When I gained consciousness and looked around, I found myself in a hospital gown, lying on one of those hospital beds. My eyes were way too heavy to open and I was trying my best to wake up from a very bad dream I was having. My body felt a lot of pain with numbness in many areas and was not in my control, feeling like it had given up. It was a new atmosphere as I opened my eyes, still looking at things vaguely while I heard the noise of monitors beeping around me. There was someone sitting beside me, holding my hand and it took me a few seconds to realise that it was dad. My body was too heavy to move and I could only move my finger with great difficulty. I heard dad tell Uncle Jay to call the doctors, as I guessed he noticed me moving my hands.
He asked, "Sweetheart? Are you alright? You are back to me, at last. Can you hear me?" I could notice anxieties in his voice. My throat was dry and itchy and I couldn't say anything. So I simply nodded weakly and when my eyes responded clearly, Dad was beside me, holding my hands and Bella was looking at me, relieved. I felt terrible for her because she was in tears, looking at me in worry. I felt something wrapped around my face and when I looked down, I was wearing an oxygen mask with a lot of gauze around my hands.
"Anna!" He kissed my hands and said, "Thank God, you opened your eyes. I honestly thought that I wouldn't be able to see you open your eyes again and lose you," I could see the worries in his eyes, and he was also almost in tears.
He gently brushed my hair, and looking into his soft eyes made me realise that I was never a good or worthy daughter to him. Looking at me in the worst condition, his eyes clearly expressed how frightened he was. "Anna, I thought I was going to lose my daughter, and you literally drove me insane. Do you have any idea how concerned we were? You scared the crap out of us. How are you feeling right now?" he asked.
"Are you in pain? Is something bothering you? Should I get you anything?" Bella inquired, her hands resting on my legs. I couldn't turn my neck to look at him because the gauze bandage around my neck was so thick.
Uncle Jay and the doctor stormed inside just as I was about to say something. He grasped in relief and looked at me with concern. That is when I realised, I had caused all of my people to be worried and they had suffered the consequences of my deeds. The doctor checked my pulse in the machine next to me and flashed a light in my eyes that was too bright for me to keep my eyes open. "Don't be worried, Mr. Williams. Your daughter is fine and has successfully regained consciousness, indeed she is strong. But yeah, we can't make a decision until she's completely fine, so we'll keep her in observation for the next twenty-four hours to see how she's doing. And you no longer need to be troubled because she has passed through the fume hood," the doctor stated and Uncle Jay accompanied him as he left.
The next evening, I was moved to a different room and was still exhausted, as if I had worked for two days straight. They advised me to wear the oxygen mask only at night to avoid my throat becoming dry from breathing normally. They snip the wires that were connecting me to that massive machine. I couldn't eat or drink anything, so the IV drips were the only thing that kept me alive and gave me energy. When I was sick, it was usually Bella who took care of me and dad would only come in for a minute to give me boring advice on how to take care of myself. For the first time, he sat beside me all the time and didn't move an inch away.
"How is Maria, Dad? The girl who was with me" I asked before going to bed and I could see his expression change to a blank face. While pulling up my sheets, he exclaimed, "Yeah, she is fine, but is still being monitored. Anyway, let's check on your health first and don't worry about her. I will look after that."
He sounded different, as if he didn't care about the girl who had saved his daughter and just as I was about to ask, Uncle Jay entered, holding a file. "Sir, all of the formalities have been completed. I have spoken with our lawyers and the cops about not mentioning Anna's involvement anywhere. However, there are a few loopholes that we must handle carefully as a matter of fact from not allowing her to testify in the case."
Only after he mentioned it did I recall what had happened that day and I was ready to testify against that son of bitch and do whatever it took to put him behind bars. However, Dad stated, "Jay, this is not the right time. And yeah, I want to deal with this problem personally, so don't involve any lawyers because I understand how and for whom the law works. I want to clarify and straighten things out myself, with my ways. Anna's name should not be involved by any means and should be a clean slate for her. Whatever it is, let's discuss it later in the office," and there was something they communicated through their eyes that I couldn't figure out.
