"Can we go out today?" I ask while looking at Hunter. he was still doing his work here in my room. He looks at me with his lovely green eyes. I look at my hands in my lap as I continue speaking, "I want to go away from here for now."
On the way to the garden, the four of us— Noah, Ayden, Garry, and me— there was a silence. I don't want to speak because if ever I speak, all I could only tell negative things. The garden— It is the most comfortable place for me so I ask Hunter to go there. I am not ready to cry here, Hunter might get worried and panic.
He had a lot to take in and going through a lot— I don't know to want to be a burden to him. He had a lot to think and do, it must be enough for him. He also going to me because I am under his responsibility now because we're soon to get married.
"So, do you mind if I ask you to speak your thoughts? What's bothering you?" There's a long silence. I am silent since we get in here and he had the idea that something is bothering me. He looks at me while I look at my front. Hearing he inquire, tears quickly filled my eyes. Even if there's Hunter, dad, Adrian, and Brian who loves me, I still can't help but feel lonely and get hurt. I know everything was just in my mind.
I can't bring my positive mind after I know about me— adopted. It is hard to accept. I try to be kind, why am I feeling all of this? I feel like the world's problem was on my shoulder. It's hard to bear. The questions I had about my dad and mom's relation to each other back then were still lingering in my mind. How did the grudge start? Why did mom hate dad so much?
"Nothing," I retorted. That's the only thing I say, though I want to say something— I have a lot of things to say but my mouth let those words. I just want to be silent, daydream.
I heard Hunter letting a heavy sighed. I am feeling sorry for him— he cared for me and all I could do in return is to be a burden to him. I am such a weight in this world. A hand wrapped in my shoulder and pulled me to his hug. That's when I burst into tears.
"You can cry, I won't stop you." His hand was slowly patting my back and kiss the top of my head. I cry and cry. I needed someone to take this negativity from me. I want to be positive again. I don't know how to stop this, I think I fall into darkness again. This is the first time I burst into tears again and it is making me so angry in myself.
I burst into tears again! I am weak! Sh*t! I am so weak! I want to change the world, right? Now I wanted to give up? Oh lord, please help me right now— I am hurt, I am down.
After I cry on his shoulder, I pulled away and he gave me bottled water. I drunk it and let a forced smile at him. I chuckled as I put the bottle down and look at it. He looks at me with some sympathy in his eyes. "I am such a weak, right? Such a useless person. I am adopted but had got a cheerful and beautiful parent— when I meet my biological parents, I think this is the second big obstacle I had to went through after the thing I went through when I am still studying." I let a heavy sighed.
"I am weak just like before— I let the darkness eat me for the second time. I already vowed to myself, I won't fall into darkness again but here I am." I continue to speak while he was listening. 
"I am comfortable and confident to myself that I can't fall into darkness again but here I am— such a loser." I try to compose myself but my emotions were mixed that it made me burst into tears. "Loving oneself wasn't that easy, I used to please myself and not others." I wipe my tears. "Now, I think I needed to please anyone again and I even forgot to think of myself again. I can't even do what I wanted to do since my job started. I am stressing over the kids, the job, finding time, missing the parents I left in our hometown. Then there's Melanie, making me more stressed and there are my feelings for you, then the truth that I am adopted— then dad and mom's fight." I wipe the tears that I am about to escape my eyes. "If I love myself, I wouldn't be fallen into darkness again but I let myself."
"I get it. You are afraid of not loving yourself again and fall into the darkness. Your problem is your biological parents were fighting." I slowly nodded my head.
"Don't be afraid darkness will eat your light, it is common for someone like you. You fight the first one— alone then you survived. Now, you won't fight alone anymore, you had me with you so don't be afraid standing in the darkness. Continue to walk and don't ever stop. Take my hand and we'll find that light again." He cops my face and plants a peck on my forehead. "I love you, don't ever forget that. Many love you here."
We're on our way home now, it is already night. I couldn't believe Hunter was good at comforting words. I can say when I started to rely on him, I felt the weight on my shoulder lifted a little. I start to care for myself again and see a little light from my side.
I look at my side, there's Hunter, driving the car while humming along with the song. The light from the other cars was perfectly hitting his face making his handsome face bloom. Those green eyes I've been loving all of these years were shining.
"You know I can see you," he suddenly said. He turns to me and gives me a smile before turning to the road again. "We'll arrive at the house, do you want to order food outside or we'll eat there?"
