𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

𝐒𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐲

60 | Z A C K

“Cole and I were adopted."

My lips firmly clamped together as I stare at her in utter surprise. They were the faintest idea I could think about the reason why Daisy's parents treated her that way. But I wasn't that shaken to the core. Everything clicked in as to why Jenna was the beloved child and why Daisy and Cole look different from the family.

“What?” My heart was beating rapidly as I try to consume what I just heard. Now I understand why they love Jenna more than Daisy and Cole. They were totally blinded by the love for their daughter to notice the mistakes they were making.

Her shoulders sagged and her lips curved into a thin smile. She set her ocean blue eyes on the snow, subconsciously rubbing her bump. “My Dad and Jenna's parents were best friends since their childhood. They grew up together and went to the same college after graduating high school. Already, Jenna's parents and my dad promised to get married and have kids at the same time. But everything change after Dad met my Mom.”

“Dad met Mom in his third year of college and instantly fell in love with her. Jenna's parents and mine got married on the same day and planned to have kids as soon as possible. But after a checkup, Jenna's Mom found out she couldn't have a baby. My parents didn't want to upset their friends so they decided to wait until Jenna's Mom got pregnant.”

“And you know, things changed. My parents had different plans. They wanted to have kids as soon as they got married but didn't want to break the promise they made to their friends. But Jenna's Mom never did even after eight years. Mom got pregnant with Cole shortly afterwards. The Coleman were supportive at first but then after my birth, they started showing their resentment and envy. Sadly, my parents passed away in a car accident and Colin – short for Cole – and I were left in the custody of the Coleman.”

My gaze focused on her as her face transformed from a stoic look to a broken to an anguish, painful look. I pecked her on the forehead, urging her to continue. “The Coleman were happy at first to finally have kids but two months later, the unexpected happened. Jenna's Mom got pregnant. I was just a month old and Cole was two years old. The Coleman wanted to get rid of us by thrusting us in the foster care but because they got to inherit our parents' wealth, they decided to keep us. And since then, they made us feel like... the orphans we are. They made sure to let us know that Jenna was their only daughter and the only person that deserves their love and affection.”

Daisy wasn't crying anymore. She leaned her body against mine and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. My girl is as strong as a tornado. From the beautiful smile on her face, she looked tickled pink. For a very long time, she has being carrying the burden of trying to be the perfect daughter. Daisy tried so hard to convince herself about her parents' love for her. But at the end, she accepted everything the way it is and finally freed from the prison she was held captive.

I never once doubted the love my parents have for me. I was damn lucky to have the most amazing parents in the world. Some lost their parents when they were little, so they never got the chance to meet them. Some kids have careless parents that don't give a shit about them. Some kids have the parents but their parents' presence is as good as nothing in their lives. These parents prioritise money over their kids.

My daughter is going to have both her parents by her side. We'll love and support throughout her life. We'll cherish the right decisions she made in life and encourage her to follow her dreams. We'll take her to Disneyland and I'll wear a ballet dress just to see her precious smile. I will be the one to comb her hair while she tries to escapes. I will secretly give her a night snack when she wakes up hungry at night and try not to wake her mother up from her beauty sleep. I'll simply kiss the ground my daughter walks on.

I was pulled back to reality when Daisy grunted in pain against me.
My eyes went wide in horror when I saw her face  had paled. I'm no expert in any of these medical emergency and Dad had already left for work. It was just the two of us at home after Mom, Kassy and Maya went on a baby shopping trip.

A frightened person can never cure another frightened person. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and raging heart. I'm Daisy's saviour at the moment and she needs me to relax so as to not scare her and make matters worse.

“Daisy, we need to go to the hospital now. You look like you're going to pass out any minute.” She held my arm tightly to supper herself as we slowly walk to the driveway. But then she stopped and let go of me.

“I need to retrieve my phone in case Cole calls me. You should warm up the car before I get it.” Daisy reputed and I reluctantly bobbed my head in agreement. I discerned as she walked into the house and disappeared.

Quickly, I took out the car keys from my back pocket and rushed to the car. I inserted the key in the ignition and started the car. I impatiently waited for Daisy to return. I drove out the driveway, ready to leave but it has being four minutes since Daisy went inside to grab her phone.

I waited another two minutes before finally giving up. I got out of the car and strolled to the front door. I pushed open the door and stopped in my tracks to listen. The house was quiet except the howling of the strong breeze and horns of the few cars from the outside.

But something seemed wrong. An unnerving feeling set in the pit of my stomach. I sensed something is off and my eyes began to explore the room. The kitchen was just the way I left it, the blanket Mom used in the early morning while communicating with her client on the laptop still on the couch, the light in the living room switched off, the trails of snow leading to the stairs...

My eyes turned into narrow slits as I realised that it was footsteps leading to the stairs. But what made my heart leapt was that it wasn't just one. Their were two different prints, the second one obviously from boots. I tried to dismiss it as an illusion but I calculated and analysed that none of my family members wore boots today, a surge of fear shot through my body. It means one thing.

Unless someone is in the house.

Before I could take a step towards the stairs, I heard Daisy's slow footsteps and she appeared on top of the stairs. She looked sick and her face was scrunched up in agony. Adrenaline kicked in and I quickly charged towards her to save her from falling.

A loud, piercing shriek deafened my ears suddenly, stopping me dead in my tracks. I wished I never looked up because the sight that greeted me was worse than seeing the sun collide with earth.

The last thing I saw in her beautiful eyes was the fear as she helplessly undulated her arms up and down in the air to stop herself from falling.

But it was too late.

Her legs left the floor and her body fell heavily on the flight of stairs, landing on her back I was surprised I didn't hear any cracking sound. A tear slipped down my cheek as I watch her body flipped and somersaulted, rolling down the remaining stairs and finally alighting her on her stomach, her face down.

I stood there too tense to move as I watch her small, fragile body lay limply on the the bottom of the stairs. My body felt like it was frozen to the ground and my head was swirling with deadly thoughts. My heart felt like it was struck with an arrow and exploded, leaving me to deal with the aftermaths of the pain.

Slowly, my eyes moved up from the torpid figure to the flight of stairs, to the figure standing on top of the stairs with her legs wide open like a maniac and glaring daggers at the lifeless figure sprawled on the ground.

Her hair was carelessly chopped off as though with a scissors, her nose flaring and her hands clenching and unclenching. Her body was shaking as her chest heaved up and down and her lips were pulled back in a thin line.  She stood there looking like a psychopath on the loose. The once innocent brown eyes were red stricken, filled with venom. A disgusting sight not in my worst nightmare I thought I would witness.

“This is what you get for everything you put me through, Daisy."

What if I tell you this is the end?!😅

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Hope you enjoy. See you in the next chapter❤