I fidgeted with my little fingers when I felt a sense of discomfort inside the sedan. It was only me and the chauffeur, which is quite unusual.

My dad usually fetched me from my auntie’s house even if he had some errands at work. He rarely hired chauffeurs to drive for us too. He must be really busy, though.

“Kind Sir, may I ask as to why my father is not available to pick me up?” I queried with my soft, little voice.

There was a moment of silence. The driver didn’t even budge to look at me or might as well answer my simple question! Didn’t he hear me? Maybe he’s just completely focused on doing his job?

In the end, I turned my attention to the glass window as tiny droplets of rain began to stick onto it. But then, my whole body started to panic when the car turned to the wrong direction. This is not the street towards our house!

“Sir, t-this is n-not the right way towards my h-house. W-where are you taking m-me?” My lips trembled as those words came out of my mouth.

For the second time, the man didn’t provide an answer. Is he kidnapping me? But that couldn’t be. My parents still needed me beside them! Not to mention the fact that I’m still seven years old! God, this must be some kind of a mistake.

“Sir–”

I didn’t get to finish my statement when a huge van crashed against our sedan. My head was then banged to the side windows due to the high impact of the collision. Suddenly, everything went pitch-black until the darkness fully consumed me and knocked over my senses.

“Argh!” I grumbled when the same vision of the accident reappeared again in my mind.

It’s been haunting me for weeks now. And my head aches painfully every time it visited my thoughts! I’m aware that I had encountered an injury back then, but I never expected such consequences like this to happen! It has been twelve years since the incident happened, for Pete’s sake!

“What happened, sweetheart?” My mom asked, sincere concern is evident in her tone and facial expression.

“Nothing, Mom. I just had some headaches,” I lied so effectively and hoped that my mom didn’t notice me bit my lips. I hated that they instinctively move like that whenever I lied. To cover that habit of mine, I pretended to rub the temple of my head and groaned as if I really had a headache.

“Oh, stop it, sweetheart. I can’t believe my daughter is such a bad actress. You’re terrible at lying. So, what is it exactly, hmm?” She questioned for the second time.

Her forehead then crinkled into a crease line when she saw me frowning. That was embarrassing, okay? I’m beginning to doubt if I was truly adopted or if I was their daughter. I mean, both my mom and I had the same heart-shaped face. And my dad and I had identical blue ocean eyes.

My heart even felt like I was from their own flesh and blood, but it wasn’t. Well, that was what they told me. According to them, they saw the actual accident years ago and so, they were also the ones who brought me to the nearest hospital to get treated. They adopted me because their daughter also died in the same event as I had experienced.

That’s what they said. Their daughter and I were alike that’s why they kept me. I was thankful, though. At least that I had someone I could call mother and father. I wonder where my real parents are, they didn’t even make an effort to look for me back then. Seems like they didn’t care about me as much as my new parents do.

“Sweetheart,” Mom called, which snapped me back to reality.

“Is it about the accident again?” She continued and raised her left eyebrow. It felt like she already knew the answer to her question.

I just gave her a nod as a response and lowered my head. She must be worried right now but then again; I didn’t like it when they look at me with pity. Even though the scene of the accident kept repeating in my head, it’s all in the past now, it will only be a memory. Only memory that I could cherish as the real me.

“Sweetheart, I know you’re hiding something from us. We are one family now. You can tell us what’s bothering you lately.” She looked at me straight in the eyes, as if her stare would pierce right into my soul and make me confess my thoughts.

“I understand you’re worried about me, Mom. But I am fine, okay? Don’t worry too much about me,” I stated and patted her shoulders to assure her that I’m really okay. Even though I would tell them the truth, they wouldn’t give me what I want.

Freedom.

I wanted freedom. They wouldn’t even let me get out from the house. Jeez, they are so overprotective.

“Fine.” She gave up. “Oh, I just want you to know that you can say your goodbyes to your tutor later when she arrives.”

My forehead creased because of her announcement. She also noticed my reaction and gave me a small smile.

“We’ve enrolled you to college, sweetheart. You must be bored in staying the house for almost twelve years now,” she smiled once again.

A grin crept up to my lips and I bet my mom noticed how my eyes sparkled with the words she recently said. I… I can get to college. Finally… I can get to universities and experienced the life from outside! At last!

“You’re not joking, are you?” I asked her to assure that I have heard her right.

“Of course, I’m not, dummy! You also deserved to experience the world outside. Your dad and I were just worried about your safety before. You’re 19 now and we know that you can handle yourself well,” she explained.

“For real? Aww, thank you so much, Mommy!” I exclaimed and hugged her tight. “Thank you so much! You don’t know how much this means to me,” I told her with my voice almost cracking up.

Gosh! I’m so dramatic! You can’t blame me, though. For twelve years being stuck in the house, my only wish is to have freedom and here it is now.

“You’re welcome, sweetie. Now, now. You can wait for your tutor in the library and bid your goodbyes.” She smiled again and her smile reflected mine.

“Yes, Mom. Thank you so much!” I happily beamed and walked towards the stairs, which leads to the library of our house.

I skipped my steps to the library because of too much excitement. It’s also been more than a decade that my tutor is home-schooling me, but my desire to step outside the house is much stronger than our bond. We didn’t talk a lot, though.

Getting myself to school, walking through the park, having friends and laughing with them. I grinned with my dreamy thoughts.

Tomorrow.

I’ll have to experience the real world outside starting tomorrow! I softly giggled and skimmed some books in the library while waiting for my tutor when I heard screams and shouting downstairs. My ears became attentive as I started to walk out from the library and approach the stairs.

“But this can’t be, Mrs. Johnson! My contract was supposed to end next year, not today!” Lady Harleston, my great tutor, shouted. Her screams then kept banging inside my ears.

Why is my tutor shouting in front of my mom? Lady Harleston was known to be a silent but sarcastic woman. This is the first time I have seen her screaming on the top of her lungs!

“Lady Harleston,” my mother started. “With all due respect, my daughter doesn’t need you anymore. Why can’t you understand that?” My mom is rather calmer right now than my furious tutor, Lady Harleston.

“Then what about the agreement? Flavio may know about this, don’t you think?” Lady Harleston smirked and if I’m not mistaken, my mother stood frozen when she heard the name.

Flavio? Who is he?

He sounds Italian, but I’ve never heard about him before. Not even once or from my father. What is happening here? Who is this guy they’re talking about?

My thoughts stopped when my mother spoke up. “Don’t you dare mention his name inside my house, Lady Harleston! Leave! Don’t you ever step a foot in this house ever again!” My mother’s hands balled into a fist, as if she is controlling her anger.

My eyebrows furrowed because my tutor leaned towards my mom’s ear. She must have whispered something awful because my mom gave her a hard slap on the face. I audibly gasped, the reason why I also slapped my mouth.

Jeez, that was a close one. The stairs’ hall often echoes, good thing my mom and Lady Harleston didn’t notice that noise. They’re too caught up in their fight to notice. I wonder what were they really talking about.

When I looked back to the spot where my mom and Lady Harleston were talking, my tutor wasn’t there anymore. She must have left already, especially with my mom’s rage. Something’s fishy around here.

“Flavio,” I muttered, it was the name that was mentioned earlier.

Why is my mother acting that way? Does my dad know about this?

Who are you, Flavio?