Page 314 of His Sunshine Baby

Sylviana shakes her head. How can she be so fucking calm? She doesn’t even look sick! Her skin is barely a bit paler than usual! If it was anyone but her, I wouldn’t even be willing to believe it. Announcing that she’s dying as we’re talking with her!

I take a deep breath; I can’t handle any more crying today. Next to me, Daniel stands up too, and walks to the kitchen, followed by Bobo.

“How long?” I ask.

“I–”

But before she finishes her sentence, Sylviana suddenly coughs up blood. Holy shit, this just got very real. Liam runs to her, completely shocked, but she calmly wipes it off, shaking her head.

“Not that long, apparently…”

Her eyes lose focus for a moment, and she needs to hold on to Liam and Nora not to fall. We jump off the couch, letting her lay down. Moon Goddess, she’s really dying. Her face is getting whiter, and… I can feel she’s fading away from us.

Sylviana is lying on the couch now, and Nora and I have given up, we are both sobbing, shocked. I feel Nate’s hand on my shoulder. I’m trembling and I step back, holding onto him. Norais on her knees next to Sylviana, looking desperate. We all are. Liam is standing next to her, unable to say a word.

Moon Goddess, none of this can be real. It doesn’t feel real. A few minutes ago, everything was fine! Sylviana looks at us with that gentle smile of hers, and for a second, she has the eyes of someone very, very old. Nora takes her hand, my cousin’s eyes filled with tears.

“It’s fine, Nora. I had to do this. It had to be this way.”

“I don’t get it… What do you mean?”

Sylviana shakes her head.

“I wanted to save her. To allow my sister to finally have the peace she needed. She had been suffering for so long, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I didn’t want her to hurt anyone, or Silver City… I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” asks Liam, desperate. “You could have–!”

“It wasn’t about you, Liam. That hatred Nephera was carrying was a curse. Someone had to pay the price to break it, and I did. If only death could calm my sister down, then I’m glad I could do that for her, even if it cost me my own life.”

“But–!”

She shakes her head and reaches out her hand. Liam falls on his knees, and she rubs his cheek gently.

“Liam, I had my mind set way before I even met you. You wouldn’t have changed anything. I loved you, Liam, but my sister didn’t deserve any of this. Silver City, our parents… Nephera was a victim too. She took the wrong path. Since I was born, I’ve felt sorry for my older sister, for what she had gone through. For our mother parting with her, and later, when I discovered what she had endured. I was born to protect Eleanora and Selena, Liam.”

“You can’t sacrifice your life for this! You can’t…”

“It’s not a sacrifice. Liam, I am so, so lucky I got to meet you, to have the life I wanted here. I even chose when and where I would die, love. If I die for the people I love, surrounded by my loved ones, I’m already so blessed. Not everyone gets to pick, but I do.”

Hearing her last words, Liam suddenly breaks into tears. His head down against her hand, he completely loses it, sobbing loudly, his shoulders shaking from the utter pain. I can’t even begin to imagine the hell he’s going through…

“Eleanora, Selena?”

Nora and I step a bit closer. Sylviana gently smiles to us.

“I am so glad I got to see you both grow up and become Lunas. My mother was always too busy to take care of me, but Althea and Lilyan would always be there. You look like them so much, in so many ways… You’re like little sisters to me. It was hard to watch you grow from afar.”

“Sylviana…”

I already cried so much today… How is this happening? How can she even be smiling? I don’t get it…

She caresses Nora’s face with her other hand, while I’m standing there, helpless, sad beyond repair. I don’t want to go through this, lose someone else today…

“It’s okay… Everything will be okay.”

For the first time, Sylviana lets out a tear, and her smile breaks a little. She’s getting weaker. Her lips are losing their color, her cheeks too… Moon Goddess, no, no…

“Nora, you have to…”

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