Today was the 4th of January 2024.
Keith Lunin sat at the desk within his study room, typing away at his computer with a look of masculine focus in his eyes. Even though the letters reflected in his pupils were damaging his sight permanently every second, he offset this by... squinting.
Well, he had heard it from a former coworker back when he was grinding the 9-to-5 in an office, that it would reduce the light damage and preserve his sight for longer, so he took it seriously. After all, he couldn't be frivolous anymore; he had responsibilities that required him to be in good health.
A baby's cry was heard as the door to his study room was pushed open. A lovely woman came in with a one-month-old baby in her arms. She smiled at Keith and sat down on the couch in the room as she comforted the sleepy infant.
Keith, a man with messy pitch-black hair, a rather handsome face, and a lean build, turned around to marvel at his beautiful wife Charlene, who was a complete ten out of ten… in his eyes at least. She had flowing auburn hair, slightly tanned skin, and full lips that always drew his eyes to them.
However, unlike usual, Keith did not fully have the mind to appreciate his wife, because what had stolen his heart and his mind was the infant she held, his son. Born healthy and full of kick—Charlene had complained about it during the pregnancy—the fellow was chubby and cute, with two blue pupils that loved to dart about.
What puzzled Keith and Charlene was that neither of them had blue eyes themselves, both in possession of dark brown. The doctor tested and found that Keith had a recessive blue allele, which was likely the factor that caused this 'lucky' development.
"Keith, you can't always be working this late. I know you're doing it for us, but I want you alive until we're both old and graying, like we promised each other in 2012," Charlene chided him gently while rocking the infant.
Keith stood up and walked to Charlene, sitting beside her as he brought her and his son into his embrace.
"I know, I know. We have some hefty savings right now, but I want to make sure that we are rich enough to give Kaizer the best upbringing possible," Keith confessed with a smile.
"In this economy? You're probably right. Things are getting crazy nowadays…" Charlene was about to grumble but then remembered the prices of diapers when she went shopping and felt her energy leave her body.
Suddenly, there was a ringing sound from Keith's smartphone, which startled the two parents because they knew that someone was ringing the doorbell of the smart home system.
Frowning as he checked the time, Keith patted a worried Charlene on the back as he got up and took his phone with him downstairs. He dialed 911 and left it on standby just in case as he put his phone behind him, going down the stairs towards the door.
'Please don't let this be like those scenarios…' Keith thought to himself with a hint of fear.
He had just become a father; he had no intention of becoming a news headline for someone to shake their head at and lament the cruelty of the world.
He got to the door, sighed, readying himself, and peeked through the peephole. When he saw who it was, his eyes widened as he put his phone away and hurriedly opened the door, revealing a slightly soaked woman who looked absolutely lost.
"Oh my God, Katherine, come inside! What are you doing out here like this?!" Keith pulled her in and closed the door, hurriedly finding a towel to wipe his cousin down.
Charlene heard the commotion and peeked downstairs but rushed down when she saw it was a familiar face.
Seated on the couch with a numb expression was Katherine, Keith's older cousin, who was pretty popular for being a top-tier model due to her beauty. Charlene had even met Keith through Katherine, who connected the two because she knew the former was worthy of her younger cousin.
She had fiery red hair that was actually natural and especially rare, which was why she was such a highly acclaimed model, along with a very voluptuous figure that was proportioned a bit too much on the side of perfection.
Katherine was non-blood related, being a child brought into the family by Keith's uncle's remarriage. Despite that, they had grown up like siblings and were very close, which was why Keith reacted like that when he saw her in such a poor condition.
"What happened, Sister Kathy? Why are you like this?" Charlene was puzzled but more perceptive than Keith, noticing that her friend was holding something close to her chest all this time.
Seeing Kaizer swaddled in Charlene's arms, Katherine seemed to come to life a bit more as she took her hands away and revealed something that shocked Keith and Charlene.
Another infant!
This one was slightly older than Kaizer, being around three months old, but the child looked about as healthy as their own. Charlene was surprised and rushed to sit beside Katherine to talk while Keith was completely flummoxed.
No, when did this happen? When did his cousin, who disdained men after a string of bad relationships, actually have a child?
Seeing their expressions, Katherine sighed and spoke softly, her voice tinged with melancholy.
"I met a guy. He was… everything. We planned to get married after Rina was born," Katherine recounted in a trance.
Keith and Charlene shared a look before the latter asked softly, "What happened to him?"
Katherine smiled bitterly. "He was with me at the hospital when suddenly, a man appeared in our ward and grabbed him by the throat. Before I could even blink, both of them disappeared as if by magic. I haven't seen or heard from him since."
Keith frowned. "This is very suspicious. Did you call the police?"
"I did. They listened to my recount and did a small investigation before closing the case," Katherine explained as she nodded, gently shifting her daughter into her embrace for warmth.
"But that's incredibly lazy! Did you make a report?" Charlene exclaimed with great dissatisfaction.
Katherine shook her head. "I did, but it wasn't well received. I was called to the station and warned not to investigate this case anymore. They even gave me some compensation, ha."
Katherine laughed bitterly. Keith and Charlene were stunned and shared another look, seemingly coming to realize that this matter was not so simple.
Charlene's eyes fell on the infant girl in her friend's arms. "What about your child? What will you do now?"
Katherine seemed blank once more. "I… don't know. Once I became pregnant, my modeling agency canceled my contract because my value dropped, and I planned to raise Rina together with Drake."
Keith stood up and patted his cousin on the shoulder with a serious expression. "You're family, and you're safe now. Live with us and raise little Rina in peace. I will provide for you and Charlene; just leave it to me."
Hearing these words, Katherine seemed to find solace and couldn't help but sob while Charlene hugged her gently.
Even at this time, this small family could never have predicted how pivotal this moment would be.