I went to check on Maria after a week and she was doing fine, but hadn't fully recovered and was still under observation. Except for evenings, when Bella took me to the balcony for some fresh air, I stayed in bed the entire time. Dad and she took excellent care of me, and those were my rehabilitation days from the trauma. It was really nice that Dad was with me all the time, we talked a lot and for the first time, I felt like I could connect with him. All three of them were pampering me and I realised how much I had missed all of their love over the years. He didn't ask about what happened that night and I too wasn't ready to talk about it with him either because I didn't want to ruin our good times.
He comes to the hospital right after work and we have dinner together, cracking up, watching movies late at night and the best part is sleeping in my dad 's arms. That one week did make up for the time I didn't get to spend with my dad. Bella had always pampered me as usual, but if she was strong and young enough, she would carry me around like a baby all the time. Every time the nurses came to dress my wounds, she would continuously ask me whether I was in pain and I would laugh at her. Not to mention Uncle Jay, who was my iron man. He got me whatever I wanted without saying anything to dad and cleaned up the mess before he arrived in the evening.
He was my partner in crime when we tried to sneak out to get my mocha but Bella caught us red-handed and ever since she has blackmailed Jay that she will inform my father. Everything seemed perfect and was just the way I wanted my life to be. The days were going well and it was only two days before my discharge that my dad was working on his laptop instead of going to the office. Worst of all, he appeared irritated, and I knew it was because Bella hadn't arrived for her morning shift to care for me.
I tried calling Bella but she hadn't been picking my call up and it was weird since she never made such mistakes being a perfectionist. So, I asked "Dad, I guess you must go to work. You're running late. I don't know why nanny is taking so much time…"
"Nanny? Which nanny?" he asked, having his eyes fixed on the laptop.
"Ha ha dad, very funny. Now stop playing around, you must know where she is. Tell me," I asked and he replied, "She resigned her job and left to stay with her kids, in California I guess."
"What? She resigned or you made her, do it?"
"It doesn't matter as of now Anna,"
It shattered me into pieces and I didn't expect he would toss away the person who stayed by my side during all my odds, comforted me, gave me solutions and told me that I could face any problems boldly. But thinking that she won't be there with me made me feel sick. She raised me like her own daughter and didn't even let me realise the fact that I didn't have a mother, because she did the role with all her heart. She was not only a nanny who took care of me, but also a friend, to whom I shared all the difficulties and happiness with, a mom who showered me with all the love and sometimes even a dad too, who showed me the right path to my life.
"Dad! Seriously? How can you fire the person who literally raised your own daughter when she didn't have a mother. You trusted me, but at the times where you weren't there, she stood by my side. Always. How can you do this to her?" I yelled at him because I couldn't control my anger.
While closing his laptop he said, "Anna, it's your mistake and what…"
"Exactly! It was my mistake and she was nowhere related to any of my shits."
"You made the mistake and she is getting the punishment for it. Every time you make a mistake, I took things away from you, which you never valued but this time your mistake was huge and I found what you valued most in your life. When I weighed your mistake, I thought I should go deeper but still am only taking it on your nanny. For the mistakes that you have made, you deserve it" he said, crossing his legs.
I couldn't believe myself that I actually thought that this man had changed and yes, it was my mistake that I believed him that he won't do anything to me. "Bella is not with you so take care of your things on your own from now. No one is going to pamper, tell you what you need to do or cover up your mistakes anymore," he said with a prideful smile on his face.
I was so dumb that I couldn't figure out that he was testing me all that while instead of being serious and said "Dad! Stop tricking me and I got you. Bring nanny back, I want to see her. I promise dad that I won't do anything wrong again and will listen to whatever you say. Just bring her back to me," and I almost pleaded with him.
