Her Seven Deadly Brothers (Part 1 and 2)

(3) FAMILIAR STRANGER

For the first time in her life, Eleanora cried openly, she sobbed her hidden pain out from her heart as she embraced her father tightly. David held her close to his chest. He badly wanted to comfort her but nothing was coming out of his throat.

He was broken.

He lost the one he loved the most.

He lost his Acacia today.

She left him.

His heart cried knowing that she would never be back.

They were standing in the midst of crowd wearing all black. The father and daughter cried as they watched her being buried in the soil.

Others gave them pitiful looks and gave them condolences silently.

David was about to take Eleanora back when suddenly his eyes fell on someone. His entire being shook as he recognized him immediately.

His hold around Nora tightened, unconsciously.

Eleanora glanced at her father confused, and then followed his vision line. Her eyes met with the person who stood some feet away from them. A cigerette held carelessly in between his fingers.

His piercing gaze moved from David to her, and Nora found herself getting inched closer to her father.

He kept staring at Nora with a cold, empty look on his face. Still staring, he inhaled the toxic fumes of his cigerette.

David beckoned Nora to walk faster out of there. Nora stared in surprise at that man's identical gray eyes as her own.

David dragged her out of the graveyard but Nora's eyes never left his. Suddenly the corner of his lips tilted in a smirk.

Her soul shuddered in fright.

Nora couldn't see more because David had already pushed her in the car.

Everything was making sense in David's mind. First Acacia's kidnapping and then her death. Her dead body was thrown carelessly at their door. Now they were back! Surely, they did this all to take revenge. Their revenge was now complete.

But the way he stared at his daughter Nora, worried him like no end.

She was his sister afterall. She belonged to them, the Crimson family.

The thought of him hurting her, them hurting her terrified him. David just couldn't let them harm his daughter Nora. Not like they did with Acacia.

David was well aware that they were sadistic, brutal monsters with no hint of mercy in their hearts. A question tugged at his mind- why didn't they try to kill him too? He was also the equal shareholder of the crime, treated in their family' that both Acacia and him had committed in past.

David sighed in relief when they finally reached home. He slammed the front door open and dragged Nora in.

"Listen to me, Eleanora! No matter what happens, don't you ever come across with that man again!" He warned her, the pitch of his tone getting louder with every word.

Nora stared at him confused, but then she nodded her head lightly. There were many thoughts and questions running in her mind, though she never once opened her mouth to blurt them out.

She was already feeling hollow inside at the lose of her mother. She had no strength in demanding answers from her father 'yet'.

Few days went on similarly. David had practically locked his daughter in her room.

Not that Nora minded about this at the beginning, but now her safest place was suffocating her. Obedient as ever, she never once complained. It was the least thing she could do for her father beside speaking to him and opening her heart in front of him. She had just silently drowned herself in the ocean of grief.