Serie 4 - In Daddy's Arms

CHAPTER 8

Dimitrious Donnovan Romanov

I sat in the dimly lit living room, fingers tapping anxiously against the armrest of the leather chair. The adoption papers lay on the table in front of me, a reminder of the twisted reality I had constructed. I knew it was wrong—every logical part of my mind screamed that this was a mistake. But the louder, more urgent voice was the one I couldn't ignore, the one that whispered that she was mine, that no one else could have her.

She's only 17. Not even barely legal yet.

Sabi ng batas, wala pa siya sa edad para gumawa ng sariling desisyon. Pero ano bang alam ng batas tungkol sa nararamdaman ko? Ano bang alam nila tungkol sa takot ko na iwanan? Ang takot na mawala siya sa akin? Ang takot na isang araw, magdesisyon siyang hindi na niya ako kailangan. Naiisip ko palang na iiwan niya ako, parang may humihigpit na tali sa dibdib ko, parang may kumakain sa kaluluwa ko.

Alam ko na kapag tumuntong ito ng legal na edad ay maari niya akong iwanan—for God knows what reason, could be peers or there will be a time she'll have a boyfriend . She's in her adolescence and there's a possibility that she will rebel against me. The typical teenager move.

I glanced over at her, sitting quietly on the couch, her eyes downcast as she flipped through a book. I knew that had taken a liking to her the moment he saw her, a connection that felt as though it had been carved into my very soul. It wasn't just a desire; it was a need, an all-consuming fire that threatened to devour me if he didn't keep her close.

They say that age is just a number, that maturity comes with experience. But they forget that experience can also bring fear, the fear of being left behind, discarded like an old toy. I've felt that fear my entire life, the gnawing anxiety that everyone I care about will eventually leave. I can't let that happen with her. I won't.

I don't want to lose my sanity even more, but what I did was pure insanity. Walang matinong tao ang gagawa ng ganitong klaseng bagay.

But I was torn—I knew that I should be the responsible father figure she needed, yet my feelings constantly betrayed him. Every time she smiles at me, every time she spoke my name, "Dimitri," it sent a shiver down his spine, a rush of possessiveness that I couldn't contain. It was wrong, I knew it was wrong, but the boundaries blurred in mymind, and the lines between right and wrong dissolved into a gray fog that I couldn't seem to control.

She looks up from her book, her eyes meeting mine. I wonder what she sees when she looks at me. Does she see the man who's supposed to care for her, or does she sense the deeper, darker truth? The truth that I'm not just her guardian—I'm something else, something that doesn't fit into the neat boxes society tries to create.

I sat beside her, staring at her as if she might disappear if I looked away. The room seemed to close in on me, the air thick. I tried to suppress the thoughts, the urges, but they clawed at me, relentless and unforgiving.

"Sa'yo siya, Dimitri," the voice in my head murmured, smooth and convincing. "You saved her, took her in when no one else would. She belongs to you."

But another voice, fainter, almost drowned out by the first, insisted, "This isn't love. It's something else. Something dark."

I pushed the second voice down, burying it beneath the sheer force of his will. I was the one who had taken care of her, who had made sure she was safe. The law didn't matter—rules were for people who didn't understand. The papers had issues? Fine. I can fix them or ignore them altogether. Nothing would stand between me and what I had claimed as mine.

Alam ko na dapat hindi niya dapat malaman ang nararamdaman ko. I had to pretend, had to keep up the façade of the loving, protective guardian. Ngunit kada lumalapit siya tila ba nawawala ang lahat na dapat kong gawin,that the intensity of my feelings would break through, a glimpse of the truth he tried so hard to hide.