Child Without a Voice.

Chapter Ten

Disturbed, Damian put forward all the effort he could muster and attempted to simply ignore what he was seeing. He knew, he knew with everything he had that he should never have come here tonight. But of course, he just had to – Sadie was, after all, Damian's only daughter and his sole reason for living on after the death of Francesca. Never in his wildest dreams, did he ever believe Sadie would also be taken from him, in such a callous and cold fashion. Deep down inside of himself, however, he didn't blame her for still holding that air of resentment towards him. It was he, after all, who felt he had been the sole cause behind his daughter's tragic death. He knew, deep down, that he would never truly be able to forgive himself for what had happened to her.

The whole thing just made no sense to him, so soon after also losing Sadie's mother to a dreadful illness. It had been more than a struggle for poor Damian to have to raise his little girl alone, but somehow he had managed it; despite all that life had thrown their way. The two of them had still come out of it all, with the most beautiful smiles upon their shining faces. This was one of his favourite things about Sadie – no matter what she had come-up against in her ten short years on this Earth; she had always smiled in the face of it. She had always been a strong one at heart, never had let things get her down in life at all. This was one of the many things that Damian had always truly admired about her. Sadie sure was a real fighter, alright. Right up to the very end, his little girl had never given up hope. Damian often wished he could've been like her.

That's when it finally hit him and it hit him hard. He could surely have kicked himself for not realizing it, so much sooner. The little girl whom he was being so painfully haunted by right now, was none other than his only daughter – Sadie.

"Sadie, I'm..." Damian slowly began to speak, though his words were failing him at this point.

"I'm sorry." This weakened, terrified apology was currently all his frightened body and mind could muster.

"I'm sorry, for what happened to you. I truly am, it was my own fault."

In spite of his best efforts to help make peace with his little girl, something deep inside of himself was telling him it was all in vain. What was done, had been done and it was this that Damian would now have to live with forever more.

If there was one thing, one thing in this world that Damian wished he could do just one more time. It would be to be able to see the two most important people in his life again. To hold them and laugh with them, to feel the sting of laughter's tears in his very eyes. Just to know that he will never again be able to wrap his arms around them, was more than enough to bring a pain to his heart that nobody could remedy. As he stepped down from speaking his piece, Damian could almost swear he felt the light, gentle brush of a hand across his face. He placed his hand to his cheek in response, automatically. But with all things considered, and giving particular thought to the way he was currently feeling; he could only assume that what he felt was nothing more than his own wishful imagination. This was despite the soft, cheerful laughter that briefly passed by his ears and even made him smile; for the first time since the incident took place, that one cold, fateful night in November. Nothing could shake, or alter the memories, or the deep mark they made, on his very being. A mark, never to be removed nor faded from his all-too-clear, haunting memory.

The laughter was almost calming to hear, to an extent. Like a brief, glowing ray of lightened sunshine, breaking through the otherwise painful, cutting darkness. It was the one thing that could explain the slight feeling of happiness, which had made itself apparent in Damian's very heart. One thing he could say he knew for sure, however, was that no matter how much time would pass from this very moment, the treasured memories created between Damian and his family would be forever cherished within his gentle heart and kindred soul. This would, however, be both a blessing and a curse to him as the days went by.