WOULD YOU BECOME MY DAUGHTER?

Laurence waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Silence enveloped the two of them.

However, the atmosphere remained serene, calming. Like how the moon reflects the calm lake. Time ticked but no one cares.

Laurence played with her hands sitting on her lap. However, despite how calm she looks, deep inside her heart, she was anxious thinking that she had already messed everything up. Her heart started beating fast and all of the bruises in her body started to hurt. She tried to control her breathing as she refused to lost consciousness at this moment!

Perhaps she already failed. She bit the insides of her mouth out of frustrations. She wanted to cry because she doesn’t know what to do anymore.

There was hope.

Hope had manifested in front of her, right at this moment, yet, why does it feels like she failed?

Pathetic!

Pathetic!

Pathetic!

Laurence clenched her hands. Her fingers digging on her skin until they turn red.

“Calm down, child.” A soft voice and a hand over hears, reassuring her that everything was alright and everything was fine.

Laurence felt her eyes burned. She felt like she came back in the ship. In that wretched place where all people started pointing fingers at her, blaming her for everything that had happened.

“I—” Laurence tried to reason out. She tried to make sense of everything, yet her fear had paralyzed her tongue refusing the words to come out of her mouth.

“You didn’t fail,” The lord emphasis. And Laurence could only look down.

“I—”

“The definition of love is subjective. If that’s what you feel and what you thought, then how could I ever blame you and tell you that your answers are wrong? In the first place, all I wanted was to ask you. I want to ask you how big you are willing to risk. And you answered that with your heart. That, I thank you.”

There was silence once again. Before….

“My dear child, you’ve been through a lot.”

Laurence felt her chest swelled with emotions she cannot contain. She missed her father’s voice. She missed her mother and the people in their small mansion. She missed their gardens and the flowers she used to take care off. She missed her notebooks and the servants in their mansion.

She missed her life.

She missed it so much.

“You are such a brave child.”

Laurence promised that she won’t cry anymore, yet tears pooled out of her eyes like waterfalls.

Her tears dropped on Lord Sinclair’s hands. Laurence panicked as she tried to wiped her tears with the sleeve of her clothes thinking that she had offended the great lord.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Laurence continued to mumble.

Remorse was visible on her voice. She felt ashamed, and pathetic that she can’t even control her emotions. How would she even get revenge at this point?

She was risking everything to that one thing alone.

The only way she could ever live.

The only thing that can keep her going.

“Laurence,” the voice of the man vibrated in her ears. “Remember all of your answers.”

Laurence tried to calm her tears. Her mind wondering.

And just like a dream, Lord Sinclair woke up.

“Hmm… Have I been sleeping?” He asked, blinking.

His voice returned to normal.

Laurence with her puff eyes dared to look up and studied Lord Sinclair’s expression and reaction.

Laurence didn’t know what she was expecting but looking at the reaction and expression of Lord Sinclair right now, she was sure that this expression was not what she was expecting.

His eyes looked lost for a moment, yet his gaze adjusted as if after a long seconds, he looked like finally understood what happened.

He looked at Laurence. “Have you been crying? Did you come here for some prayers?” He asked.

Laurence was dumbfounded thinking that his questions were not the right questions he should be asking!

“Lord Sinclair…” Laurence voice drifted. She swallowed, her hands shaking afraid to ask the next questions in her mind but she still dared to. “The reason you are here, are you not going to ask anything about it?”

Lord Sinclair smiled as if he understands. He then stood and walked near Laurence and slowly he pushed the wheelchair she was sitting.

“I have gaps in my memory,” He answered vaguely. Lord Sinclair slowly pushes the wheelchair as they walked towards where Laurence room were. As if Lord Sinclair was remembering a very fond memory, he started to narrate.

Laurence waited for Lord Sinclair’s words watching the scenery as they walked back. \

In the past few months, she never really realized that she would be given a second chance like this. Life…. She guessed that maybe there was more to life than just wishing her death. And now, she felt like she has reasons to live once again.

For herself.

For her family.

For the rage, hatred, and regrets boiling deep inside of her.

She vowed to get even.

“It started when I was a child. People around me often asked me about it, but now, it’s just a normal phenomenon to me. I have learned to accept that my body wasn’t mine.”

He knows! Laurence concluded.

She trembled yet, even though she didn’t understand anything at all, she felt like for the person like Lord Sinclair, having a stature like him, it felt normal.

The moment Laurence opened her eyes, everything about Lord Sinclair was shrouded with mysteries. He was not a noble yet he has wealth greater than the emperor of this continent. He has servants that were beyond capable than any servant in the country.

Who is he?

It was as if he has every perfecting in the world and that the only reason no one knows about him was because he choose not to reveal himself in the world.

“If I may ask, little lady…” Lord Sinclair’s words pull Laurence out of her trance. Laurence blinked. From a distance, she saw the door to her room.

“Please, my Lord,” Laurence answered.

“The conversation you just had. May I know the contents of it?”

Laurence paused for a moment. Her head felt like it was spinning. Not because of the headache but because of fear. Would the Lord permit her to utter the contents of their conversation?

“Hush your fear, my little lady,” It seems that Lord Sinclair felt Laurence fear. He put his hands over her shoulders. “He and I were one. It’s okay, Laurence. It’s okay.”

Just as Lord Sinclair finished his words, they arrived at Laurence room. Lord Sinclair reached the door knob and slowly twisted it. They both entered the room.

Laurence on the other hand was still in daze as she weighs her decisions. In the end, after many contemplations, and thoughts, she felt like her head was about to burst.

Hence, in the end, she opened her mouth to answer. “Revenge.” Her lips trembled. The word came out as if it had become the oxygen she needed to live.

“I want Revenge, Lord Sinclair.”

Laurence expected Lord Sinclair to ask for the story behind her decision. He doesn’t know her and yet here she was telling him that if she ever get out of this situation, if her body permits it, she would dug graves to those people who wronged her because she wanted them to regret everything they have done to her.

However, as seconds passed, and after Lord Sinclair lit up the fireplace warming the whole room.

His next words caught Laurence off guard. As if she someone had thrown a bucket full of ice on her. She was frozen into place.

“Then… would you allow me to adopt you?”

“What?” Laurence eyes were wide. She didn’t blink.

Lord Sinclair smiled softly. His gaze was warm. “Would you like to become my daughter?”

Daughter….

Someone else’s daughter….

--