The Silence Of Lost Feelings

Chapter 18: Chapter 15 : The Truth



Lumen's Background Story

Lumen had always been a quiet, introspective person, someone who preferred the comfort of solitude over the company of others. His early life had been marked by a sense of abandonment. Raised in a household where emotional neglect was commonplace, Lumen grew up learning to keep his feelings locked away, never showing vulnerability. His parents, distant and preoccupied with their own lives, often left him to navigate the complexities of growing up on his own.

His mother, consumed by her work, hardly had time to care for him, while his father's presence was sporadic and distant. Lumen's early years were spent in isolation, often finding refuge in his own thoughts and the world of books and art. He didn't make friends easily, not because he didn't want to, but because he was afraid of getting too close to anyone, afraid that they might leave him like his parents had. He became used to the idea that people left, or didn't stay around long enough to matter.

As he grew older, he began to withdraw more, finding solace in solitary activities like drawing. It was through art that he discovered a way to express his emotions, even if he didn't fully understand them. His natural talent was undeniable, but his fear of failure and rejection kept him from fully pursuing his potential. He didn't trust anyone enough to let them see the real him, and so he kept his talent hidden, using it only as a private escape from the world.

Despite his emotional distance, Lumen's intelligence was apparent, and those who knew him could see that he had the potential to achieve great things. Yet, he struggled with the same internal conflict—how could he trust others if they had always let him down? And so, his journey became one of self-reliance, trying to protect his heart from being broken, even at the cost of his own happiness.

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Lina's Background Story

Lina had always been the picture of outward perfection. The kind of person everyone looked up to—smart, driven, and popular. But beneath the surface, her life was far from perfect. Raised in a family where appearances mattered more than emotions, Lina learned early on that she had to be self-sufficient, that her worth was tied to her achievements. Her parents, though loving in their own way, were consumed by their work and responsibilities. They expected nothing less than excellence from her, and for the most part, she delivered.

Yet, the pressure of constantly living up to their expectations weighed heavily on her. She excelled in school, was active in extracurricular activities, and always wore the mask of the perfect daughter. But inside, she felt like something was missing. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed like she was constantly striving for approval that never quite felt genuine. Her parents had their own struggles, and though they provided for her, emotional support was something they couldn't offer.

Lina often found herself longing for something deeper—someone who could see her as more than just the model student, the perfect daughter, or the high achiever. But the more she looked for that connection, the more she realized how isolated she felt, even surrounded by friends and family.

She carried the weight of her own fears and uncertainties, wondering if anyone would ever truly understand her. While she projected confidence to the outside world, she struggled with the quiet doubts that echoed in her heart. She felt like she was constantly running a race, but never quite reaching the finish line, always wondering if it was all worth it.

Through her journey, she learned that being perfect didn't guarantee happiness or fulfillment. Despite her successes, Lina often found herself questioning what it meant to truly be seen for who she was, beyond the expectations placed on her.

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Just before the night of the silent confession, Lumen got a harsh scolding from his mother as she was tired and fed up of her life. She pressured Lumen to put in more effort because she knew her time is running short.

As she continued to scold him Lumen's Mother collapse causing him to be in a state of shock. He then came back to reality and quickly called the ambulance.

In the hospital, he was told that his mother could die any moment and needed treatment to keep her steady.

Upon hearing the news his father, was drowned in depression as they barely have any money left so he went out to drink.

Despite the lack of attention his parents gave him he has no hatred towards them.

Lumen told the doctor's to get the treatment done as he'd pay the money. Although he didn't know where he would get such money he remembered his mother words on a certain night when his parents argued and he locked himself up in his room eavesdropping, "How can I leave my son without securing his future?" Is what she said.

Lumen too acknowledge that his mother loved him too despite lacking of interaction.

As he remembered her words he quickly ran to his house and searched for a small safe and after minutes of searching he found it. He found it inside his own room and that too hidden in the depth of his cupboard.

