The Cost Of Success: 14 Days Of Love by Crimsonink at Inkitt

Summary

Her name is Liora, which means 'light,' but in her world, light was a luxury. She grew up confined in a gilded cage where failure was not an option and success was never deemed sufficient. She consistently brought home the highest grades in her class, yet at home, it was never sufficient. Why not more? You can do better, they would say, never offering a simple I'm proud of you. Affection was merely a dream, a fleeting thought. All she experienced were numbers and relentless pressure. In response, she built a wall—a cold fortress—where nothing could reach her, not even love.She has stifled her emotions, forgetting how to laugh and truly live. She no longer ventured outside, no longer dreamed, and breathed only within the confines of cold walls and academic lines, resembling a prisoner of 'success.' Now, at university, far from her parents' gaze, she feels a deep desire to be loved. As a result, she allows herself to explore a new experience: 'love.' For the first time, she experiences a sense of freedom and even falls in love. However, after just 14 days, the relationship comes to an end—sometimes even sooner. She did not realize this pattern until she had gone through seven relationships, each formed only to ultimately be broken.

Genre: Romance/Adventure

Author: Crimsonink

Status: Ongoing

Chapters: 4

Rating: n/a

Age Rating: 18+

The legacy

From a young age, she lived in the shadow of a shattered legacy—one marked by a family torn apart by absence and pain. Her older sister had lost everything, sacrificed at the altar of an unforeseen misfortune, banished without the possibility of return. The second sister had disappeared without explanation, as if erased, while her only brother had flown off to an unknown destination. In the midst of these absences, their parents, trapped by their own failures and obsessed with a success they had never achieved, forgot the essential role of being parents. She had never received a hug or a word of comfort.

She endured her father's abuse whenever he deemed her academic performance inadequate. She had never even celebrated her birthday. All her hard work was aimed at obtaining her high school diploma with honors in order to gain admission to the country's top medical school, Memorial University. The exams were incredibly challenging, but she succeeded. With her heart racing, filled with pride and hope, she walked towards home to share the good news. She envisioned her parents' joy after all their sacrifices, perhaps even a hug accompanied by their proud gazes upon her. However, her steps led her down an unfamiliar street that was strangely cheerful, and she didn't immediately realize that she had lost her way. What brought her to a halt was the silhouette of her father. Driven by curiosity, she slowly approached and concealed herself behind a window to observe inside. There he was, indeed; he was holding a young girl of around ten years old in his arms, spinning her around as if in a dream, showering her with kisses. Beside them, a woman smiled tenderly. They presented a perfect image, a tableau of happiness—a true home.

At that moment, she realized that he harbored within him the capacity for love and tenderness. A chilling wave washed over her as she reflected on everything she had endured: the outbursts, the violence, the silences, and the humiliations. It was not that he was incapable of love; rather, he had deliberately chosen not to love her. Her heart tightened with an intense pain that she could not comprehend. The tears she had held back for years flowed freely as she ran away, her heart heavy with the conviction that no one loved her.