"Get ready Anna, it's time" he said and I was confused at what he said to me out of the blue and did not understand what exactly he meant by 'it's time'.
He continued, "You thought I will let you stay here after what you have done but actually it will be better the other way. I want you to move to another country" with a straight face.
I thought that I didn't hear him clearly at first, so I asked him again, "Sorry I didn't get you. It has been just a week or so since I came back to my senses and now you want me to leave my country?" to which he confirms replied, "you heard it right Anna, and it's decided."
When I did something wrong, he would usually scold me and have the very important thing be taken away from me for at least a week or two as a punishment until I would realise my mistake, also make me understand the importance of that thing. I thought he would do the same this time too, like maybe taking away my phone or no cards for a month or maybe ground me, but I had never expected him to tell me to leave my home.
"Dad, I'm sorry."
"This is my final decision. You can't unrig the bell, Anna. It's not yours or Bella's mistake and it's mine to be honest. I didn't raise you properly and teach you the right things. I want you to understand what you have done and what kind of a mess you have created this time," he stated clearly.
"You will be leaving the city in a week probably. So, make sure you get prepared," he said, picking up a file.
"DAD! Was it all that fake love you showed for the last one week? And I haven't recovered fully yet. How can you tell your daughter to leave when she wants you the most?" and I didn't know what I was talking to him about.
"Listen, I never faked my love towards you Anna but you have made me understand that the love I showed was wrong and made you the way you are. I know very well about you and by just observing, I can estimate what you're up to and yeah! You're ready and capable of surviving on your own. You know the person I am, very well and still had the guts to do all of that behind my back which clearly tells me that you have matured enough to live an alone life."
I honestly at that time didn't know what else to do because without Bella I wouldn't have overcome all those nightmares but yes, it was the right punishment for me. I hid so many things from dad which made me stand in the place I was in; it was all deserved by me. I tried persuading myself to accept all of his decisions and leave the rest in his hands to take care of me. I was already getting homesick sitting on the hospital bed, even before I left my home. But I thought of something,
"On one condition dad," I said.
He kept down the papers and turned towards me, and wasn't surprised at all but instead I saw a small grin on his face.
Get down to business, when your next move is a checkmate, I remembered.
"If I go, then so will Maria," I said confidently.
His eyes were suddenly all focused on me, leading me to believe that he was thinking about my request for real. "Why do you require her? She is not related to you in any way," he said, trying to figure out what my true motive was.
"What do you believe Lucas is up to? Do you genuinely think he'll let me live in peace? You can send me anywhere in the world dad and still, he will find me. Lucas is not a person who would abruptly leave a situation especially when it's about him losing. He'd have figured out where you're sending me by now for sure. If you leave Maria behind, he will undoubtedly come after her and eventually bring an end to my life too. As a matter of fact, you must send her somewhere else, not me, but anyway. Alternatively, you can send both of us together. We can be each other's strength, good or bad one, but safe from Lucas," I said, emphasising my point to him.
I was certain for a fact that I would not abandon Maria and run away like a coward, as I had done to her sister. After a few minutes, he sarcastically asked, "Why do you sound like you're forwarding a business agreement to me right now?"
"Well, it's in my blood, I guess," I nodded, returning the same smile. We both had a couple of more talks and at last came to the same conclusion.
"All right, both of you will leave the city by the next weekend and Jay will take care of all the needed arrangements," he said as he was about to leave with the same smile.
"Nice!" I exclaimed, wiping away my tears.
"But there will be a condition," he explained, stopping.
"And what is it?"
"Time will answer your question," he said as he exited the room.
I busted into tears the moment he left the room, realising Bella was gone and would never be there beside me again. Those beautiful memories we shared where she chased me all around the lobby to make me drink her special healthy juice, me screaming after leaving the house from the main gate, just to get my notes all the way up my room due to my forgetfulness, and so many other things where she was always there. I remember when both of us were caught by dad eating ice cream in the middle of the night on a rainy day, which I wasn't supposed to have but still continued to do until ice cream was permanently banned from our house. She would be with me until I went to bed and woke up to see her smiling at me. When I cried my heart out, her warmth would be the only thing I craved for.
