The sun was peeking over the horizon as Zeal zoomed past with her car, her mind in a state of rest. This was the first time she was feeling at peace with herself after a very long time. Zeal had done something she couldn't have imagined having the power to.

She killed Glee. The woman who haunted her and resented her very existence. Her joy knew no bounds. As she whistled to a low tune, she smiled briefly at Lisie whose gaze was fixated on her. Her right hand linked lovingly with that of her kid as she continued the drive.

Feeling a sense of deja vu wash over her as her fingertips brushed that of Lisie's, her heart was almost overcame with a sense of grief. It crept up her sub-conscious and made her grip the steering wheel tighter as she struggled to breathe.

She tried but failed as a tear slid from the corner of her eyes and blurred her vision slightly. While she had been celebrating her reunion with her kid, she was oblivious to her physical impairment.

It was only when she called out to Lisie as she kissed the top of her forehead and brushed her lips against her chubby cheeks, that she realized Lisie had lost her hearing.

Her teeth clenched and baring white, she chanted her name but, her daughter continued to stare nonplussed. Lisie's gaze was concentrated on her, her lips unmoving and her eyebrows furrowed.

She had grown deaf.

That itself shattered her momentary feeling of relief. Zeal thought all obstacles that were hurdled at her had been relinquished. Little did she know, she had been wrong. The bleeding of Lisie's right ear before the car accident had spread to her left unknowing to her. This distorted her hearing and left her in a comatose state as she battled for survival.

There was no way Zeal would have known. She had been too busy trying to regain her memory and make sense of her situation that the thought never occurred to her. No signs were flashed her way. Infact, she had been totally clueless and left in the dark.

No wonder when Zeal called out to Lisie that day at the hospital, she hadn't replied but instead, shed tears. It was now realization was slowly dawning on her.

It was obvious that it was too late to do anything as they were headed on a journey to the unknown. Her plan was to drive and keep on, not stopping or looking back. For she knew that if she did, that would be the end for her.

Pain squished her heart and nestled deep within. There was no way to express her grief; the only manner she knew how was crying her heart out as more tears cascaded down her beautiful face.

Zeal didn't know when she released her hand from Lisie's and wiped her bitter-sweet tears with the back of it. She could feel her kid's eyes drilling holes into her head as she spoke softly, "Are you okay mummy?"

Upon hearing her sweet, angelic voice, Zeal turned and gave her a brief smile which didn't quite reach her eyes and protrayed the sadness that lay within.

"I am okay," she stated, affirming to herself rather than her as she kept on nodding her head unbelievably.

Disaster had reared it's ugly head and struck when she wasn't looking. It didn't matter that she had passed through a whole lot within the span of five years. To the outside world, that number seemed like a lifetime but not to Zeal. Those years had been a flurry of activities-all of which bore sad memories that dwarfed the happy ones.

Her jaw clenched as her inner mind played on the fact that Lisie could no longer hear her mother's voice. Zeal was going to have to learn how to make use of sign language, one of which she was a total klutz at. Back in the days, her mother tried to get her to understand it but, Zeal bluntly refused. There had been no use for it, she thought.

That was the end of their bickering before her mother passed away a year later. She being the wiser. Zeal heaved a deep sigh as she looked out the window in a bid to alleviate her sadness-not minding Lisie's quiet nature. The trees appeared as one they blended with each other and stretched for as far as the eyes could see. The grasses were evergreen and dotted the landscape thereby adding to it's effervescent beauty.

The sky was clear and the clouds billowed about the sun that shone brightly and sent a scorching heat to the earth. The hot air coming from the open windows blew her hair in all directions and some stuck to her face as her attention drifted back to the road.

Zeal made a resilient decision as the silence continued to stretch on. She was going to do anything to prevent further harm from coming to Lisie. This was because the little girl had passed through a lot and her childhood had been hell for her.

After Zeal's mum passed away, her father not being able to bear the grief and loneliness, absconded and never for once looked back on his decision.

He had been purely selfish. He didn't stop to think of the trauma it would cause to a fourteen-year-old. Moving from one foster parent to the next caused a deep void to fill her heart and frame her mudane life. Nothing seemed to matter to Zeal anymore. No one had cared about her existence-or at least, they didn't show it.

Zeal felt alone in the world and hid behind a thick wall that she had mounted close to her heart. The one thing every child dreamt to have was taken away. No love, care and affection was shown to her.

It was only after several years of hardship that she found a certain someone who tried to make life a bit rosy for her. When he stepped into her life, her whole world changed and all caution flew to the wind.

Despite her guarded nature, he had been persistent and before long, she had seen her resolve crumbling before her very eyes and couldn't help it. Joseph had stolen his way into her heart and helped her through all the dark times, he was always patient with her and was there every step of the way.

It was indeed a journey of self discovery for her. Zeal began to find some aspects of her life fulfilling and when Joseph bent down on one knee at the alter after a year of friendship, all she could mutter was a weak "yes" with tears in her eyes.

Zeal thought nothing would go wrong. His plans and hers seemed to intertwine and it was evident that the love they had for each other was beyond comprehension. Life was finally turning up for the better.

However, the one thing Zeal hadn't foreseen was where things would go a bit haywire.