Carla was sitting on the floor at the sala while destroying-- playing with her toys.
For five months, Carla struggled to crawl, but now, she can sit on her own!
Carla felt satisfied with her achievements that even her mother was happy to see her cuteness overload.
Today is her 1st birthday. Her mother and father invited some close friends and relatives at home. It's just a small gathering.
Leila, Carla's mother, was an orphan, no family to invite with, but she got friends that she hasn't seen after she got married.
Claude has two siblings, an older sister, and a younger brother. Their parents lived with the older sister, her sister was still stuck in a traffic jam on the way here.
They were invited by him and some of his friends that stuck with him all those years.
"Hello, Carla." An old woman said when she got near Carla.
Carla looked at her and smiled. She knew this person, it was her granny, Esmeralda Santiago.
Carla crawled and hugged her when her grandmother reached her hands. The granny was stunned but hugged her back.
In the past, this person tried to help them before, but she got a heart attack when her son didn't listen to her and caused more commotion.
Her death was the cause of her son, Claude, but her son blamed Leila for worrying about his mother.
Carla just found that out on the day her mother died, that it wasn't honestly their fault. She and Leila thought it was certainly their fault until they learned the truth from the mouth of the murderer.
"Nyewo" Carla tried to say hello to her granny, but she still can't talk properly.
Esmeralda was astonished, "This girl is brilliantly sweet! She hugged me when I reached her and tried to say hello to me!"
The grandmother looked at Leila who was proud, "Dear, are you sure she is just a one year old?"
Leila laughed softly, "Yes, she is, mother. Even me, I was shocked to see how sweet she is towards me and others."
"Very good! It seems you have been a good mother! I like it!" Esmeralda complimented her.
Leila felt more proud of her daughter. Carla giggles while she was in her grandmother's lap.
'I am only good for the people who really cared for us.' Carla said in her mind.
Then, other visitors came. It was the third branch of the Santiago family, the younger brother of Claude, Earl Santiago, and his family.
"Oh, hello! Please come in." Leila invited them in.
"Brother! Sister-in-law! It's good that you're here!" Claude welcomed them.
"Thank you, bro! Hey, Leila! Congrats!" Earl greeted them. He looked at Carla, "Hello little girl, happy birthday!"
Carla just smiled at him.
Beside him, there are his wife, Rosella, and their twin children, Ike and Irene.
Esmeralda stood up while carrying Carla to them. Earl greeted his mother and opened his both arms to receive Carla.
But Carla holds tight to her granny, "Woo, woo!" Carla protested.
Earl felt awkward, "Eh, well, it seems she doesn't like me, hehe."
"Maybe because you're ugly?" Esmeralda teased her son.
Everyone who heard her laughed.
"Mom!" Earl was flustered. "Well, let me introduce to you, my kids."
Rosella brought them in front of Carla with Earl.
"This is your cousin, Carla. These two are Ike and Irene. Why don't you play with her?" Rosella suggested.
Everyone agreed. Irene was shy and Ike holds her hand.
Esmeralda put Carla down in an open space but safe in the sala where they can see her.
The twins are only two years older than Carla. They liked to play by themselves but shy towards others.
Carla just indifferently looked at them.
In her past life, Earl turned a blind eye to everything that happened in her family. While Ike and Irene bullied her in any means with Alicia.
The twins said that Carla was mean to Alicia and just gave justice for her. But they didn't know that everything Alicia said to them, was the things she did to Carla.
Carla tried to explain and told them the truth, but they didn't believe her. Alicia was one step ahead of her.
Alicia was schemer like her mother. Carla, who didn't know anything when they were kids, Alicia's mind is already full of mischiefs that only Carla and her younger brother could see.
But right now, the twins are just toddlers in front of her. Alicia wasn't born yet.
Carla knew that the reason nobody believed her was that she shut herself at home and even at school she didn't talk to anyone.
Looking at the twins now, Carla's mind was working.
'What if right now, I start to mingle on anyone? I was cooped up on the family problem before, that nobody helped us except the first branch.'
'Should I change my approach? '
Carla smiled with her thoughts.
That's right, she could change something about the past, starting with the people who hurt her! She'll make them their ally!
Carla looked at her uncle Earl, 'I still won't let them carry me though, I felt.. disgusted.' She thought.
"Hey, what should we play?" Ike brought Carla back from her thoughts. Ike can now talk properly but his voice is like his age. A cute one, same as Irene.
Irene, however, there are still some words that she couldn't pronounce properly.
Carla giggled. She picked up her barbie dolls but put them back again, Ike is a boy, he might not like it. So she picked some random stuff from the toy box instead.
Slowly, the twins started to get along with her when they were playing. Carla entertained them as much as she could. Irene wasn't shy like earlier and didn't need to hold her brother's hand when playing with Carla.
Then, it was time to open gifts.
The visitors gave each of their gifts to Carla who was the star today and being carried by her mother.
Carla received them but called Ike and Irene, she wanted to open it with them.
Seeing Carla being enthusiastic with her cousins, Leila agreed.
They started to open the first box given to her by her grandmother when the doorbell rang.
A woman in a modest party dress came in. "I'm sorry I'm late."
Leila was stunned for a moment, "Annalisa! I thought you couldn't make it?"
"Surprise!" Annalisa said.
Carla was shocked that she couldn't move, her eyes opened wider.
Why is she here? It's too early!
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Written by KircheLeaf
Cover Designed by CxlxrGreg
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~End of Chapter 4~