"I want to eat home." I smile. He hummed and nodded.
My phone starts to vibrate and took it out. It was an unknown number. I look up at Hunter, having the feeling of nervousness and fear of answering it. Hunter looks back at me. "Who is it?" he inquires as he looks at my phone.
"It was just a number, I don't know who is it," I answer.
"Answer it and put it on loudspeaker." I nodded and do what he just say. Before I could say anything, the other line ended it. My brows rise while I pout. "Why?"
"They ended it." He hummed in response again. After a while, my phone vibrates ad I look at it. "They texted." Hunter looks at me and at the phone in my hand.
"What did it said?" My eyes widened as I read those words. Mrs. Eleanor wanted to meet me but I am so nervous to face her. She's crazy. who would plan to kill her ex-husband? "Hey, what did it say?" Hunter took my attention to him.
"The number's owner is Mrs. Eleanor. She wanted to meet me tomorrow." He stops the car at the side of the road and took the phone from me. Worried and hatred started to grow in his eyes as he read the text in the bubble text.
"You wanted to meet her?" He looks at me.
"I still don't know." I look down. "If I want to go, will you come with me? If I don't—"
"You'll regret..." I glance at him, eyes widening. "You should go, it's time to get the answer you wanted the most and so you could come up with a plan on how to solve the hatred they both had."
"Mom only hates dad, he never hated her." I look down and think of what he just said. He isn't stopping me from seeing her? She is crazy, it is obvious— if she wasn't, she won't think and order some men to kill dad. "Will you go with me then?" I ask, reluctantly.
"Of course,"
"Should we inform dad about this?" He nodded. He started to drive after giving me back my phone. My eyes were still on the text, as I carried away with my thoughts. "What's the reason she wanted to meet me?" He just shrugs his shoulder and I look back at my phone while biting my lower lips.
"Maybe, she wanted to clear some stuff." I look away from my phone after turning it off.
"I don't know,"
As soon as we arrived at the house, there's another car parked in front of the main door. "Mom is here," Hunter whisper. I look at him and back to the car.
"Aunt is here?!" I got excited as soon as hearing it. I wanted to meet her! I didn't wait for Hunter to go out of the car and go out by myself. I run towards the living room, leaving Hunter behind. "Aunt!" I call.
I run towards her and hug her. "I miss you." I noticed that she was crying because of her voice wobbling. I break the hug and look to examine her face.
"Why are you crying?" I ask. I look at Dad who's also standing across from us. He's having that nervous, sad look. "Dad, what is happening?" I look at them, vice versa.
"It was nothing. Do you want to go overseas in the meantime?" I look at her, perplexed. She wanted me to go overseas? Why?
"Why?" Instead of me, Hunter asks. We all turn to him. "Mom, why are you asking her if she wanted to go overseas?" Hunter stands behind me. I let a heavy sighed, scared of what they will say next— also a little confused.
I look at his mom while she was still looking at him. "It's just that... I want her to visit her brother, Ayden. Right?" My brows furrowed, what is she talking about? "I h-heard that—" she sounded reluctant.
"Mom, you are not acting like you," Hunter said. His mom closed her eyes tightly, letting her tears fall on her face. "What is it? Spill it, Mom."
"We wanted her to study overseas in Canada so she can also go with her brother," Dad answer. We all look at him. My brows furrowed.
"Aren't I making good marks in studying business here, dad?" I inquire. I remember I got As in my exams. "Why overseas, dad?"
"We've made the plan already, sorry Lia." My tears start to fill my eyes again. Can this day get worse? "Hunter can go with you but I doubt if he can, he has a lot of works to do here." Dad looks at him with his speaking eyes but I can't absorb anything
"Dad," Hunter called. "You know, our wedding was just a month away— why are you doing this?" He asks.
"Sorry, my son— I'm doing this for my daughter's sake. Things weren't clear and safe for her to stay here for now." I look at him, my eyes still filled with tears. He looks back at me with his sad, weak eyes. "The wedding won't postpone but you need to go overseas for now."
"Dad, I want to object." I feel my body weakening. I lick my lower lips as I tightened my grip on Hunter's mom's hand. "I won't live you here, I won't live anyone behind me." Knowing what my mom was thinking. Her mentality wasn't working right and who knows if she will do what she has done like what she did last? "I won't," I whisper. I run to him and hug him, hoping my hug would change his thoughts.
