My sunshine

New face 04

There was a long silence. My father stood there, speechless, while the man had an oddly intriguing expression. The baker, who had somehow gotten involved, looked terrified, and as for me—I was just trying to figure out what was going on.

Everything happened so fast. The only thing I was sure of was that this man knew my father—maybe too well. He kept dropping cryptic remarks during our walk. Somehow, he managed to convince my dad to accompany him to the guild registration. Then, to my surprise, he followed us all the way home. When we arrived, my mom wore the same expression as my dad, though hers seemed to carry a hint of annoyance.

"Well, well, who do we have here? It's been a long time, Sarah. How are you doing?" The man's strange smile hadn't changed since earlier. It was so irritating, I could barely resist the urge to punch him.

My mom completely ignored him, stepping past to hug me instead. "How was your trip with your dad?" she asked, her voice warm but with a slight edge.

"It could've been better," I replied, throwing a side-eye in the man's direction.

"Man, that hurts," he said, mockingly clutching his chest. "But what do you expect from a kid? Though, he's not your kid, is he?" He said it casually, without a hint of shame or hesitation, as if he were merely saying good morning.

Sarah quickly covered my ears.

"Oh, he doesn't know yet?" The man's expression shifted—almost apologetic this time.

Since they never told me about being adopted, when they saw that I didn't react or show any unusual expression, they assumed I hadn't heard what the man said. Both my parents sighed in relief, clearly thinking the secret was still safe.

"We need to talk," my dad interrupted, his voice stern.

"I won't say no," the man replied, still as casual as ever.

My mom gently took my hand and led me upstairs to the second floor to change my clothes. I told her I wanted to nap, and after making sure I was really going to sleep, she left, quietly closing the door behind her.

Moments later, Bobo, who had been mysteriously absent as usual, slipped through the open window.

"Host! I tried to follow you, but I was enjoying myself. Sorry I left you alone! Did you enjoy your time outside today?" he chirped in his usual cheerful voice.

"It was... okay," I replied. "But Bobo, I need you to check on our guest. Tell me what's going on downstairs."

"Oh, you mean that leaf guy?" Bobo asked, his voice full of curiosity.

"Yes, find out all the information you can about him. But for now, just tell me what they're talking about," I replied, feeling like this was the most important thing to know at the moment.

After Sarah closed the door, her smiling face quickly turned to one full of worry. But by the time she stepped into the living room, her expression had hardened into a stern mask.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it. Sarah—smiling and laughing with a child! Our ice-cold Sarah, wearing such a warm expression." The man turned to Theodor with a sly grin. "And you, our brave captain... were you hiding here all along? Wow. After all these years, this is where you've been?"

"James, why are you here?" Theodor's voice was sharp, cutting through the tension.

James lifted his arms in mock surrender. "Relax, man. It's not like I came here looking for you. You're not some amazing person worth chasing after all these years—especially not after you gave up on us, after leaving the way you did." His smile faded, replaced by a hardened expression.

"You know I didn't have a choice. We didn't have a choice," Theodor replied, his face filled with helplessness.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," James spat, his voice rising in anger. "You left us. We tried to help you, but you didn't even see us as friends. You just eloped—you and—" He stopped, pointing sharply at Sarah, who had quietly sat down beside Theodor. "Her. You left everything behind for her. Good for you, but did you ever think about your friends, your family, or Diannah all these years?"

Theodor's face tightened with guilt. "You know I didn't have a choice. No matter what I said, no one listened. No one cared about how we felt." His voice cracked slightly, but then he felt Sarah's hand tightly gripping his, grounding him.

"Well, that may be true," James said, his voice quieter but still laced with bitterness. "But all these years... did you ever think about coming back? About us? Did we ever cross your mind?"

"Always, James. Always," Theodor replied, his voice growing firm. "But I had to make that choice."

"Of course, you did," James shot back, his words dripping with sarcasm. "And now look at you. Our famous Theodor—known across the capital, the man everyone bows to when he walks through the streets—is living here, in the middle of nowhere." His mocking gaze swept across the modest house.

"This is my choice," Theodor said, his voice steady but filled with resolve.

James fixed his eyes on Theodor and Sarah for a few moments, his gaze heavy with unspoken thoughts. Then, in a quieter voice, he asked, "Are you happy?"

"Yes," Theodor replied, and for the first time in their conversation, a small smile touched his face.

James hesitated, then asked, "You're finally married?"

Theodor glanced at Sarah, who returned his smile, a silent understanding passing between them. "Yes, we married a long time ago," he said, his voice soft but content.

"Where did you find him?" James asked, pointing to the second floor, implying Ed.

"We didn't find him; he's my child," Sarah finally spoke up.

"Yeah, right. You can't fool me. After all these years, I've only noticed one child with you. Sorry, but your genes can't produce something like that." He pointed at Theodor. "No offense, but you're not exactly pure enough to have a child like him."

"It was over four years ago. We adopted him, and now he's our child—that's all that matters," Theodor said, his voice firm and resolute.

After a couple of seconds, Theodor asked, "What about you? What are you doing here?" He chuckled. "In the middle of nowhere?"

"Well, growing up with you... you were a bad influence on me. So here I am, following in your footsteps," James said, finally breaking into a smile.

"What?" Theodor asked, his voice laced with confusion.

"I escaped from my arranged marriage," James said, still grinning.

"You what?" Theodor replied, momentarily speechless.

"I eloped," James declared, his grin growing wider.

Hello, sunshines! 🌞

Here's a new chapter for you! I'll be doing my best to update as quickly as I can. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for your support!