WELCOME(PART TWO)

They repeat in their thoughts the same harmful words that were spoken to them. They must lash out, but the only ones weak enough to attack are themselves. This is the big, scary truth about trauma: there is no such thing as getting over it.

   The few stages of the grief model mark the universal stages in learning to accept loss, but the reality is much bigger, a major life disruption leaves a new normal in its wake. There is no back to the old me.

    "You have grown up, my son, I am so proud of you and what you have achieved. You are so different now, full stop. This is not a wholly negative thing. Healing from trauma can also mean finding new strength and joy. The goal of healing is not a papering-over of changes to preserve or present things as normal. It is to acknowledge and wear your new life warts, wisdom, and all with courage,' Aldan's father thought as he smiled at his son, who stared at him without even blinking for a minute. Lilith was getting anxious about what was going on here and why should she do it now? Why was he staring at his father like that? 

    So, this was his father.

   Aldan stepped forward and bent down a little to greet his father with no sign of happiness in him.

   His father smiled and said. "You are welcome, my son. Thank you for coming back to see me and coming on my birthday." 

    "Thank you, Father." He said. 

   What a doting father? My foot. Thanking him for coming on his birthday, if he didn't come, only the heavens knows what he would have done to make him come to see him. It was not like it was in him to come to him anyway, he just came to see him, to show him how far he has grown without his power and wealth, a man that made it with his own hands.

    "Welcome home, my son,' he then turned towards Lillth and smiled. "Is this your fiancee?' 

    "Yes, father. She is my wife to be." He replied.

    "Wow! My son is about to be a married man. I knew it because she seemed so elegant and decent, that's what gave me those thoughts?" 

   "And she is also pretty too," Ransom added and winked at his brother, Aldan.

   'What is your name, my daughter." 

  She smiled. "My name is L…Ava, sir." 

   "Ava,' he nodded. What a nice name, he thought. 'Whose daughter are you.' 

    "Umm…" she remembered what Aldan told her to his father. "I'm the adopted daughter of Mr Pablo, sir."  

    "Mr Pablo, the one from the Sky company as I recalled, right?' 

    "Yes, sir.' She replied, a huge smile on her face.

    "You are his daughter,' he smiled. "Welcome to the family and I'm so happy to receive you.' 

   "Thank you, sir."

   "You are welcome, sir.' 

   No mention.' He said. "And, don't call me sir anymore, since you are about to become my daughter in law, you can call me father?"

   "I don't have to…"

    "Call me father, that will make me much happier.' He persisted.

    "Alright, Father." She politely and his father laughed and motioned for her to come give him a hug.

The party was a grand one, an expensive one. His father received Aldan but he didn't seem to be in the mood for all this, he was somewhat putting on a foul mood, putting on fake smiles all over his face and Lilith did the same thing as well, she was quite obvious as far as she was beside him.

    She enjoyed the party, but the dark expressions she was getting from the family were not good ones at all and she knew it, and still had to endure it. Competently, it was just a few days more and she will be out here before she knows it.

   The party ended well and they all went to their respective rooms in the mansion after a long discussion between the families and had to retire to bed. 

   Lilith and Aldan entered the luxurious bedroom and shut the door behind them. Aldan went to the wardrobe and began loosening his tie and taking off his suit. Lilith had to turn away from him, she was a bit nervous and didn't know what to do, she was tired of having this kind of scary feeling all the time. Besides, since she was supposed to act as his fiancee, is she also supposed to also sleep in the same bed with him or probably not?

   She stood for several minutes or so, she thought and suddenly had this feeling of running to the bathroom and relaxing her nerves there for a second. Will she just continue standing here? He said, he didn't yearn to have sex with her, he just wanted her to act as his fiancée right, then, what was the next thing to do, she can't just stand here like a statue and keep looking at the wall, nothingness.

    She just had to quietly leave the spot, so he wouldn't even remember she was there at all. 

   She bent down a little and began tiptoeing, making sure not to make a single sound at all, for him not to be alerted that she was still there.

   "Where do you think you are going?" His deep voice sounded so clear to her ears, even though he was just a few steps away from her in the room. She raised herself and stood straight, not glancing back at him, shutting her eyes and silently sighed.

   "Am I talking to a robot or a human being, which of them?" He questioned solemnly and it sent shivers down her spine. 

   "A human being,' she stupidly answered as she shut her eyes and also smacked her forehead for answering such a question. She wasn't dumb, was she?

  Aldan almost scoffed and yanked off his last clothing, knowing she wasn't looking at him and began changing into his nightwear, which was delivered to his room and kept in the wardrobe. "I said where do you think you are going." He asked again.

   "I…I…I wanted to use the bathroom." She answered.

  "OK, use the bathroom and make sure, you don't mess that place up, I don't like specks of dirt or else, you want me to throw you out of my room tonight. Is that clear,' he was done, putting on his nightwear and went to the King size bed and sat down on it, checking through his phone.

   "Yes, Mr Aldan.' She muttered and ran towards the bathroom and shut the door. She wanted to slam it shut, so he could clearly hear it but she changed her mind. She wasn't going to provoke him any further, she just had to do her job properly, get paid and stay far away from him and never see him again.

   He was going to throw her out of the room, she thought and scoffed at his words, staring at herself in the mirror and raising her eyebrow.

   He wants to throw her out of the room, he should do his worst and get exposed by his family that she was not his real fiancee but a fake one, jerk. She couldn't wait to see his embarrassed expression, standing in front of his family and being scolded for lying to them. Damn, that will be so funny, she will definitely laugh her ass off, that will make her day wonderful, she reckoned and smiled at herself, admiring how beautiful she was and then, she noticed how big the bathroom was and was so thrilled. She began taking off her clothes and dropping down her bag, then, she could take a nice warm bath all by herself.

    She dipped herself into the warm bathtub filled with foams and bubbles all over the place and relaxed, smiling to herself and she felt so amazing.

     "I wish I could sleep here than with that jerk in bed." She muttered and closed her eyes murmuring to herself as she lolled back her head to get a good headrest.

    A few minutes passed, and she noticed the water was getting cold and wanted to switch on the faucet for it to warm up the water after looking at which one was it and on it, relaxing back in the tub.

   Suddenly, she felt the water running so fast and erroneously, she used her foot to switch on the other tap and as it splashed on her, she screamed at the top of her lungs and attempted to jump out of the tub and ended up falling on the cold floor, screaming.

    Aldan, heard the sound and hurriedly went to the bathroom and slammed the door open, without asking what was going on with her, he saw the water splashing over the bathtub, which was already filled up, pouring on the floor and was baffled at how naked Lilith was. He hastily went over to tap and quickly switch it off, ignoring the hot water, splashing on him and wincing at the temperature of the water, including the hot shower, avoiding her gaze and her body, he went over to get a robe and covered her body.

     What a gentleman, she thought and almost smiled when she saw his solemn expression, staring daggers at her and shifting her gaze away from him.