Everything about her was running through my mind, making me cry far more. There was no one in the room when I looked around and the loneliness made me feel sick. Every second of that moment, I regretted not listening to her words, and now, as karma, I had lost the person I cared the most about in my life. Every time I took a breath, the guilty conscience inside me slammed into my head, killing me. I had no idea where she would go after my father kicked her out and honestly, she would have never wanted to leave me there, alone. I began to question myself, wondering what was the point of living after losing all my loved ones and being betrayed by them.
Thinking about all of this in that empty room, slowly made me lose consciousness. I was mentally exhausted from all the drama in my life, connecting every event that had led me to the hospital. Suddenly, the girl who was lying on Lucas' office couch entered my mind and I awoke in the crib. My throat was parched, but there was no glass of water nearby to quench it. I struggled with the situation when I heard a girl's voice, like a small whisper and it was clear that she was sobbing. It freaked me out as I looked around because there was only me in the 15x15 room, sitting alone with no one beside me.
The chills spread throughout my body, and I clutched the blanket tightly, moving backwards, completely covering myself. She went from sobbing to laughing and this time it was even clearer being louder, making me struggle to breathe. It sounded very creepy and that's when Lucas entered my mind. Thinking about him drove me insane that I wished to die right then and there. It was all because of him that I lost almost everything in life.
To avoid having weird hallucinations, I slapped my face hard and kept slapping until the thoughts stopped.
I told myself, "Stop blaming yourself, Anna. It was all his fault. You must pull yourself together; you must overcome this. "
But the disgust I felt inside thinking about him was slowly spreading throughout my body, making me feel so uneasy that I began to rub my body hard, thinking about his touch. The way Lucas called me darling kept repeating in my head, and even after I closed my ears tightly, the word "Dar-Lin" kept repeating in my head.
I couldn't take it any longer, so I covered my ears with pillows and yelled, "No way! Don't call me you, asshole. You are nothing more than a scumbag and have no power over me. Stop! Fucking stop!" I was hearing things that made me want to rip everything around me apart. My head had become so heavy that I couldn't bear the weight of my body any longer. I sat on the bed, my knees close to my face, like a foetus inside a womb. I prayed, closing my eyes tight, that someone could help me get out of this nightmare.
A Week Later
New Jersey international airport
My heart was heavy thinking about leaving the place I loved the most, but the things that happened around me changed my perspective over the week. I could see a difference in my dad; he was no longer the same, and I was all alone in that massive house, feeling empty. Every time I turned around, I was reminded of the times I spent with Bella. It was upsetting and made me desperately want to leave the house. That loneliness inside of me transformed me into a different person and I could notice a difference. I couldn't figure out what it was, but just got that feeling that it was making me stronger to face things on my own. I had no idea what was going on with me.
I realised where I stayed in my father's heart, as well as the shambles I had created. That's when I discovered that I needed a change of scenery to bring about a change in me. Dad didn't come to meet me or even call me as we were getting ready to leave towards the airport. Uncle Jay came along to see us off to the airport. Maria sat on the edge of her seat, thinking about something and biting her nails the entire time we were in the car. She appeared nervous, and kept checking her phone. I wasn't ready to strike up a conversation with her because I wasn't in the mood to talk.
Despite the fact that it was summer, the sky was cloudy, making the day appear monotonous, and cold air was blowing smoke. I bid on every building that came my way and as I looked up at all the tall towers, I had a lot of questions about how I was going to live my life alone, in an unfamiliar land. What exactly was I going to do? And everything about future-related concerns.
