Chapter 52 - Mother!

**One month later, Third Person's POV:**

Sapphire is trying to live her life normally. It's true finally she was able to sleep without fear. When she thought that her past tormentor was no more, she breathed in relief every time.

A different, a strange type of relief washed over her mind. But emptiness was also there, each time took her over.

Michael's one sentence still rang inside her ear.

Your mother should care for you. She was a bitch to you in the first place. I got an advantage.

Every time this rang inside her ear, tears stung her eyes. Michael was a vile, despicable person but what he said was true after all.

Sapphire was grateful to Alexander that he killed Michael. She was also shocked that a mafia war was about to happen just to take Alexander Rodriguez down, but Alexander didn't inform anything to her so that she didn't worry about that, he kept everything to himself and fought alone.

Sapphire felt a bit guilty and disappointed in herself not being able to support him when he had been supporting her all along regardless of a good or bad situation.

Alexander also felt something was wrong with her. But this time he wanted to give her some time to herself. He didn't ask her anything because he knew she will open up herself to him when she will be ready. He didn't want to push her.

One night, Alexander was lying on the bed beside Sapphire wrapping her waist with his arms.

"Alexander, " Sapphire called out.

"Yes, angel." He responded playing with her soft, silky hairs.

"We, all the students of our class, have decided to offer volunteer service in a local shelter home. Some of us even want to donate money, clothes, and food as per their abilities. I told them that I am also going." Sapphire told him.

"Okay. Go if that makes you happy." Alexander said. He held her more tightly in his arms and burying his head in her soft chest, he snuggled, inhaling her sweet, addictive, vanilla scent.

"Thank you, " Sapphire mumbled, running her fingers inside his soft lock.

"Alexander!" Sapphire called.

"What again, angel?" Alexander asked. He was sleepy.

"I am sorry, " Sapphire spoke, her voice sounded so guilty, so small.

"For what my love?" Alexander lifted his head from her chest and looked at her. He was confused.

"Alexander, I never could help you or support you a bit while you were helping me, supporting me all along. You struggled, fought alone to stop the mafia war that was forming against you. I could not even support you mentally, emotionally. Alexander, I am so sorry. I always feared that if you kill people your life will be threatened, I still do. But I could never fathom what kind of situation you were going through." Sapphire explained. Suddenly her eyes watered.

Noticing her tears, Alexander sat on the bed alarmed.

"Hey, don't cry. You didn't know and I didn't want you to know about my dark business, angel. Please don't cry." Alexander wiped her tears and kissed her.

"Alexander, today I want to be honest with you. I love you but your lifestyle is so different and new to me. You can't change it. But I feel scared. I am scared of losing you. Losing everything, you are the only one I have. Whatever happens in your life, please don't keep me in the dark. I can't help you shooting at people but I can always support you. Killing is bad but I know by now whomsoever you kill, you don't kill anyone without any valid reason. I believe you enough. So, trust me too and give me a chance to share the burden with you." Sapphire pleaded, joining her hands.

Alexander was shocked to hear her. She believed him that much! Even he didn't believe himself this much.

"Angel, it's not like I don't believe you. I believe you but I don't want to worry about me. Besides, you are the purest person I have ever seen. And on the other hand, I am a person of the dark. You are too precious to me and I don't want you to be tainted by the filth of my dark world. You are everything for which I want to be a better person." Alexander acknowledged holding her both hands.

"But Alexander I don't know how much dark your world is but like I said earlier, you never hurt anyone who is innocent. Yeah, it's true you are cruel and to be honest, your ways are brutal but you never killed or hurt anyone innocent. Love is not just about showering the person with happiness. Love is also staying with each other, giving encouragement, supporting each other in the hardest period of life. Love is about holding hands and never letting it go even whatever acid test life throws you in." Sapphire explained.

Alexander wrapped her in a tight hug.

"I promise you, angel, from today I will never hide anything from you." He pecked her forehead delicately.

He released her but holding her both arms, he took her lips in a gentle kiss. He let go of her when they both were breathless.

"When are you going for volunteering service?" He asked Sapphire.

"Tomorrow, " Sapphire replied.

"Okay, if you need anything call me immediately. Take my car and also body gua..." Alexander couldn't finish.

Sapphire shut him up putting her index finger on his lips.

"There you go again, being all over-protective boyfriend? Listen I will go to the shelter home directly, just give me one of your cars. It will be enough. Bodyguards are not needed; you said we are danger-free now." Sapphire said removing her finger from his lips and kissed his nose.

"I will do this always because I am protective of you. And you have nothing to complain. Understand? Now sleep if you don't want to be late tomorrow." Alexander stated holding her chin up and again they lay down.

They both fell asleep. Alexander's lips stretched in a soft smile in sleep when a small petite hand held him, wrapping in a hug. He felt so complete.

Next day, at the shelter home, "So you want to help us? We really appreciate it. How are you going to do this?" The manager of the shelter home asked.

"We want to offer a voluntary service. And apart from that, we want to donate medicines, blankets, warm clothing for winter, food ingredients." Chen, one of Sapphire's classmates said.

"If there is someone, severely mentally ill or psychologically depressed we can arrange treatment for him/her.

Sapphire and her friends chatted with most of the people of the shelter home, donated foods, clothes. Some of them who had basic psychological treatment training tried to observe their psychological health.

They helped the shelter home authority with money and mended the building. Some of them colored the wall, some repaired old doors, and some repaired old electronic machines. After they were done, the whole shelter home looked like a new place.

When it was evening it was their time to return. The manager of the shelter home thanked them again and expressed his deep gratitude.

They were returning at that time heard some noise from a room.

"What happened?" They asked.

"There is an old sickly woman, who came here some days ago. What's wrong with her we don't know; she doesn't eat properly, most of the time stays in a room locking herself from inside."

Sapphire and two of his friends went there.

"What happened?" Sapphire asked the employee who was banging at the door.

"This woman always stays inside this room. She doesn't even come out to eat. We are afraid she will die out of malnutrition. As we were short on our budget, we couldn't arrange a good psychologist for her. I think she needs immediate help." The employee replied.

"I think you should unlock the door." Sapphire's friend Katy said.

The employee opened the door. They entered the room.

A middle-aged woman was lying on the bed, covering herself with a sheet.

The employee called her but she didn't respond. They all were going out of the room leaving her alone.

"Can I try to talk with her? I will not bother her, I promise." Sapphire asked the employee for permission.

She went inside the room and sat on the bed.

"Hello."

"Hey."

"You should eat something."

"You will get sick at this rate."

Suddenly the woman got up and looked at Sapphire, "Are you any new employee? Why are you bothering me about eating food? If I die it's my worry. Go away. It's not like my family is waiting for me anywhere!" The woman bawled.

Sapphire was taken aback at her rude tone. The woman was in her early or mid-fifties. She looked quite sickly. Her hair was frizzy like cotton fiber, deep dark circles under eyes; her jaw was twisted in one side. She was just skin and bone, extremely malnourished. But her voice was pretty high. She looked awfully familiar.

Sapphire observed every detail of her face. She was transfixed when the recognition hit her.

"Mom?!" Automatically the word slipped from her tongue. The world around her stopped for a while.

The woman creased her forehead and raised her brow at Sapphire.

"What did you say?" She asked Sapphire.

"I-I a-am S-Sapphire, Mom." Sapphire breathed, her eyes were filled with tears.