Truth be told, Liiza had never planned to co off as petty as she did, but couldn’t help herself.
Jenna had been relatively easy to handle. Despite her teasing, she had never truly done anything with Khan. Liiza could almost treat her as an inexperienced child, knowing she held the upper hand in basically everything, chest size aside.
Instead, Monica had shared actual experiences with Khan. They had been there for each other for years, loving each other, planning their marriage, and even attempting to build a family.
Also, Liiza could face Jenna on equal terms, while Monica was a human. Their perception of the world couldn’t be more different, and the sa went for their values.
That gave birth to a jealousy Liiza couldn’t convey properly, but the matter was far deeper than that.
Monica had been crucial in Khan’s developnt and his current relationship with Liiza. His love for her had been so real that the breakup had made him desperate enough to be selfish, leading to Liiza’s kidnapping despite all the problems that could cause.
Therefore, Liiza was certain of the vital place Monica occupied in Khan’s heart, leading to quite a conflicting stance.
On the one hand, Liiza was genuinely grateful. All her happiness wouldn’t have been possible without Monica. Her husband was partially the man he was thanks to Monica. She had to happen so that their family could exist.
However, Liiza also hated how deeply Monica had hurt Khan. She loathed how important Monica had been in his life to leave such deep scars.
Yet, more than anything, Liiza hated herself. All that pain, jealousy, and guilt was her fault, and Monica embodied her sin, acting as a constant reminder of what her family had suffered to co to be and the price she still had to pay.
If normal, ordinary people were involved, Liiza would just cut Monica out of her life entirely, removing that aningful but deeply troubling presence from the happy family she had miraculously obtained.
Even if Monica remained in the picture due to political reasons or sothing else, Liiza had her tattoos and daughter as undeniable proof of her status. Nothing could reassure her more than that, especially knowing how her husband’s stupid mind worked.
Nevertheless, Liiza knew she couldn’t turn Monica into a stranger. That wasn’t the Niqols’ way, and both her husband and Monica still cared deeply for each other. Liiza’s previous inspection had confird that, so Monica had to stay, either as a simple friend or as a proper sister.
Sadly, sothing even greater than a language barrier was at play there. Monica’s perspective had broadened during her relationship with Khan, but that knowledge was mostly Khan-related. She could guess Liiza’s motives, but couldn’t help but focus on other traits.
The bow Liiza had perford was what Khan always wore whenever he didn’t know how to interact with a different species. The tattoos on her left arm also matched what Khan had on his shoulder, which had now grown to cover his entire limb.
Other, less glaring but impossible to miss details also felt evident to Monica. She didn’t exactly spot them rationally, but her subconscious did, leading to a conclusion similar but opposite to Liiza’s.
Monica saw so much of Liiza reflected in her mories of Khan. She had always known she had big shoes to fill, despite Khan saying otherwise, but that face-to-face showed her exactly how impossible the task had been.
Khan’s very way of love ca from Liiza. It might have targeted Monica at so point, but it remained Liiza’s creation. It existed because of and for Liiza, just like Khan had vowed in the footage of their marriage.
Thinking about that footage made Monica divert her gaze. She knew she had to agree with Liiza. It was the right choice, especially politically, but a wild unwillingness rose through her, making her forget her place.
"How dare you?" Monica asked, the question making Liiza lift her glowing gaze toward her.
"You co here reminding everyone that you are his wife," Monica said, almost shouting, "Showing how happy you made him and how easy it was for you to do it."
Liiza broke her bow, remaining silent while straightening herself.
"Don’t you think I know he held back for my sake?!" Monica shouted. "Don’t you think I know I couldn’t push him down?! That I wasn’t his match no matter what I did?!"
Monica scoffed, shaking her head, stepping back, only to hit the cavity’s wall, reminding her that she was trapped in that conversation.
"Don’t you think I know he couldn’t love like he loved you?!" Monica cried, her eyes growing teary as she leaned on that rocky surface and lifted her face.
"And he warned ," Monica continued, calr now. "He tried to stay away, but I kept chasing him. I didn’t know anything, but I couldn’t help myself."
Monica’s voice cracked near the end of her statent, that feature becoming evident as she added so final words. "And now I’m ruined."
Liiza followed Monica with her glowing gaze as she slid over the cavity’s wall, sitting on the bedrock and hugging her knees.
"I tried so hard," Monica sniffed. "I gave everything to make it work, but it just wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough."
Monica wiped out the tears flowing down her face, only to quickly give up on that, hiding her head behind her knees.
"The best thing I ever did for him was to send him away," Monica stated. "That’s what my worth amounts to."
Silence fell, only interrupted by Monica’s occasional sniffs, but Liiza knew she wasn’t done.
"No one will ever look at in the sa way," Monica declared. "No one will ever touch like that. No one will ever love like he did."
Most people would co to resent that, considering it a mistake, but Monica almost felt sha knowing that she stood on the very opposite end of the spectrum.
"And I can’t bring myself to regret it," Monica cried. "I still love Khan. I’m so happy for him. It just hurts."
Liiza had never been good with people. It took Khan to make her start having friends again, but they weren’t many, and she had never learned how to act correctly with them anyway.
Monica’s words had resonated with Liiza. In a way, the two of them had gone through very similar experiences, creating a connection Liiza couldn’t deny. Still, she wasn’t sure how to get that point through or what to do next in general.
The mindset barrier worsened all that, so Liiza abandoned complicated speeches or strategies, defaulting to the Niqols’ ways. She stepped forward, and Monica raised her head when she felt sothing cold land on her shoulder.
"I was such a stupid girl back then," Liiza said, sitting at Monica’s side, resting her head on her shoulder. "I cursed Khan before sending him away. Of that, I’ll never forgive myself."
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