Love Worth Fighting For

Ten minutes ago Christian barged into Zwetta’s room when Zwetta opened the door to her room. Zwetta, who intended to get some fresh air in the garden, couldn’t stop Christian’s actions. Instead of doing Zwetta’s request, Christian throws himself off the chair and kneels in front of Zwetta.

“Hey...”

“I want to confess my sins to you, Zee.” Christian speaks in a hoarse voice. “I want to tell you everything.”

Zwetta frowned. “A confession? How big of a mistake have you made to me before?”

Christian takes a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare. After thinking all night without sleep, Christian finally decides to follow Kainer’s advice by admitting all his faults to Zwetta including about Luna. Although currently Luna is not with them anymore.

By not changing his sitting position, Christian then begins to tell all the atrocities he committed to Elena after Suri said that Elena was part of the kidnappers. Christian tells everything without exception, including the prohibition he gave to Elena to see and attend the funeral of her parents in the city of Echternach.

“I-i have a baby?” Zwetta repeats Christian’s words, stammering.

“Yes...”

.....

“And giving birth by Caesarean?”

Christian again confirms Zwetta’s question.

Zwetta’s tears flowed freely, her chest suddenly felt tight and full. There was a tremendous emotional turmoil in her chest at this moment, an unfamiliar feeling that had never been present suddenly burst out.

“You’re lying, aren’t you?”

Christian shakes his head. “I’m not lying, Zee. You were once pregnant with my child, her name was Luna.”

Zwetta’s lips trembled, even though she didn’t know the truth of Christian’s words, she felt that at this time Christian was speaking the truth.

“Luna was born when you were seven months pregnant.” Christian spoke again. “You gave birth much earlier than the appointed time due to heavy bleeding after falling in the room.”

Zwetta shook her head, the tightness in her chest choking her lungs even more. Although until this moment all the memories have not returned, but Zwetta feels so hurt to hear Christian’s words. Subconsciously, Zwetta touched her lower abdomen, right on the scar that doctor Giana had said was a sharp object hit while on a mission.

“Didn’t you give me birth control pills before, then how did I get pregnant?” Zwetta asked quietly, her voice shaking as she mentioned the contraceptive pill Christian had told her earlier.

“Zee...”

Zwetta rebuffed Christian’s hand, resisting the man’s touch. “Don’t touch me. And just answer my question.”

“Do you remember what I said yesterday?”

“No, I don’t remember anything,” Zwetta replied curtly.

“After I took you to meet my parents, I took you to my secret house in Interlaken. The house I built secretly, that house was the first time I touched you and it seems Luna was created on that beautiful night.” Christian’s eyes stared sadly at Zwetta who looked so shocked. “The night you gave yourself completely to me.”

“Stop!!”

Zwetta’s cheeks were bright red.

“Don’t talk about it, now tell me where is Luna? Where is the baby I gave birth to by caesarean section? Why didn’t I see it at your house?”

Christian’s whole body felt cold, very cold. “Luna gets in a lot of trouble, Zee. Because she was born much earlier than her age, Luna’s internal organs are not perfect. Her heart and lungs are not fully formed. For nine months Luna was hospitalized under the strict supervision of the best pediatrician, but three days that then Luna gave up. The little heart that had been forced to keep pumping blood for nine months had finally reached its maximum point.”

Silence....

Christian is silent, and so is Zwetta.

Even though Christian only spoke once, Zwetta could hear and understand well what Christian’s words meant.

“Luna left us, Zee. She gave up and left when I hadn’t brought you to meet her,” Christian says back in a barely audible voice.

Zwetta’s tears fell profusely, her pale lips trembled violently. Her chest ached and what was churning inside her chest at this moment felt suffocating, like a wound that never got a chance to heal. Knowing the fact that she was pregnant and giving birth alone had made her very shocked, then coupled with the news of a very unexpected death that really tore Zwetta’s heart to pieces.

“I’ve tried my best to cure Luna, Zee. I’ve been looking for a heart donor for her in all the best pediatric hospitals across Europe, but to no avail. None of those hearts matched Luna. If only I could, I already exchanged my heart for Luna since the beginning Zee...”

“LUNA...” Zwetta spelled Luna’s name with an intentionally long syllable. “What’s her full name?”

“Luna Gracelie Clarke.” Christian mentions Luna’s full name for the first time in front of Zwetta. “The only thing that I inherited from her is only those pair of blue eyes that are as clear as the sky, the rest Luna has inherited all your beauty. The shape of her lips, nose and face is really like yours.”