As I leaned against the window, I noticed a black Benz following us, which reminded me of Lucas. That was the car he used to drive to work every day. I suddenly drifted to daydreaming and all those beautiful memories of us together flashed before my eyes, and then Maria's sister appeared in front of me with that cold-blooded face. That day and worst of all when Lucas didn't hesitate to run his car over me...Wait, WHAT IF THAT WAS LUCAS? I awoke immediately to check the car in the rear-view mirror. The car looked familiar to me, and when I turned around, the licence plate revealed that it belonged to Lucas.
Without hesitation, I informed Uncle Jay, saying, "I guess he's following us."
"That is Lucas' car."
Maria quickly returned her gaze and she seemed frightened. I'd seen her get scared before, but she did it differently this time that made me reconsider the person I expected her to be. Jay spoke to someone on the phone and returned his gaze to see who it was in the car. As soon as she realised it was him, Maria took a small glass bottle from her pocket and popped two capsules into her mouth, despite the fact that she didn't have any water. It was a drug capsule, and when she noticed I was looking at her capsule, she hid it behind her, making the situation even more suspicious. Following that, I noticed a small pocket knife peeking out of her pants.
I had no idea why she was acting that way, but it indicated that she was up to something really dark and I was curious about the drug and the unexpected knife. Before I knew what was going on, three to four of his cars surrounded us from all sides. Jay immediately instructed our driver to increase the speed while he was holding a walkie talkie at all times. It was a chase, as we came to a halt at one of the traffic lights, Lucas ground to a halt right behind us.
"Heading from Park to Park," he said over the intercom, and I had no idea what he was talking about.
"Don't think, just move as fast as you can," he told the driver, and immediately told us to put on our seat belts too. When the light turned green, our car took off like a bullet. There was a lot of heat and pressure build up in the car, and when I turned around, Lucas was still behind us. Suddenly, four people appeared at the crossroads, exactly looking like our car. We kept changing lanes, but Lucas was smart enough to figure out which one belonged to us, following us like a hawk. Jay asked, "Ready?" as we were only 500 metres away from the signal.
A random person answered the walkie talkie, "Ready to set sail."
We instantly covered the entire front side of the traffic signal, and Lucas was only three cars behind us. "Lay the left signal and turn right," Jay instructed, and the driver looked perplexed because we were on the left side. He ordered him again in a stern voice and the driver had no choice but to obey. When he noticed my terrified expression, he said, "No worries Anna, your father has sent these cars for your safety, he knows the way to stop him," and turned the other way. As soon as the light was green, all of our cars moved to the left except ours and all of the Lucas' cars moved in accordance with Jay's created illusion.
We took a sharp right as the signal was about to turn red, but Lucas still trapped us like his prey. He ignored the signal and we all knew the cops would catch him soon since he had violated the law. Jay was constantly talking on the intercom, and it sounded like they were on a secret mission, using code words like "Blue cleared, heading to Park." I wondered if my father had arranged for me to fly to London on a private jet because we were heading in the wrong direction, as we were supposed to go to New Jersey International airport. When Jay yelled "MOVE," a car similar to ours dashed to the side, causing his car to move to the left. The driver immediately drove faster and parked at the corner. He told us to get down quickly, and we were transferred to another car with Jay which was similar to Lucas' black Benz.
The car we came in here drove straight ahead, and we made a sharp U-turn. While we were driving by, I noticed two cop cars surround his car while he was arguing with the other driver who had crashed into his car. The cops had handcuffed him and he had been shouting on the phone in order to not let us escape I believed but it all happened in fractions of seconds that it became hard for me to keep in track of the things happening around me. When Jay noticed the opportunity, "The path is now clear. We're on our way to the New Jersey International Airport," he said over the intercom. Maria grabbed and tucked the knife inside as soon as Uncle Jay said it. I was about to inquire about the medication because it was bothering me. Almost four cars sped up behind us, following us like a shot. He immediately gave them the order over the intercom, and within a few minutes they had encircled us in all directions.
He called my father and said, "We got them, sir, and are on our way to the airport. Will be there in twenty minutes," he said, and after a minute of talking with him, he hung up.
