Trapped in the Love of Stepchildren
Chapter 22's
Laura stood upright at the door of her florist shop, a look of worry adorning her face. He saw a crowd of people gathered outside his flower shop, carrying banners and shouting with unstoppable anger. His heart thumped hard, not believing that his business was subjected to public outcry.
The people in the crowd kept shouting loudly. “Close this flower shop! Laura is ruining the image of the merchants here with her business!" shouted a man firmly. Their voices echoed in the desolate street, creating a tense atmosphere around the shop.
Laura looked at the crowd of the person and her heart was broken seeing the angry crowd and scolded her. He was trying to understand why the business he had built so painstakingly could reap so much anger.
While wiping the tears running down her cheeks, Laura tried to ease her increasingly fast heartbeat. He knew he had to face it with his head held high. In a moment's silence, he took a deep breath and spoke to the crowd in a soft voice.
“Everything, please give me a chance to explain. I know that there is a sense of discontent among you, but I want you to know that my business has nothing to do with the news that is spread out there.” Laura said.
A scornful shout flashed from the crowd, but Laura did not give up. He continued in a slightly trembling voice, but remained full of constancy.
“This flower shop is not just about making money for me. This is my love, so please give me a chance to explain before accusing and condemning." Laura said.
A man within the crowd shouted furiously, scoffing at Laura's words. The man was angry and said. “Oh, obviously you want to defend yourself! What do you expect? We all know what you're doing with your stepson! Such a forbidden relationship cannot be forgiven!"
Laura felt a million needles piercing her heart. His hands trembled, but he found the courage to retaliate.
“I know that what I am dealing with now is not just about this florist. I realized that there were people who felt hurt because of my relationship with Daniel. However, I want you to know that our love grows between us naturally. Nothing is expected or planned. We were both shocked and struggled to deal with it." Shouted Laura.
A woman in the crowd stepped forward, her face filled with hatred. “Enough with your justification! You can't change the fact that you're a stepmother who deals with stepchildren on your own. That's not morally right!"
Laura gulped her saliva, trying to maintain calm amid the storm of emotions that hit her.
Laura calmed herself down and said. “I do not try to justify or ignore how others see this situation. I just want to make it clear that this love was never planned. We were both caught up in a complicated and unexpected feeling. We try to live our lives well and responsibly."
Laura looked at the crowd with a look of hope and hope. “Is it possible, between anger and condemnation, we can find peace and understanding? What we experience is not easy for any of us. Can you try to understand, not to judge?"
The crowd was silent for a moment. There were hesitant expressions on the faces of some people. Laura hoped that her words and sincerity had touched their hearts, albeit only a little.
However, not long after, an angry shout broke out again. Laura was devastated. Failure permeated his mind, but he also felt tough and steady. He will not give in to the hatred and judgment of others. Laura lifted her chin and stepped back, harboring the hope that someday, the light of consciousness would illuminate the darkness of their hearts.
Suddenly, a man stood in front of the crowd. In a loud voice, he spoke, "Stop! You all have to listen before you decide anything!" The man's voice managed to attract the attention of the crowd and make them speechless.
—
Laura sat by the beach, looking out at the calm ocean. The sound of the pounding waves calmed his heart that was being hit by anxiety. Next to him, Ilham, a man he had only known a few days ago, sat faithfully.
"Are you okay, Laura?" ask the inspiration with full attention.
Laura nodded slowly, but her sad expression was still hard to remove. "I just feel so tired, Inspiration. This is all too heavy for me. I never imagined that my life would be like this after my husband's death. I feel like my life has stopped."
Inspiration looked at Laura with understanding. "I know you're going through a tough time, Laura. But you should also leave yourself open to new possibilities. Life is still going on and you deserve happiness."
Laura sighed, looking into the eyes of Inspiration with great doubt. "But do I really deserve happiness? Many people blasphemed me, saying that my relationship with Daniel was wrong. They don't understand, Inspiration. They don't know how I feel connected to Daniel, how much he makes me feel alive again."
Inspiration placed her hand on Laura's hand gently. "You can't control what other people think of you, Laura. But sometimes you have to really reflect on all these things, are you sure that your relationship is something that is right?”
Laura looked at Ilham, trying to absorb the words she had just heard. "What should I do, Inspiration? How can I reflect on everything, even now I no longer know which boundaries are right and wrong.”
Inspiration smiles warmly. "First of all, you must understand and accept that you cannot change the minds of others. But you can change the way you understand it. If you truly believe that your relationship with Daniel is beautiful, don't let someone else's bad words ruin it. But if you feel there is something wrong with your relationship, you should be able to introspect again everything from the beginning.”
Laura looked at the sea once more, trying to ponder over the words of Inspiration. "Maybe you need some time for yourself, Laura. I have an idea. What if you go to this place.”
Ilham wrote down an address on the paper in his pants pocket and handed it to Laura.
Laura looked at Ilham expectantly. "Do you think it will help?"
“We will never know if we haven't tried it,” said Ilham staring softly at Laura.
***
Don't forget all the support!!!