Zwetta immediately squeezed her left chest which felt sore, dozens of invisible needles that had been incised the wound had now in her chest. Pain and tightness, all those feelings melted into one, tormenting Zwetta slowly.

No woman will be okay after finding out her baby is dead. Likewise with Zwetta.

Although she did not remember how the child had grown in her stomach for seven months, Zwetta felt so sad when she was told that her daughter who had such a beautiful name had died. Surrendered to defeat, after fighting for nine months, trying to write her own sweet story in a world that is ready to accommodate her.

“This is a photo of Luna...”

“No.” Zwetta firmly rejects Christian’s goal of showing him Luna’s photo. “I don’t want to see Luna’s photo from your cellphone, take me directly to see her.”

“Zee...”

“Take me to her new house, I want to meet her,” Zwetta said back with tears that never stopped flowing.

Clarke family funeral, 10.00 AM.

The smallest cross-shaped tombstone in the cemetery caught Zwetta’s attention, her wet eyes staring at the three-day-old grave without blinking. The rumbling in her chest grew louder, excruciatingly torturing her.

“Come on Zee...”

“Go!” Zwetta opened her lips for the first time since leaving the apartment thirty minutes ago. “Don’t bother me, I want to meet her myself.”

“Zee..”

“I don’t have to repeat my request twice, do I?” Zwetta spoke again.

Christian lifts his face up, trying to keep his tears from spilling out. Even though it was hard, Christian finally followed Zwetta’s request. With a broken heart, Christian steps back creating the distance Zwetta wanted.

After Christian moved away, Zwetta then began to move. With such heavy steps, Zwetta walked towards the newest tomb which was located at the very end of the luxurious burial area. The closer she got to the tiny tomb, the more it hurt her chest to breathe.

Is it true that the tomb is the baby’s grave? Was it true that the little baby buried there came from her womb, a baby she didn’t even know existed until she died three days ago.

Zwetta’s head was filled with bewildering questions, questions that only Robin could confirm. Yes, all this time, Zwetta still thinks that what Christian said to her was just a fake hoax to set her up, tying her into a coercive relationship.

Zwetta widened her eyes, trying to look at the beautifully engraved writings on the cross-shaped tombstone in front of her. Luna Gracelie Clarke’s name was written, the name Christian had mentioned moments ago on the tombstone.

“Jesus...” Zwetta immediately covered her mouth with both hands when she saw the beautiful photo of Luna in the tombstone.

Zwetta immediately rushed to the tombstone, trying to clearly see the beautiful photo of Luna which was taken when she was in her best condition a few months ago even though Luna’s nose was still attached with a long clear tube connected to medical equipment.

“Luna...” Zwetta said hoarsely. “Are you really my daughter?” Zwetta’s tears fell again.

The innocent smile that Luna displayed in the photo tore her soul without a trace. Without hesitation, Zwetta then cried loudly so that Christian and the bodyguards who were standing twenty meters from the tomb could clearly hear Zwetta’s sad cry. Christian himself immediately lowered his head deeply, hearing Zwetta’s crying voice directly like this made him so devastated.

“I’m sorry, Zee...I’m sorry.”

***

“Going to Luna’s grave?” Anne repeated Kainer’s words in such a surprised tone.

Kainer nodded slowly. “That’s right ma’am.”

“Has Zwetta remembered everything?” Suri also asked.

“I don’t think so, Miss.”

“If she doesn’t remember then how does she know about Luna?”

Kainer thins the lips. “Young master decided to confess everything to Miss Zwetta, Young master is worried that he will not have the opportunity if Robin Jones comes.”

Jack, who was sitting beside Anne immediately put the teacup roughly on the table. “Robin Jones, the secret agent is coming? Does he know where Zwetta is?”

“That question alone can’t answer, sir,” Kainer answered immediately. “I’m completely uninformed about Robin Jones.”

“If you don’t know anything about Robin Jones then how can you say the guy is coming?” This time it was Erick who asked Kainer a similar question, the problem that happened to Christian really ensnared everyone closest to the Clarke family, including Erick and Nicholas who are currently trying their best to replace Jack’s task of managing Muller Finance International in Geneva.

Kainer smiled. “Feeling.”

“Feeling? How could you involve such an unfounded feeling in a matter of this magnitude, Kainer?” Eric snorted disapprovingly.