When we arrived at the airport, everyone looked at us strangely because there was a swarm of big and heavy security guards surrounding us in a circle. I felt awkward standing next to them and wanted to get into the airport as soon as possible. One of the team's guards gathered all of our luggage in a baggage cart. Maria still appeared nervous, as if she was about to burst into tears and flee. To calm her down, I took her hand in mine and said, "It will be okay. Just relax yourself," and gestured for her to go first inside the airport.
Uncle Jay approached me after she had gone and pointed to my bag. I didn't understand what he meant at first, so he said, "Your phone and all the gadgets, Anna? " And I grasped what he meant. I brought over my phone and all of my other electronic devices to him but still he went through all my bags and then was satisfied. I wondered why he was taking all of my things, then it dawned on me that I was going to be a new person, leaving everything behind. Before I was about to leave, he took my hand in his and placed a letter in it that said, "Live a great life Anna and fight hard our, junior Williams. Once you board the flight, read it. Dad instructed me to give it to you." As he was about to leave, he came to a halt and turned towards me with those affectionate eyes, saying, "Remember what I told you about Maria, stay careful and take care of yourself," and then walked away without looking back, leaving me feeling very emotional.
When I saw the writing on the top of the letter that said, "To, my lucky charm," I knew there was something interesting to read and kept it in my pocket. Inside the airport, to my right, I noticed Maria, who was standing near the cafe with the luggage cart, nervously looking around. When I looked over to the other side, it was the sky and the buildings all around the airport that made me feel lonely, like I was missing my place and almost made me cry. I closed my eyes and told myself, "Everything happens for a reason," as I walked into the airport.
We waited in our executive lounge for an hour after receiving our boarding pass and passing through security. I was getting nervous because I still had too many thoughts and conflicted emotions about leaving the country. My heart began to race when they announced our flight. I didn't want to leave the city, so I looked to the side to see Maria gathering her belongings to board the flight, her face blank-dull or rather a robot reaction. That's when I remembered the bottle of pills and asked her about it right away. But she didn't take my question lightly, as she became nervous and panicked looking at me. I wasn't expecting such a reaction, when she later became irritated and yelled at me loudly, making me feel extremely embarrassed in front of all.
"Do you think I really don't know anything about you? My family is really good at background checks and please, that's a bottle of drug pills for a drug addict like you," I said sternly as I drew her arms.
She was perplexed and unsure how to respond. I looked her in the eyes and said, "Maria. I'm not sure what kind of shady relationship you had with Lucas, and to be honest, I don't give a fuck about it. I just want you to have a fresh start, a new life that is out there waiting for you. So you decide whether you want to carry your past with you and continue reading the same story or whether you want to throw that book away and write a new one."
She appeared exhausted, with a troubled expression on her face and it was critical that she consider what I had said to her. So, I left her alone, kept her boarding pass close to her backpack and got in line to board the flight. She was still perplexed and stared at the boarding pass and the pills bottle for a long time, but she didn't choose any of them. I questioned whether what I did was correct or if I had simply overstepped my bounds and told her what to do. I later regretted what I told her but had no choice but to assist her in overcoming all of her difficulties. Even before I got to the gate, I turned to give her one last glance, hoping she was on her way, but she was still clutching those pills.
I entered the plane without looking at her again because I didn't have it in my hands and sat down in my seat. But something inside kept me staring at the doorway, waiting for her to come in. The flight was being delayed and the doors remained open for the last few late passengers. When they announced that they were leaving, I bowed my head in shame for making another stupid mistake and bemoaned having to drag her along with me.
I wanted to rush back, grab her hand and get her back into the plane, but instead I sat there like a moron. I didn't have any gadgets to inform Dad or distract myself from my usual thoughts. All of the negativity began to surround me over again while I considered trying to pretend to have a heart attack so that they would stop the flight and I could get her on board. Not knowing what to do, I thought of abandoning everything and returning to my father, but that's when I realised, I was the type of person who abandons everything and runs away if things don't go my way.
