Chapter 232 - They Were No Longer Strangers

"Did you see my cell phone?" Vega asked after they finished breakfast. She turned to Altaïr, who was sitting beside her.

Her brother shook his head. "I guess you better not worry about other things. You should focus on your recovery. Right, Grandpa Rory?"

He turned his gaze to Lauriel. The handsome man nodded. 

"Altair is right. You don't have to think about anything else," said Lauriel with a smile.

"Uhm .. but I want to know how my husband is doing," said Vega. She held out her hand to Altaïr. "Lend me your cell phone."

Altair shook his head again. "No. Ren told me to forbid you from using the internet and things like that. He wants you to focus on yourself and your recovery. That's why I keep your cell phone away."

Altair was not one that spent a lot of time on the internet, just like the rest of his family. They preferred to spend valuable time with people close to themselves, rather than caring about outside news. 

But he realized that Vega was different from them, and if she used his cellphone, she might look for various news about her, which was now the subject of big gossip in Moravia. That's why Altair understood why Ren asked him to keep Vega away from the internet.

"Did Ren not want me to contact him?" asked Vega while pursing her lips. 

"If he wanted you to contact him, he would not intentionally tell me to keep you off the internet," Altair said with a smile. He took his cell phone from his pocket and showed him the SMS he received from Ren. "Try reading this."

Vega read the contents of her husband's message to Altair and could only let out a sigh. She recognized Ren's writing style, and of course, his cell phone number. Maybe Ren really wanted Vega to quickly recover her memory and focus on her treatment.

"Hmph ..." Finally, the girl could only sigh again. "Okay."

"I'll tell him you're all right," said Altair as he pulled back his cell phone.

Lauriel then gave a signal for Altaïr and Vega to follow him to the Holodeck room. "We'll start with Altair first. After that, Alaric and Aleksis can come."

Altair and Vega obediently walked following their grandfather out of the dining room to the holodeck. Elios and Aleksis could only watch their departure with heavy hearts. They hoped that Vega could slowly remember her past after Altaïr shared his memories with Vega.

As twins, they had the closest connection because they were together since birth. Almost all the moments that Altair experienced must have also been experienced by Vega. If Altair shared his memories, hopefully, Vega's own memories would come to the surface.

The grieving parents could only hold each other's hands and wish them the best.

***

Vega came out of the holodeck room at dusk. It looked like the process they went through there was so intense that Lauriel asked that lunch be delivered to the holodeck room because they didn't have time to eat lunch together with the other members of the family.

When they finally came out of the holodeck, Aleksis saw Vega in tears. When she was about to approach her daughter, Lauriel gave a signal for Aleksis to leave Vega alone.

"Just let her be. It was very hard for her inside," said Lauriel with a deep sigh. "She saw past events from Altaïr's perspective, and she cried many times."

Elios clenched his fists at Lauriel's words. He was distraught to see Vega crying, and even more so because he, as a father, couldn't do anything.

"Do we need to stop the process?" asked Elios while looking closely at his father. "If this makes Vega even sadder ... I can't allow it."

"No need. This is just the first day. There are still many things that surprised her," said Lauriel. "I already asked her if she was still able to go on and Vega said she still wanted to continue. Everything she saw made her sad and she needed time alone to organize her feelings, but she will be fine."

"Hmm ... okay. Father knows better." Elios finally relented.

It's true what Lauriel said. Vega felt very depressed and sad when she witnessed all the memories from Altaïr's perspective during their life together. She saw herself and Altaïr grow side by side and have a very happy life, even though in the first five years they did not have a father.

When they were 5.5 years old, suddenly Nicolae came into their lives and became their father figure. Unknowingly, tears dripping down Vega's cheeks profusely as she saw how much Nicolae loved her and 

Altair and treated them like his own biological children.

Vega could feel how much she loved that man. She was very sad because she had been separated from Nicolae for so many years. Then, when she finally saw Altair's memories when their biological father returned, 12 years ago at Aleksis's birthday party when she and Altair were 10 years old, Vega really couldn't help but burst into tears.

She could see how much Elios loved her, even though they had been separated for ten years. Vega realized that it took her several years before she could fully accept her real father.

But then, after they became close, Vega felt the deepest connection she had was with her biological father. She cried in tears when she realized how much her parents loved her.

For so long, she had lived as a lonely orphan and had to fight alone. 

And it turned out, her parents who loved her so much suffered through the years because of losing her.

When Vega finally got her feelings under control, she entered the living room and hugged her father, without saying anything.

Elios who suddenly hugged by Vega so tightly could only hold his breath. He was not at all ashamed when tears welled up in his eyes. He was deeply moved.

"Father love you very much, baby," whispered Elios. "I promise to punish anyone who has hurt you."

Vega didn't say anything. She was just trying not to cry anymore. Her eyes hurt because she cried so much all these days.

"I'm glad I can still see you again," Vega finally whispered. "I'm happy ... I can still tell you how much I love you, Father..."

Elios took a deep breath. His face looked relieved and moved.

After Vega broke away from her father's embrace, she approached Aleksis and gave her the same hug.

"Thank you ... Mother, you always take care of us and you love us unconditionally, even when you were alone and my father was not around ...." Vega said emotionally. "I really love you."

Aleksis also cried at Vega's words. It felt like her daughter's hug this time was really different from when they first met on F Island.

This time, Vega hugged her lovingly, as if she could remember her mother and feel the closeness between a child and her parent.

They were no longer strangers.