Chapter 117 - The Emptiness

After a long, anticipated bus ride of around half an hour, both Eva and Zeus reached their destination holding arms right next to each other. Zeus had been leaning on his edge out of curiosity to find out where she was taking him though, but soon enough the wait was over.

As soon as the bus stopped at Megan Folio street, Eva stepped down from the bus obediently followed by Zeus like a little adorable puppy. In a while, the bus left out of their sight, he inquisitively looked at the front and jaw-dropped in awe, because the venue was extremely unexpected for him to visit for their first-ever date.

MEMORANDUM GRAVEYARD...

Quite a renowned, spacious, and artistic graveyard situated a bit far away from the populous Rione Monti town. The area was quiet, desolated, and glum in appearance. Moreover, the weather wasn't sunny at all. The dusky clouds were filling up the entire horizon turning bright mother nature into a heavy, darker one indicating that probably it will start raining very soon!

"Are you surprised?" Tenderly smiling at Zeus, Eva tossed a query towards him unable to suppress her impertinence since he indeed looked quite bewildered with their chosen destination.

"Ye...Yes." Obediently nodding his head at her query, he sighed out a little. "Why did we come to this graveyard on the first day of our date, Eva? I had expected of going into any light-hearted warm place to relieve from the agonies we have been suffering through..."

"I am sorry for disappointing you, Zeus. But...I just wanted to...let you meet my parents today. I am sorry, that we had to come to such a glum place like this since...they aren't alive anymore." Her soft voice seemed a bit dense and it crooked a little as if she was trying hard to stay strong before him. 

Zeus stood still, looking at her with his puppy eyes in wonder. His heart felt a bit heavier and guilty for not realizing her anticipation sooner. Watching her smiling with such a sad grimace, quickly he grabbed her soft hand tight assuring her wounded heart.

"No...I am sorry for being such an airhead and not realizing it sooner. Alright, let's go meet my dear future in-laws. I hope they would be happy to see me, just like their adorable daughter." 

Hearing his tender response, a curve of wide smile crafted on her lips as she firmly shook her head and gripped his arm tighter. "Let's go."

....

Before heading inside the graveyard, Eva collected some freshly bloomed white daisies from a small flower stall located right next to it. The stall had been providing free flowers to countless people who frequently come to meet their loved ones with a broken, empty heart. However, looking at the bright flowers, somewhat their pain softens a bit as within those blissful petals, they could imagine the smile of their loved ones, hoping desperately to meet them again someday in an afterlife.

Holding the flower bouquet in one arm and holding his broad palm in the other, Eva quietly headed to the extreme left side of the crematorium. It was a short walk of few minutes, and soon enough they reached their ultimate destination. There have been two graves lying right next to each other, adorned with white granite tombs on which their names were crafted. 

Mr. Stevan Ricci.

Mrs. Eleana Ricci.

Just by glimpsing at the names, a tinge of sadness rose in his heart as he shifted his gaze to the right, just to have a small peek at Eva. She was numb, all silent for a few seconds, staring at the tombs with a deep emptiness in her gaze. Zeus wasn't able to come up with any proper response to soothe her broken emotions and chose to stay still right next to her side.

After a few minutes of apathetic silence, she quietly removed her hand away from his grip and knelt down on the ground before those two graves. Softly she placed the flower bouquet before their tomb and raised her chin up, holding a morose, blank gaze towards them.

"Mom...Dad... How have you been here? Did you feel lonely? Did you miss me? Sorry, I couldn't come here last week... I...I am really going through a rough patch of life, mom. Dad, you too must have been really sulky with me, aren't you?" She was blabbering on her own, looking at their tombstones with a sad smile on her oval, sullen face.

Zeus didn't utter any word and quietly continued glancing at her while she was chattering on her own, looking at the graves. Softly, she stared caressing both the gravestones with her small, fragile arms before speaking further.

"Mom, I have brought your favorite daisies today. Look, they are so fresh. You loved daisy so much...I remember, dad used to bring daisy for you every day...and...a bouquet for you on your anniversary... Since, dad can't move away from the coffin...I did that part on behalf of dad... Happy anniversary, mom...dad..." Her voice was slowly growing heavier as she murmured, lowering her eyes down.

Watching her mumbling with a heavy heart, Zeus knelt down on the ground just right next to her, glancing with his poignant, dark eyes. Softly, he initiated to grip her hand, caressing her knuckle as she looked quite lonely and broken at that very moment.

"Is...today your... mom dad's anniversary?" After a deep sigh, he whispered.

"Yes. Both of them loved each other so much...that...they even left the world in the same day...together. They are the perfect couple I have seen in my entire life."

"Ha...Happy anniversary...Mr. and Mrs. Ricci." Politely bowing his head before them, he declaimed with a grievous heart. His main concern was for Eva as she was trying hard to stay strong before him, but it must have been to painful for her to endure all the agonies alone.

"Mom, dad...both of you always told me...whenever I will find someone perfect for me, I should bring him home on your anniversary... Look, that's what I did. I finally found the one I love the most after you both and Felix in this world...But...why does it seem so unfair?" Her resonance crooked a little more while her glum eyes were swelling up in tears as she clenched the fist of her arm which was caressing the grave.

Battling with grief and guilt, Zeus sat still like a statue unable to answer a single word. Throbbing hard, his heart was consistently blaming his own existence as the prime cause of her sufferings and he was fighting it desperately within his core. Heartbroken, he kept peeping at Eva helplessly while she was venting out her emotions.

"I...I never wanted to meet you both like this...I never imagined that someday...I will have to bring my loved one to meet you both in a graveyard! I...I wanted this small things to happen like any other normal happy family! But now...Felix is gone too! Why? Why did I have to go through all these? What did I even do to deserve all these, mom? Why do you both always stay silent before me when I cry out aloud? Why...Why can't I listen to your voice even...if it's just for once? Why am I living this regretful life? Why??" Bursting out into bitter tears, she wailed out her pent up frustration, clenching the lace of the gown on her chest. Her heart seemed to be in immense pain, as she had been trying to stay strong for too long!

Immediately tugging her tightly within his warm embrace, Zeus tried to console her deep scars which was tormenting her too badly! To console her from sobbing bitterly, he wrapped his arms around her should and softly tapped her shoulder to assure a bit of solace.

"Cry it all out, Eva. Don't hold your tears in...or...it will even cause a deeper scar inside your heart." He whispered tenderly enough.

Whimpering bitterly snuggling in his chest, she continued to mourn her despair, holding him tighter. Her only comfort left in this world after her loved ones was Zeus, standing like a pillar support next to her.

While she was grieving in his arms, he rose his gaze up to look at the tombstones vividly. Suddenly, his gaze was stuck on a certain thing which shocked him entirely from his core. Swirling his pupils wider, his voice gasped out of air while he tried to mumble it out.

"E...Eva, when did... the accident happened?" 

Hearing his stuttering, trepid voice, she seemed startled a little. Wiping her tear-soaked eyes, she softly raised her head up from his chest and stared at him. "The date is written there on the granite, look." 

"Is it...24..." He trailed off before even finishing his expression.

"Yes, it was on 24th April, 2010. I...I was just a... 16 year old girl at that time... when I lost both the strong pillars of my life. I will never forget that cursed date...Zeus." Lowering her gaze down, she mumbled in a sad voice.

Rolling his eyes wider in shock, he shrieked out aloud, "Wh...What?"

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