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Hey guys! I've been very busy today, here's another update for ya!
Chapter 11 – Grieving
Yulia cried for days after she found out about her father’s death. When Lena had drove her back to the apartment after the run in with her mother she had been completely inconsolable. She had found it hard to say out loud that he was gone even to Lena and in the end she had shown her the letter, as she wasn’t making any sense. Nothing made sense from the moment she had found out, it was all she could think about.
Since then she had spent her days staring into space lost in her memories, which were all she had left of her Dad apart from the huge cheque. She had stashed it in her bedside cabinet and would occasionally pull it out to look at and think how poor a substitute it was for her Dad. How could money ever compensate for her loss?
Yulia couldn’t eat at all because her stomach was so tied up in knots. She pondered whether she had really been the cause of her Dad’s death on an almost hourly basis. From what her mother had told her or rather screamed at her, it was his heart. She didn’t even know when he had died or where he was buried, having no details made it worse, she should know he was her Dad after all.
Also, the way she had been tricked and had read about his death in the will settlement left her cold every time she thought about it. Larissa Volkova hated her own daughter she had made that clear and Yulia hated her in return for laying the blame on her, she felt like she had been orphaned.
Lena was extremely worried about Yulia because as the days went by she seemed to be descending deeper into depression. From the first night they had brought her belongings back from her parents apartment Lena had found it agonizing to lay in bed and to try to sleep when she could hear Yulia’s strangled sobs through the bedroom wall. In the end although she had wanted to give Yulia space to grieve she couldn’t bear to listen to her friend’s anguish any longer.
The last few nights Lena had resorted to sleeping with Yulia in her room cradling her in her arms until the tears subsided and she eventually fell asleep finally reassured by Lena’s loving embraces. Lena would watch her sleep desperately wanting to take all the pain away. It tugged at her heartstrings to see the sorrow in Yulia’s eyes, the grief consuming her whole being. Lena wanted to protect her from the world and especially that mother of hers.
As Lena looked down at Yulia who was at last sleeping soundly for the night, she kissed her gently on her rosy cheek admiring the beautiful profile of her best friend. How could any mother treat their child like Larissa Volkova had treated her only daughter? Lena felt extremely angry and bitter towards Yulia’s mother to the extent that she would have loved to go to the apartment and had it out with her but she wouldn’t for Yulia’s sake, she knew deep down that would only make matters worse.
To Lena it was the cruellest thing Yulia’s mother could have done to Yulia to blame her for her father’s death. She had clearly hero-worshipped him and the double burden of guilt and grief was proving too much for Yulia to live with. Did Larissa not think Yulia had been through enough?
Even when they had sorted through Yulia’s mail together and she had received the good news that due to her tutor submitting her final examination piece she had been awarded an exceptional degree, it was a hollow victory for her. For Yulia there was no joy to be had from it, what was a degree certificate if she had no parents to be proud of her? Lena had been very enthusiastic about it but for all Yulia felt for her it wasn’t the same as having her Dad beaming at her his face full of pride, if it hadn’t been for him she would not have even gone to university.
Lena looked down at Yulia again wanting more than anything to see Yulia smile again. How she was going to achieve it she wasn’t quite sure but she would help her to grieve and to move on with her life, she was determined not to let her down.
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