A few weeks passed quickly since that day.
And inside this world built from memories, they were like a single moment.
For little Izel, her life was beautiful as usual, taking lessons, meeting her friends, and playing.
And of course, annoying her parents.
So here she was now lying on the luxurious sofa while resting her head in her mother’s lap and staring at her beautiful face from below.
Usually, Claire would stroke Izel’s hair or her lovely cheeks when they sat like this... but today was different.
Ignoring her stomach, which had become more prominent, her expression seemed distant as she stared at the empty space before her... she looked afraid.
Little Izel frowned, surprised by her mother’s strange behavior today.
"Mom, are you okay?"
Claire was startled for a moment before lowering her head.
"Oh Izel, since when have you been here?"
Izel got up and looked at her mother’s face while her childish voice echoed, filled with concern.
"Mom, you do not look okay."
Suddenly something clicked in Izel’s head as she remembered that she had seen the doctor this morning.
She tilted her head while examining her mother’s tired face.
"Are you sick, Mom?"
For some reason, Claire was slightly startled before avoiding Izel’s gaze as she answered.
"No... I am fine, just a little tired."
Her voice was filled with tension and discomfort.
Even so, she forced a smile while urging Izel to leave.
"Why don’t you go play outside?"
It was true that Izel did not know where the problem was, but that day the atmosphere in the palace became strange.
And for some reason, even her father did not seem well.
But that strange atmosphere did not end that day... no, it continued for weeks.
Slowly, the talk about her little brother who had not yet come into the world stopped while the laughter and joking between her parents... and even the simplest interactions faded away.
Her mother, who used to knit some small shirts and socks as a hobby, stopped doing that and began sitting most of the time absent-mindedly without doing anything.
While her father began keeping himself busy with work all the time without stopping.
And with every day, things became worse.
In the end, Izel found herself sitting alone at the dinner table.
Neither of her parents was around her, only some servants taking care of her.
A few more days passed like this.
That little girl began to feel deeply neglected and lonely.
Until the day came when her brother was supposed to be born... or that was how it should have happened.
That little girl thought all of this was because of a quarrel between her parents like usual... although it had lasted a long time.
So she thought that once her brother was born, things would improve.
But that day nothing improved... no, everything became worse...
The child who was supposed to join the family
died.
He died the moment he was born.
...
"Come on Izel, you need to leave and let your mother rest."
The maid’s voice echoed in the room while the little girl stood looking at her mother lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling with an empty expression.
When the maid saw that Izel was not responding, she stretched out her arms and carried her before leaving the room.
Carried in the maid’s arms, Izel’s eyes began to redden and tears gathered at the corners.
’They knew... they knew my brother would die.’
Now she understood why her parents’ behavior had been strange lately.
And even today, she had not seen her father anywhere.
That day Izel cried on her bed... cried until her red eyes became swollen.
But even that was only the beginning.
A few days passed while her mother recovered completely... after all, she was a very strong Awakener.
Well, at least she recovered physically.
The little girl’s life continued as usual... but the world began to seem gray for some reason.
Wearing a red dress chosen by one of the maids, Izel walked out of the house until she reached the beautiful garden of their palace, filled with beautiful green plants and many kinds of flowers.
Especially one certain flower that was more beautiful than the rest.
One with a sky-blue color... but unfortunately its petals were still clinging tightly together, refusing to bloom even with all the sunlight covering its beautiful surface.
But none of that mattered to Izel, who reached an open area of green grass, and there in the middle was a beautiful table covered by a shade from the sunlight.
And on one of the chairs around it sat Claire alone... her mother.
She was resting her head on one hand while staring into the distance with empty eyes.
Izel walked closer, her small steps making a light sound on the stone path.
She soon reached near her mother before placing her head in her lap.
Claire’s body trembled slightly, but in the end she remained absent-minded, as if she were seeing something before her... something no one else could see.
Izel pushed her head into her mother’s lap, asking for attention, her soft childish voice breaking the silence that dominated this place.
"Mom, are you okay?"
Claire trembled again before lowering her head to see Izel clinging to her, then with a tired smile she raised her hand and placed it on her little head.
"Yes, I am fine. Sorry I did not notice you, my dear."
Izel raised her head while meeting her mother’s hollow eyes.
"Where is Dad?"
Claire’s smile trembled as she struggled to maintain it.
"He has some work far from here..."
The hesitation in her voice was clear, but the next question made her freeze in place.
"Mom, why did my brother die?"
Izel’s voice trembled with every word she said while Claire stopped, not knowing how to answer.
She bit her lips in silence before opening her mouth.
"Sorry, Izel."
Izel felt warm drops fall on her face before realizing what they were.
They were nothing but tears... her mother’s tears.
For this little girl, it was the first time she had seen her strong mother cry.
That alone stirred unbearable emotions inside her.
Emotions that the older Izel never wanted to remember.
But here she was now inside this strange world rebuilt from her deepest memories, reliving those emotions and bringing them to life once again.
Without realizing that all of this was fake.
...
On a quiet night, under the dim light, Izel was walking through one of the corridors of the house.
There was no one nearby... because everyone was already asleep.
But a faint sound echoed in her ears... like muffled screaming... muffled by layers of walls and insulation.
With every step, she drew closer and closer to that sound until she reached a familiar door.
Her parents’ room.
She stood there before the door while her tied hair hung downward over her small nightdress.
She placed her little hand on the handle and slowly turned it, making a faint sound before the door opened slightly.
Just a small crack, enough for the sounds to become clearer and for her to see what was happening inside.
There her mother was standing in the middle of the room, her head lowered while her hair flowed down, hiding her features.
In front of her stood Izel’s father, whom she had not seen in the past days, anger carved onto his face while the echo of his loud voice spread through the room before reaching the little girl’s ears.
"I told you, I told you not to go there... I told you that you were pregnant and had to take care of that."
His voice was filled with anger and blame.
"Even if it was in the first weeks... you should have taken care, you should have thought again... even if you were strong, the child in your womb was not."
Every word came torn from her father’s mouth, but all her mother did was keep her head lowered.
Behind the small crack in the door that neither of them noticed, tears gathered in Izel’s eyes and fell over her small cheeks, while her breathing quickened as she struggled to contain her crying.
Suddenly Claire’s body trembled while her shaking voice echoed in the room.
"You blame me for that, as if I did not feel it... do you think you are the only one who feels sorrow... do you think I do not know that this is my fault?"
She raised her head.
"Do you think I forgave myself?"
An angry expression formed on her face, but that anger was directed only at herself.
"No, you are wrong, I hate myself... I hate myself, but what can I do... go back and change the past?"
Izel’s father stood there looking at Claire before him with contempt written on his face before those cold words, still carved into the depths of this little girl, echoed.
"Let us separate."