Yuna Inspired: Our Virtual Family

108

Hana turned around to face the group. "I just want to tell them that Lucas will stay with them after he's finished with school this year."

Some of them gasped in disbelief.

"You sure about that?" It wasn't Kevin who asked this time. It was Logan. If it was anyone who knew best about how much the little brat meant to his friend, it was him. She did, after all, chose to save the boy over him. He didn't understand why she was letting the brat go now when she never did seven years ago.

Her friends told her to fight for Lucas, but she said she had no right when she wasn't the biological mother. In fact, she was nothing related to him. She was and had been his mother in name only. The friends then changed their target to confront Hugo about Lucas, but Hana defended him.

"If he's not ready to be a father," said Hana, "we shouldn't force him. That'll only hurt them, and it may hinder Lucas's upbringing. That was why I had patiently waited for Hugo to find his resolve. I wanted to wait until he was ready to accept that he's Lucas's father before I tell Lucas anything. I know how scary it is to become a parent when it's unexpected, and in Hugo's case, he never had someone to help him. I did. I had Logan."

As Logan listened, his brother's past comments about how he was lucky to have Hana with him finally made sense. No, it made more sense. He had thought his brother was envious of having a close, female friend, not someone who would love a stranger's kid as much as their own, like Hana.

The group turned silent again as they came back to square one of feeling sympathetic for both parents.

Hugo broke the silence and asked Hana, "H-how did you know? That I was the father?"

"I found the picture Kevin showed everyone on the day we moved out of Tokyo," answered Hana. "I asked Kevin about it, and he told me the truth. At first, he was thrilled that I could make you confess, but I told him I wanted to continue our move."

Kevin nodded and added, "We had compromised that once Lucas turns five and you don't come clean, she'll leave him. But with his health complications, they only bonded more, and before we knew it, five years became six, six became seven, and well, this happened."

"I'm sorry," said Hugo, after a momentary silence.

Hana shook her head. "You don't have to apologize. It's me. Deep inside, I had selfishly wanted to keep him all to myself whether you confessed or not. When I knew that, I became scared of the day this would happen...because I knew he wouldn't be mine." Her voice lowered. "Because he was never mine in the first place." She immediately added a smile. "With Lucas, I learned a lot of things. How to be strong. How precious life is. And how fleeting moments can be everlasting memories." She glanced at Hugo. "That's why I've never hated you or blamed you. I want to thank you. For giving me Lucas."

Logan perked up at his friend's last comment as it sadly resonated with him.

She walked to Lucas, patted him on the head, and he smiled back at her.

Hailey shook her head. "See, Hana. You love him this much, and even if you're not his mom, you do have the right to continue raising him."

"But they also have the right to see him since I've had him to myself too."

"Hana, stop thinking about others, and think about you and Lucas."

"I can't do that anymore. I did that too many times, and I've hurt all of you in the process." Her eyes subtly glanced at Logan and then looked at Lucas as she dropped down to his eye level. "But I promise to visit every weekend."

Lucas lit up and hopped into his mother's embrace.

*

Mrs. Evergreen handed Bruce the bowl. "Give these to them for me."