𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧.

1 . 2

Five Years Later .

"Addi! Wake up, babygirl" Damon's voiced irritated his daughter, causing her to stir and wake up from her lovely sleep. She groaned and winced once the sun had met her eyes, she was not a morning person. "Happy birthday, sunflower!" He sung, handing her a gift bag and a bouquet of sunflowers once she had finally sat up. "Thanks dad" His head shot back and he held up his hand to his nose. "As soon as you get out of this bed, I need you to brush them teeth eighteen times" He said dramatically and she threw a pillow in response.

"Shut up! My breath don't stink that bad" She huffed her breath out and immediately her nostrils were hit with a dry smell. "Maybe you're right" Her father chuckled while he stood at her doorway, letting her get a good look at his outfit. "Where are you going?" She questioned and began to look through the gift bag, before her father stopped her. "I'm going out with Pauletta, I should be back before dinner. Don't open this until i leave. Okay?" He spoke and she nodded. Pauletta was a woman he met two years ago at his current job and they went on a couple of dates together, and a few months after being friends; Damon had finally asked her out and they had been dating ever since.

Pauletta was beautiful dark skin woman. Her eyes and lips were one of the sexiest aspects about her, she knew how to get a man without even trying. Her personality was just as beautiful as she was, and when she was introduced to Adria; they clicked easily. She was happy that her dad had found some happiness. "Alright, I don't wanna keep Letta' waiting. I'll be home with dinner already on the table. Later, my eighteen year old" She waited till the coast was clear and pulled her bonnet off, revealing her newly dyed hair. She was now a ginger. Her hair was wrapped, however she was rocking a shoulder length bob with bumped and layered ends. She had decided it was time to change her appearance and her name for her career. It was time to get serious about her singing, and what better way to adopt a new persona?

She had already decided on her stage name, Ria. She didn't want to be recognized nor remembered as she branched on into the music industry. The only person she wanted to be remembered by was her dad, once she tells him of course. Her next step was to get seen and cop a record deal and when that's done, she was set. Remembering that she was still holding the gift bag, she had pulled out the tissue paper to see what her father got her. It was a letterman jacket that she had her eyes on for a while now, a small box of jewelry, another small box that she would be opening later and a letter.

When she looked at the handwriting, she immediately knew it was from her late mother. She was very hesitant to read it, she would never forget what her mother did to her when she was younger, but she was curious and wanted to know what the woman had to say.

'To my sweetest, vibrant sunflower. You probably don't want to hear from me ever again and I can't blame you. What I did to you, what I caused you to endure was beyond something a mother should do to their child. I blamed you for something you couldn't control. I hurt you for something you never did. I put my sorrows and anger onto you and I shouldn't have. My drinking only made it worse. I disgraced my family. Im getting help, I've began seeing a therapist and going to AA meetings. But, right now, while I'm writing this, I'm in pain. Something bad is happening to me and I don't know if I'm going to make it out alive. The person I've been with has hurt me, he needs help too. No matter what happens to me, just know I love you and im sorry. I love you Addi. Love, mommy"

The tears she so desperately tried keep at bay, had poured down her chestnut face, staining it with her sadness. Her abuser, her mother had spent her last moments in pain; enduring what she had done to her daughter. She had wished so many ill things towards this woman, at one point she had hated her mother, but knowing that her wishes had come true; freighted her. At this very moment, she had wanted her mother back. She wanted to feel her mother's embrace, to hear her soulful voice sing her a song, to look into her big beautiful cocoa colored eyes one more time. Whoever that person was, was going to to pay for taking her mother away.