CHAPTER 45: NEW FAMILY
Winter’s POV
I left Elisse on the bench to buy burgers and when I came back; I saw a kid together with her mom yelling at her. The brat even pushed Elisse away, which caused her to fall to the ground.
How dare that brat!
“Hey!”
I yelled so loud that made the girl and her mother look at me. I walked towards Elisse and helped her stand up before facing them again.
“Why did you push her away?!”
“And who are you? Anyway, that kid stole my daughter’s doll!” said the woman.
I glanced at Elisse. “Is that true?”
She shook her head while her eyes were full of tears. “I-I didn’t do that, Miss Winter. This is the doll you bought for me a while ago…”
“See? That’s the doll I bought her a while ago! She didn’t steal anything from your kid!”
“That kid is a liar! She stole my daughter’s doll! She must give that back to her!” the woman said again as she reached for Elisse’s hand, trying to take the doll away from her.
Elisse kept on crying and so I wasn’t able to hold back and pushed the woman away from her.
“Don’t you dare touch her with your filthy hands! This doll is ours, okay? Go find your stupid doll and stop bothering us! Huh! We don’t know, maybe you’re actually one of those scams who pretends to be finding something just so you could get something from people.”
“W-What did you just say?!”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “You don’t even look like you can afford such an expensive toy.”
“H-Hey, kid!”
“What did you call me?! Kid?! Hey, you old hag!”
Her eyes widened as she yelled at me again. “You slut! Who do you think you are to call me like that?!”
She raised her right hand and was about to slap me, but then I was able to hold it and pushed her to the ground instead. “I’m your worst enemy. If you ever lay a hand on this kid again, I’ll make sure to make you eat the ground next. And can you at least make sure you’re much prettier than me the next time you try to fight with me again?” I looked at her kid, too. “And you. Didn’t your teacher teach you that lying is wrong? Be honest and be good to other children, do you understand me?”
“Y-Yes..”
“Let’s go,” I told Elisse as I held her hand and stepped inside my car.
She was still crying while we were on our way home. Hearing her sobs, I felt worried about her, so I decided to park the car somewhere. Then I looked at her. “Stop crying now, Elisse. You’re distracting me from driving. And also, do you want Matthew to see you like that? He might even think I was the one who made you cry.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Winter…”Belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.
“Why are you crying? Were you scared of that ugly woman? Did she hurt you while I was away? Tell me and I’ll surely go back there just to slap her face!”
She shook her head without stopping crying. “No, Miss Winter… Please, don’t fight with her… I don’t want you to get hurt…”
“Of course, I won’t let her hurt me! She would surely regret it if that ever happen!”
“Miss Winter…”
“Why are you still crying? Tell me, Elisse. I won’t understand you if you don’t tell me.”
She wiped the tears from her eyes, although she was still sobbing while talking to me. “I… I got scared when the woman yelled at me… She looks like my aunt…”
I could see the fear in her eyes and I couldn’t help but feel sad for her. She obviously got traumatized by how her aunt used to treat her. Poor kid.
I heaved a sigh and leaned on my chair. “Look, you don’t need to be scared. I won’t ever let anyone yell at you again. And I won’t let your aunt get a hold of you again. She can never hurt you again as long as I’m around.”
“Yesterday.. my teacher asked me where my parents are… I told her they were already in heaven. Then my classmates laughed at me because I don’t have parents anymore…”
“What?! Who laughed at you? Tell me their names and I’ll make them see who they are trying to mess with!”
“I don’t have a family anymore, Miss Winter..” she said between her sobs.
I put my hands on both of her shoulders. “Look at me. You have a family, okay? And from now on, that would be me and Matthew. We are your family. Do you understand me?”
“Yes..” she nodded her head.
I heaved a sigh of relief as I leaned on my seat again. “You know what? I think this is fate. Fate made us meet each other. Both of us don’t have a family. Yes, my parents are still alive, but I never felt like they were. I never even felt what having a family feels like. I used to envy kids who have parents who accompany them to school and present every event. I never experienced that. That is why I promised that if I ever have a child, I will never ever make her feel the same. I will do everything for her to feel loved. But since I don’t have a child yet, maybe I could apply it to you.”
Elisse was just staring at me. Her eyes looked as if they were shining while looking back at me. All of a sudden, she moved closer to me and gave me a hug. Her little hands around my shoulders felt warm. It felt like home. Felt like a new family. A family I never had. A family I now have.
“Me too, Miss Winter… I will never let anyone hurt you.. And I promise to be a good girl, always…”
“Is that a promise?”
“Promise..” she whispered which made me smile.