"Lia, it was for your own better." I back away from the hug and shook my head. I look at him in the eyes.
"No, dad! It wasn't for my better," my voice rose. "You're selfish, dad. We're family so why are you still keeping all the problems to yourself? Why can't you tell me what is wrong? Why are you always pretending like everything is alright? Dad, I am here, your daughter! I love you and I care for you. Why are you keeping something from me? What's the purpose of this family when you're keeping everything from me?" I burst out.
I never waited for him to answer and just run towards my room. I grit my teeth while wiping my tears. This is it, I am feeling it again— the only thing different from what I feel back then was my only problem is the bullies and studying— now I had so many problems. I am still not moving on from Melanie, I am still thinking about what she did that night when Ayden confronted her.
"Lia," Hunter called. He knocked on the door while I am sitting in my bed, crying still. "Lia, let's talk, please open the door." He keeps on knocking on the door. "Let me explain things to you, Lia. You're not enlightened about what your dad said."
I thought he would be on my side but he thinks I am wrong? Ha! "F*ck it!" I shout as I brush my hair and make a fist on it. I feel like I am going crazy.
I let myself burst into tears, lying on the bed. This is it, I let myself drown more into the darkness.
Days passed, I am feeling this grief. I would go out of my room just to eat, I will talk to others but won't smile. If ever I smile, it is force and if I laugh, it's fake. I didn't get to see dad walking around the house since that night. My eyes would look at the door of his office but never thought about going inside— I am still not ready to talk to dad.
In these past few days also, I also noticed tons of bodyguards is going inside the room— they are on every corner of the house and when I look outside, there are 2x more bodyguards and in there.
And today, when I went down to the living room, there's no sign of a bodyguard inside the house but the maid was there. As always, they were cleaning every corner of the house. I went to one of the maids there and slightly touch her. "Where're the bodyguards?" I inquire.
She stops working while I stand there, waiting for her to answer. She smiles before speaking, "They are at the backyard, Lia, I think they were having a meeting," she answered, reluctant.
I nodded, "Thanks." With that, I walk outside to the backyard to see a ton of bodyguards— they were all lined up properly.
While they were all lined up, there's a man— probably their head, telling them what to do because some of the orders changed by who? "As we all know, Madam Lia isn't going outside the house since Madam and Mr. D had a fight if ever Madam will go outside— you Mr. Carl is the one who's in charge in accompanying Madam Lia, Understood?"
The guy named Carl steps in front and bowed. They all had their meetings peacefully while I am still looking at Mr. Carl. He is familiar to me.
"Hey, is the flower grown ready?" Ayden asks his friend.
"Yes, just the girl who needed to wear this," he answered. I look at him and he smiles at me sweetly.
"Is she your sister?" Ayden looks at me and at the man in front of us.
"Yes,"
"She's pretty like what you always said." I look down to hide my blush.
In the middle of their meeting, the guy named Carl look at me. His mouth was slightly apart as his eyes also widened. "Continue listening," I mouthed at him.
He sighed and look at the front but it is too late for him because their head is already looking at him— more like sending draggers. "Mr. Carl, are you paying attention to us?" He asks. I saw Carl gulping in nervousness.
"I'm sorry, sir." he bowed.
"Next time, don't be—"
"It's my fault," I said. I walk towards them as they all look at me including their head. The head bowed at me as soon as seeing me then the bodyguards bowed after. "I see, dad still not informing you from what I said to other servants, hmm?" The head looks at me. "Don't bow, just smile... It's enough to greet us." I forced a smile again.
"Noted, Madam," he said.
"And second, don't call me Madam," I said. "Just call me Lira." They nodded and smile just like I said.
"So, what are we talking about?" I walk more further towards the head. "Can I know?"
"Mr. D inform me that we have to assign a bodyguard for you," he said. "Things aren't clear outside, said your father, Lia. Thus we have to double the security around this house especially you, Lia."
"Why though?" I ask. "We don't have the right position to tell you the reason, Lia. You should ask Mr. D about that." I rolled my eyes and scoff.
"He won't tell me the reason too." He let a heavy sighed.
"Don't be mad at Mr. D, Lia. He had a big, reasonable reason for doing this."
I went back to my room after talking with the head of the bodyguard. I didn't saw Hunter roaming in the house, they must've been in their company, doing business. I throw myself back to the bed while thinking about what that guy said. Does Dad have a big reasonable reason for doing this? Then what is the big reason then?
To be continued.