When he asked his mother what this safe was, she told him it was a storage for her accessories but now he realised it was a lie and that safe box was always meant for him.

He tried the passkey but he couldn't unlock it. He thought of what the password would be and realised he hasn't tried his birthday date yet which is on the 14th of October, 2005.

14-10-05 he tried the password and it actually unlocked and inside was a credit card. He quickly rushed to the nearest ATM and checked the balance which got the same pin as his birthyear. There he found around a few hundred thousand dollars. He was filled with joy and sadness at the same time and stood there for a moment not being able to set tears but cried inside.

After snapping back to reality he quickly rushed to the hospital as he took the money he withdrew.

He paid the treatment fee and all that's left is for her to recover but the doctor in charge of his mother told him that she's suffering from a heart disease.

And that she would need a few days to recover.

"Don't give up too early. Despite her conditions, with the right care and support she could live a good quality of life." The doctor advised him as he stood in silence.

Despite his lack of expression, his true feelings and emotions was shown with his actions.

"Thankyou very much." Lumen bowed.

As he returned home to place the credit back in place he came across his father.

There he saw his father lying outside a bar, drunk and seemingly in trouble out of this world he approached him. When he did so a group of grown men walked up to him from inside the bar.

"Do you know this old man?" One of them asked.

"He's not an old man he's my father. Is there a problem?" He asked calmly.

They all started laughing seemingly as if mocking him. "You see that?" The man pointed at the mess inside the bar where a shattered table and few chairs with lots of wine bottle empty.

"What of it?" Lumen asked although he was aware.

The man slightly smiled."Well the thing is... This man! Here causes a ruckus and smash some of my chairs and table when I ask him to pay for his drinks.So we threw him out here."

Lumen thought about the consequences and how things could've turn out for a moment and sigh."When will you stop bringing trouble?" He muttered to himself.

He knew arguing is pointless and it was best to submit." What can I do to fix this?" He asked.

The owner told him that if he could pay for all the furniture cost and his father's debt everything will be like it never existed. The only problem is he have until the next day to decide.

He carried his father back home and placed him to bed. And went to the hospital to stay with his mother.

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The next day at school during break under the same old oak tree he sat down and looked at his phone reading the text thinking about what he should do when Lina approach him.

In the midst of his trouble Lina asked him who he had liked and after thinking for quite sometime he decided to lie and respond "A senior." Despite knowing that Lina wanted to check if he felt the same way but he wasn't aware that she'd move on as Lina didn't confess directly.

The motive behind his lie was also the fact that Lina was a wonderful person and has a family of important and promising people. He felt that he was not good enough, his background is not fit to include her and so he thought he could fix things first not knowing this would turn everything around.

After thinking the whole day about what happened last night he decided to pay for the cost of all the mess his father has caused, leaving him with only a few thousand bucks barely enough for the treatment of his mother.

Despite the pain he felt about Lina and all the trouble, He was relieved to see his mother recovering well and that was enough for that day.

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On the other hand,

Everyday Lina was pressure about her relationship with Lumen. Everyone in her family telling her to stop seeing someone with such a low profile and that she should focus more on her studies.

One night the pressure was getting heavy, although she usually didn't care much before it's hurting her now that she felt much closer to him than ever and it's hurting her feelings as she was told that she should see someone better. Despite Lumen's decent appearance they want someone with higher profile.

As Lina was unable to bear the weight of trying to live up to the expectations of her family, she wanted to be with Lumen more and more and wanted to clarify everything once and for all.

On the next day during break she decided to ask Lumen about who he liked as she couldn't wait anymore. Unfortunately the answer she received wasn't what she wanted and due to the pressure behind her back she didn't have time to think about the reason behind his response and took it at face value deeply hurting her. She left with a broken heart not knowing he was also in trouble.

This part of their life that they didn't think of sharing because their time together always bought them an escape from that harsh reality and always forget about it, never opening the chance to share each other about the thing that mattered the most.

Eventually costing them everything they have between themselves causing them to stray away from each other.


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