five before I turned to look at the woman.
“Who are you? I don’t think I know you. You don’t look familiar.” I asked.
Despite being strangers, I found myself drawn to them. Their aura was friendly and welcoming. They gave me no reason to be afraid.
“My name is Ivy, and I was the triplets’ Luna.”