“Nana Marcia and Jasper are strong, too. You know why? It’s because of you. They also made it through because of you. You are alive for a reason, Alison. Your existence makes them feel blessed, it makes them feel glad that they’re alive, too.”
I sobbed. Still amused, Jeremiah dried my tears away with his fingers.
“I don’t know what will happen to me if you’re not by my side, Rem.”
“You will still make it. Because you are Alison Cabrera. I should be the one asking that question because honestly, I don’t know what my life would be without you, Ali.” He grinned. “I would probably die of so much boredom.”
Despite the tears, I smiled and smacked his shoulder. “You’re crazy.”
Still laughing, he took me in his arms. “And Alison?”
“Yes?”
“Please don’t cry again. Your tears make me weak.”
I didn’t answer but I was thankful. Because when I finally broke the walls I put around me, Jeremiah was there, and he was able to make me feel invincible despite my weaknesses. I embraced him back and when I did, I felt like embracing… a new beginning.

Four months later…
“THIS is the reason why I didn’t try to stop her before even if I knew she was wrong. Please forgive me, Alison. I owe your stepfather a lot. I was willing to help him and his family with the best of my ability, but my daughter came to me crying one day, asking me to help her make her dream come true. And I couldn’t refuse her. She was my only child, and she always had these suicidal tendencies like her Uncle Sam.”
I couldn’t talk. I just remained staring at Greta, still shocked. She was inside a room and was wearing a teacher’s uniform. In front of her, there were three more patients. The other one was singing, the second looked like she was reading something but her book was upside down, and third person seemed like she was really listening to Greta’s lecture while playing with her hair and holding a doll.
Greta was standing beside a whiteboard; she was carrying her mother’s bestselling book.
She slammed the board using the marker she was holding.
“Silence! Our class is about to start, children. I am teacher Bettina Sanchez, and today, I will teach you all about the basics of writing.” She smiled sweetly. “Are you excited?”
The patients giggled while the doctor beside me was crying. I didn’t expect that my cousin would turn out like that. I knew it was hard for her when I refused to write for her again. Still, I had no idea that Greta would end up this way.
But then again… what happened to my stepfather was something that no one ever saw coming as well. I still dream of seeing his dead body. Jasper had the same nightmares after that traumatic incident including Demi since they were the first to see my dad in that state.
Demi would shout in fear in her sleep almost every night. That’s why I was glad that Jeremiah stayed with us during those painful times. Looking back, my best friend was never gone when we needed him. He used to sleep over. He even slept beside Jasper so he could calm him down whenever he’d have nightmares.
“Greta was sixteen when she first tried to kill herself,” Uncle Paul confessed. “She overdosed in sleeping pills. She said she was so jealous of you. My wife used to compare the two of you, saying that you have a hundred percent chance to become a successful writer rather than Greta. It was her way of saying that Greta should find her true passion. Bettina believed that writing wasn’t for our daughter but Greta believed otherwise because she idolized her mother so much she wanted to be like her.”
Uncle Paul sighed. “My daughter’s second attempt to commit suicide had something to do with Jeremiah, the only man she had ever loved.”
I gasped. “What?”
“I’m not sure what exactly happened. What I only know is that Greta confessed her feelings for Jeremiah on your birthday party eight years ago. But Jeremiah rejected her by saying that he’s in love with someone else.” His voice cracked. “Greta went home that night. She was drunk, and screaming that Jeremiah was in love with you all this time. She tried to hang herself but I was able to stop her. Whenever the publication would reject her works, she’d overdose in sleeping pills.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t know, Uncle.”
“It’s alright. It was our fault as her parents. I should have paid more attention while she was growing up. I had already sensed that there was a problem but I thought it was just a simple problem she could solve on her own. Bettina used to praise you a lot saying that she would have wanted to have an achiever daughter like you. That time, I thought she was right to say that to our daughter thinking that she would use those words as a motivation to become better. But we were wrong.
“The biggest sin a parent can commit is to compare her children to someone else. Because of that, Greta never truly learned to accept and love herself.”
I nodded. I’m a parent now so I understand where he is coming from.
“I didn’t tell you because I wanted to keep my daughter’s pride intact. Over the years, Greta had been so obsessed to become like her mother. She had forgotten that if she truly wanted to become a writer, she needed to create her own identity. As it turned out, she only copied some of her mother’s works, edited a few parts, and emailed it to the same publication where her mother used to be a part of. I think it was her insecurities and jealousy that made her like this.”
I took a sharp breath. When uncle Paul called me and invited to meet, I said yes instantly. I didn’t know he’d take me in a mental institution.
“I don’t know what to say, uncle.”