CHAPTER 8

19 2 1
                                    


"Mom?". Raina turned to face the door and saw Patricia standing there, with her eyes full of tears. Raina abruptly sat up on the bed. "Patricia? W-What? H-How? W-W-Where have you been all this while?", she asked her, tears flowing out of her eyes like a river. Patricia wasn't ready to answer her mom's questions. She ran up to her and hugged her tightly. "Mom! What happened to you? Why are you here? Did you have an accident, huh?", she inquired breathlessly. Raina's eyes widened in realization. She couldn't tell her daughters about what had been happening to her just yet. She didn't want them to worry about her. She hugged her tighter.

"I-I'm alright! Just a little accident, honey.", she lied. Patricia suddenly let out a wide frown. "Was it dad that did this? Besides, where is he?", she asked Raina. Raina winced on hearing Patricia ask of her dad. She let go of Patricia and looked down at the floor. "Patricia, honey...your father's not with us anymore. I'm sorry.", she told her, taking hold of her hands. Patricia let out a deep breath and laughed hard and loud, much to Raina's surprise. "Don't be sorry, mom. That bastard had to die. We're finally free from his grip. Don't you see? He can't hurt us anymore. This is great news.", she exclaimed, hugging her mother. Raina gave a light smile. She was happy Patricia took the news lightly. "I can't tell you the details yet, though. I'll tell you when the time is right.", she said to her.

Patricia nodded. "So...how did you find me?", she asked Patricia. "It was time for a break in our school, so we came back home. When we arrived, no one was there. Before we could panic, we met Mr. Coleman, and he told us to meet you here. He's a nice man, really.", she said, sitting beside her mother. Raina smiled. "He is, isn't he? What was the school like? Was it horrible?", she inquired, looking straight at Patricia's face. She frowned. "Actually...it was one of the best schools in the state. I checked it up online. Honestly, when dad sent us away, I thought he was going to send us somewhere we could be killed. Sending us to school was literally the only kindness he had shown to us.", she told Raina.

Raina heaved a sigh of relief. She was happy her daughters were okay. At first, she thought that Hunter had sent them to an abandoned building, but it turned out he took really good care of them. Suddenly, she realized something. "Um...where's Ari?", Raina inquired. "Oh...she's in the hallway with Mr. Coleman. She said she'll see you later.", she told her, beaming with smiles. Raina nodded in response. "Could you do me a favor, Patricia?", she asked her. Patricia nodded vigorously. "Sure...mom. What do you need?", she asked, getting up from the bed. "I know you are closer to Ari than she is to me. Could you let her know about your dad's demise? I don't know how to— ", she started to say, but Patricia stopped her short. "It's okay, mom. I got it! Just relax so that you can get better, okay?", she said to her, giving Raina a wave before she went out the door. Raina smiled. Patricia was always so caring.

Meanwhile, there was an awkward silence between Mr. Coleman and Ari. The last time he had a conversation with her, she was so cold in her responses. He knew he was in for a pickle this time. "Thank you, sir!", she said to him, much to his surprise. "Thank you? For what?", he asked her. She nervously fidgeted as she stared at him with tears in her eyes. "For taking care of us. You're like the father we never had.", she told him, as tears flowed down her cheeks. He sat her down and he sat down beside her, listening to her. "I was blinded by my denial. I didn't want to believe my father was a bad man until I saw it for myself. You seem to really make my mom happy.", she said to him. Roy smiled and wiped her tears away.

"It's okay, Ari. I get it. You didn't want another man to ruin your mother's life. You know, she loves you a lot. While you guys were gone, she always talked about you guys non-stop. Should I tell you a secret?", he whispered in her ear. She nodded, smiling at him. "I was a little jealous. I almost cried like a baby.", he told her. She giggled. "You're funny. You must make her laugh a lot. But it turns out you're not as bad as I thought.", she said to him, looking at the floor. He held her hands in his. "I promise to make you guys very happy. I won't hurt her, okay?", he told her. She nodded and hugged him tight. "Is it okay if I call you dad? Please?", she asked him. He smiled, suddenly feeling teary. "Sure...I'd like that very much!", he said to her, as he hugged her tighter.

RESTRICTEDWhere stories live. Discover now