I paced back and forth in the living room. Several times, I glanced at my watch. I was worried that the person I was waiting for wouldn't show up. Knowing I had to meet Mom at three in the afternoon, I only had an hour left. I glanced at Dylan. He was casually lounging on the sofa, flipping through a magazine.
"Mrs. Bella?"
I turned and sighed in relief. I locked eyes with Dylan, and he nodded.
"Thank God. Mr. Daniel, the Hatter C.O. lawyer?"
"That's right. I'm sorry for being late. I had to settle important matters regarding child custody. Can we go now?"
"Sure. Let's go."
After picking up Mom from her house, we headed to the place together. Mom kept thanking me repeatedly for bringing the lawyer. I knew how anxious she was. I had been planning this for almost a week, and naturally, I was anxious too. Why? Because both Mom and I knew the true nature of that man.
"Don't worry. We'll win." I squeezed Mom's hand tightly. Meeting her every day for the past week has made us close, like good friends. The more I got to know Mom, the more I realized how difficult it was for a 25-year-old girl to be a mother. Surely, mom can achieve many things at that young age, but Mom still chose her children. All of this made me despise that man even more.
"We're here," Dylan said.
As soon as we got out of the car, we heard the sound of a glass bottle being slammed down hard, followed by a man shouting angrily.
"Give me that thing back!"
"You said this is not your daughter. So why did you go berserk like this?!" another man's voice emerged.
I was stunned by the scene unfolding before me. And what shocked me the most was...
"Dad?"
"Thomas?"
Mom and I spoke simultaneously. The man turned around. What made me even more surprised was seeing a baby in Dad's arms. Dad walked towards Mom, that man wanting to chase him, but he was stopped by Mr. Daniel.
"Who the hell are you guys?!" the man yelled.
"Morr, it's your daughter..." Dad handed the baby to Mom. I signaled Dylan to take mom and dad away. Dylan nodded in understanding.
"Let's go," Dylan suggested.
"But Bella..." Mom looked at me.
"It's fine. I have something to settle with this jerk. See you later," I said. Mom nodded and got into the car.
"Who the hell are you guys, huh? Give me those things back, I said!" The furious man pointed with a shard of glass. Half of his fierce face was covered in a beard. His face was still the same as the picture I had seen before.
"That thing you said?" I chuckled.
"Such an idiot," I muttered softly.
The car's engine started.
"Hey, stop the car. I said, stop the car, you bastard!" The man pushed Mr. James aside and ran towards the car, but I was faster.
"Hey, take this." I kicked his body hard, making him fall backward. I picked up the shard of glass from his hand and threw it aside. I nodded to Dylan, and then he drove away.
"Who the hell are you guys, huh? You bastard. I'll kill you. Give me that thing back! I swear, I'll kill you!"
"Mr. Harrell, here's the letter of child custody. From now on, you have no rights over those two children, and you are prohibited from approaching them." Mr. Daniel showed him the letter and threw it in the useless man's face.
"You bastard!"
Without waiting long, I entered the house swiftly. I grabbed Mom's belongings and important documents and didn't forget...
"Hey..." I found the 8-year-old kid hiding in the room. I picked her up and carried her out of the house.
"Let her go! Let my daughter go!" The man shouted loudly. His body was blocked by Mr. Daniel. Ignoring him, I put the child in Mr. Daniel's car and walked briskly back to him.
"Shall we go now, Miss Bella?" Mr. Daniel asked.
"Wait." I looked at him sharply with a face full of hatred.
"Why are you doing this to me, huh? Why? Who the hell are you guys?!"
"This is the last time we meet. I want you to know that I never wished for a father like you, and I regret having a father like you. I'll never forgive you forever. Please rot in hell forever." I punched him in the face, knocking him out instantly. 
"Let's go."
"Are you okay?" Mr. Daniel's question broke the silence between us. I glanced briefly at the little girl behind. Perhaps exhausted, she had fallen asleep.
"I'm okay," I answered softly, turning my gaze back to the window.
"It's true, then. You don't remember me."
I furrowed my brow as I turned back to him.
"I'm sorry. What did you say?"
"It's me, Bella. I'm Daniel Bryan. We both went to the same school, and I was your neighbor before I moved. Don't you remember? We were quite close back then. We always went to school together, ate together, and skipped school together. Time flies, doesn't it?"
I swallowed nervously. God, how do I react? Of course I don't remember. I'm not Bella. Hanna, relax. Be natural.
"Oh? Is that you? Sorry, but there's been a lot on my mind recently, so probably I didn't notice you. I'm sorry."
Daniel chuckled.
"It's fine. But I never knew you had been married to James. Knowing him, he's not someone that's easy to handle. Well, you're his wife, anyway. He won't harm you, I think, but... never mind."
My brows knitted together.
"What is it? Finish your sentence. Like you said, he's my husband, so I must know everything about him, isn't it?" I pressed.
Daniel sighed slowly.
"I just want to warn you, Bella. Everything he shows you, that's not the true him. James, whom I know, is full of motives. He didn't just help without expecting something in return. Of course, I'm not trying to incite you, but I just want to give you a warning. Not everything you see is true. Be careful," Daniel advised.
Daniel's warning made me a bit uneasy. Is James really the person he's described as? To me, he seems like a good man. But is that true? If what Daniel said is true, then all the help of James is offering now will surely backfire on me. What should I do when that happens?
"We're here." Daniel stopped the car at Mom's house. I saw Dylan waving from outside. Mom and Dad were also there. They must have been waiting for me.
"Bella, this is my card. Call me whenever you need me. Please." Daniel handed me his card.
"Thank you." I accepted the card.
"Like I said, please be extra careful," Daniel reminded.
I nodded.
"Thank you for your help. See you later." I got out of the car, carrying the child and the important documents.
"Need help?" Daniel asked.
"No. It's fine. Thanks again, Daniel," I said. He gave me a smile before driving away. Dylan ran to meet me. He picked up the child and handed her to Dad.
Mom hugged me, tears streaming down her face.
"Thank you for your help, Bella. I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for giving my kids back." Mom cried tears of joy.
I smiled widely. How happy I was to see my mother happy.
"Don't mention it. Thomas is our hero today. Who knew he would come earlier than us?" I broke the hug, looking at Dad. He smiled proudly. Mom smiled broadly at Dad.
"Thanks, both of you. I'll take it from here. Don't forget to come to our wedding," Dad said. After seeing Dad, I now know why he is the right man for Mom. He has already proven his quality as a good husband. 
"Sure. We'll be there," Dylan said, looking at me. I responded with a smile.
"We should go now. Before that, can I know her name?" I looked at the child Dad was holding.
"Her name is Sara. She's a good girl." Dad kissed Sara's forehead as she still slept.
"Sara, such a beautiful name." I smiled. Sara. So that's my sister's name. I hope I can meet her when I return to the future. I felt relieved that everything ended well. However, I couldn't deny that Daniel's words about James had somewhat disturbed my thoughts.