“I’ve already got the ticket. You’re flying tonight. Is there anything you want to do before you leave?” Darius asked, handing me the flight ticket.
“I just want to see Christopher. Nothing else.” I clenched the ticket in my hand.
“What about your family?”
Nathan was the only family member I had, but he only came to the hospital once after I got admitted. He came not because he was worried about me, but because he was worried about Crystal. He did not even call.
“I’m good. They wouldn’t care less if I were to disappear completely out of their lives. They might be surprised, but they’ll not look for me.”
Darius came over and gave me a hug. “Take me as your brother. I’ll always be here to help. Are you sure you don’t want to go to Anglandur? You might have a better chance of surviving over there.”
“It’s fine. I don’t want to spend my remaining days in the laboratory doing all sorts of tests. I’d rather spend my time in peace. Thanks for everything you’ve done for me, Darius.” Then, I hesitatingly asked, “Did you… Did you like my mom too back then? You said she was beautiful.”
The man was caught off guard by my direct question. He stood still for a good few seconds.
I had found out about this matter on my own. Darius was older than my mom by roughly ten years. Given this age gap, he would not have known my mom’s likes and dislikes, even if they were schoolmates.
However, he knew that Mom loved to wear white dresses. He also knew she liked to keep her black hair long, and that she liked having spicy shrimps. He even knew what her favorite movie and song were — Gone with the Wind and Love Story.
There was no way he could know so much if he took her just as his junior. This explained why he had been so nice to me the first time we met. He had even helped me out at the ball his family hosted.
It took him a while to answer my question. “Your mom is a star that attracts everyone’s attention. She has an irresistible charm, and I have to admit that I fell for her too.”
“Were you guys ever together?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Well, she loved your dad, and no one could put them apart. Besides, I’m the eldest son of the Lane family. I can’t just marry anyone I like.” His voice betrayed the regret and helplessness he felt.
I finally understood that Darius had once loved my mother unrequitedly, but he had succumbed under the pressure of his family.
Although I had fallen out of favor in my family, I still knew enough to know that every family that was involved in politics. They needed someone strong and decisive at the helm in order to protect the family.
I knew Darius’ wife was also heavily involved in politics.
Then, a strange thought popped into my head. What if Mom had married Darius in the first place? Would she have been happier? Darius will never do what Dad did. He will never have an affair and even bring home another child.
Mom must have been deeply hurt by what Dad did back then. That’s probably why she left without me.
I was a reminder of the betrayal she felt. She gave her whole heart to Dad, but all he did was stab a dagger in her heart with his own hands.
This outrageous thought put a smile on my face. I could not have dated Christopher if Darius were my father. I did not want to be his sister.
I stayed in the hospital for just one day. Christopher would ask to see me the moment he woke up. I lay on the floor listening for his movement downstairs, longing that I could go past the ground and touch him, but all I could feel was the cold hard ground.
It pained me to tears to be able to hear him but not touch him.