So, I made up my mind to get her on the board and told myself that I wasn't going down without a fight this time. As I stood up to speak with the air hostess about waiting for a few more minutes, I noticed Maria enter, apologise to the steward who was about to close the doors and have a cheeky smile. When I looked at her with the smile she had on, it made me realise that I had chosen the right person for my new chapter, tears welled up in my eyes. It was overwhelming to see her happily walking towards me and I couldn't stop myself from running up to her and tightly hugging her. I'm sure the passengers assumed we were a couple, but they didn't seem to mind.
"Thank you," she said quietly into my ears.
Within fifteen minutes of taking off for London, we had our eyes closed and were quickly falling asleep. As I began to drift off, the last few days I had spent at home flashed before my eyes. Small things that used to irritate me began to bring tears to my eyes. Me playing with Bella, running around school, and my college days were all going round and round like a merry-go-round. The good and bad days were etched in my mind and I never wanted to forget them. In front of my eyes, I saw my father and I having a pleasant conversation in his study. Suddenly, the letter from Uncle Jay appeared in my mind.
TO,
My precious daughter
"
Anna,
Sometimes I wonder why I wasn't able to shape you into my shadow. I used to think a lot and try to put a lot of effort into sculpting you in the manner in which I was inspired. But somewhere along the way, I missed something and let things slip through my fingers. I hate to fail, but as a father, I have failed to protect you, to teach you the right things, and to guide you. Today, I realised that punishing you, putting you down, or taking things away from you will not change you because it is too late. So, instead of ranting about the past, I'm assigning you a large task, or rather a responsibility, and this time it will be different. I want you to learn everything and do everything on your own. I expected you to learn it from me somewhere, but I guess pampering you even more will spoil you further. I want you to face all of life's real battles and find a way to fight them on your own. You will never, ever use my name or anything related to me in the future. When you arrive in London, you will be a different person and not a carbon copy of me. You're going to make it as a normal girl named Anna. You will find the answers to your questions on your own, and my surname will not be beside yours. It's the start of your new life, so rewrite it, trying to fill it with adventures and challenges. Just because I'm releasing you doesn't mean I won't think about you or be concerned about your actions. As your father, I will always keep an eye on you and will be watching every step you take, so don't try anything stupid. One thing I admire about you, my daughter, is that you are determined, arrogant, and obstinate until you get things done, but you are also naive. It's unusual to come across someone who possesses both stubbornness and innocence, but the problem is that you don't know where to place these personalities in your life. As a result, you have lost all of your loved ones up to this point. I want you to find a solution, to find the definition of life in your world and shape it to fit your own spirit. You will deal with all of your mistakes because you are only there for yourself. Nobody will come to embrace you like before, so if you fall, you will have to get back up on your own. Make me proud, my champion, and don't let those tears run freely.
Remember, Anna, once I believe you are ready, you will receive a call with the tickets for your return home. You'll be back as my daughter the moment you step into your city. Panache's only child. Not as Anna but as Ms Anna Williams. A larger picture of combat will be waiting for you, and you will go as sole at that time, ruling the world.
Don't let the crown fall Anna
Love,
Dad
I couldn't hold back my tears as it dawned on me that this would be the first time in my life that I would be thousands of miles away from him for an extended duration. But, at the same time, reading that he was proud of me despite everything he had to go through because of me made me happy. It was a different kind of happiness, with a hint of sorrow, that I was experiencing, and it gave me a sense of accomplishment that made me feel like I was being awarded something I didn't deserve. What drew my attention the most were his words about my life and the manner in which he expressed them to me for the first time. I took a pen from my bag and began writing,
"Dad
I will be back soon. I will come back as a strong woman whom you will be proud to announce as your daughter.
Anna Williams
I'm gonna miss you. Love you Dad"