Chapter 115 Happiness had a face
Lina’s POV
“Rotha, be careful! Don’t get your sister injured!” I screamed for what had to be the thousandth time today. My voice carried across the garden, but it did absolutely nothing.
Rotha only laughed, bright, wild, completely unbothered, as she ran past Erla, her tiny feet kicking up grass as if she owned the entire world.
“I’m gonna catch you!” Erla shrieked behind her, her laughter just as loud, just as free.
I exhaled slowly, pressing my hand against my hip as I watched them. “How do you even have this much energy?” I muttered, already walking toward them. The moment they noticed me approaching, Rotha slowed down just enough to flash me a mischievous grin.
“Oh mama,” Erla said, placing a dramatic hand on her chest as she came to a stop, “don’t you think that question is absurd?”
I blinked.
“We’re kids,” she continued, nodding like she’d just said something incredibly wise. “And kids get enormous energy.”
I raised a brow. “Enormous?”
She grinned wider.
“Yes. Enormous.”
I crouched slightly, tilting my head at her. “Isn’t that word a bit too big for a kid like you?”
Rotha giggled.
Erla only folded her arms. “I’m not just any kid.”
“Oh?” I smirked. “And what kind of kid are you?”
“The smart one,” she shot back instantly.
I let out a soft laugh, shaking my head as I pulled both of them closer, one arm around each of their small bodies. Their warmth… their laughter… their presence. It grounded me.
Five years.
Five whole years had passed just like that.
Five years of peace.
Five years of quiet.
Five years of pretending that the storm I once lived in had completely disappeared.
I smiled down at them, brushing a loose strand of hair from Rotha’s face.
They didn’t know.
They didn’t know the life I had once been trapped in. The life that almost swallowed me whole before I ran. Despite all the odds, I'm free even though I felt a hollow feeling within me, a place that seem to have missed its piece.
But maybe… that was a good thing. Because despite everything—
They are alive. They are happy.
And that was enough.
Deep down… things hadn’t really gotten easier. Even if some nights still felt too heavy. Even if some memories refused to stay buried. I tightened my hold on them slightly. They were the reason I kept going. The reason I stayed. The reason I breathed.
From Carlino’s side… it had been silent. Completely silent. No news. No sightings. No whispers. Nothing. It was like the moment I left—
He disappeared.
Sometimes, I felt grateful for that.
Grateful that he wasn’t here.
Grateful that my children were safe.
But other times… It hurt. More than I ever admitted out loud. Because every single day—
In the quiet moments… In the spaces between breaths…
I missed him.
And I hated that I did.
“Mama?” Erla’s voice pulled me back.
I blinked, realizing I had gone still.
“You’re doing it again,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me.
“Doing what?” I asked softly.
“Thinking too much,” Rotha added, poking my cheek.
I forced a small smile. “I’m not thinking too much.”
“You are,” Erla insisted. “Your face does that thing.”
“What thing?” I asked.
“This thing,” Rotha scrunched her face dramatically.
I laughed despite myself.
“Okay, okay,” I sighed, standing up fully. “Enough playing. Let’s go inside and eat before you both collapse from all this ‘enormous energy.’”
“We won’t collapse!” Rotha protested.
“Yeah, we’re strong,” Erla added proudly.
“Hmm,” I hummed, grabbing both their hands. “We’ll see about that.”
The moment we stepped inside, the house filled with a different kind of noise.
“Grandma!” Rotha squealed, instantly pulling away from me.
Mom barely had time to react before Rotha jumped into her arms.
“Oh—!” Mom laughed, catching her. “You naughty girl!”
Rotha grabbed her cheeks with both hands, squishing them.
“Grandma, you missed me!”
“I saw you yesterday,” Mom replied, laughing.
“That’s too long!”
I shook my head, watching them. Mom dropped Rotha to the ground.
Erla had already made her way to Dad, climbing onto his lap like she owned it.
“And what have you been up to today?” Dad asked her seriously, like he was speaking to an adult.
“We were running,” she said.
“Running?” he nodded thoughtfully. “That’s very important work.”
“It is,” she agreed.
I leaned against the wall, arms folded loosely, just watching.
Dad nodded like she’d just briefed him on something crucial.
Mom was still laughing in the kitchen as she set plates down.
Everything felt normal. Peaceful.
I never thought Mom would accept them. Not after everything. Not after the anger… the words… the way she looked at me back then. But the moment she saw them, really saw them—something changed. Like whatever hate she had… melted. Like it was never there.
And now?
Now she couldn’t stay away.
“Lina!” Dad called. “Come and hear what your daughter is saying.”
I groaned lightly, pushing myself off the wall. “I don’t need to hear anything. I already know she’s lying.”
“I’m not!” Erla protested.
“She is,” Rotha added immediately.
“Traitor!” Erla gasped.
“Both of you,” I walked over, grabbing them gently. “Get off your grandfather and go eat.”
“Lina, let them be, they miss me,” Dad said.
“Dad,” I sighed, “we live in the same city. Just different houses. What are you even talking about?”
“They’re my babies,” he said simply.
I stared at him. “Oh,” I placed a hand on my chest dramatically, “I see how it is. You’ve switched teams.”
“You’re outdated,” he replied bluntly.
I gasped. “Mom! Did you hear that?”
“He’s not wrong,” Mom called from the kitchen.
I turned slowly toward her. “Wow. Betrayal everywhere I turn.”
The girls burst into laughter.
“And you two,” I pointed at them, narrowing my eyes playfully, “the moment you came into this world, you stole my parents from me, didn’t you?”
They grinned.
“Oh my princess,” Erla said, her tone dripping with mock sweetness, “we’re just angels.”
Princess.
The word hit something deep. For a split second, my breath caught. Because that was his word. His voice. His tone. I looked at Erla. Really looked at her.
The shape of her nose. Her eyes. That same… intensity. Carlino. He was there. In her. In the way she spoke. In the way she looked at me like she knew more than she should.
And for a moment…
It felt like he was standing right there.
Watching.
I swallowed, forcing the thought away.
“Yeah?” I smirked slightly. “Angels, huh?”
“Of course,” she nodded confidently.
“I’ll deal with you later,” I muttered. Just as I was about to say more—
The doorbell rang.
I groaned under my breath. “Perfect timing.”
“I’ll come back for you,” I pointed at Erla.
She only smirked. “Scary,” she whispered.
I shook my head, walking toward the door. The house was still filled with their laughter behind me. Light. Warm. Safe.
I reached for the handle without thinking. And opened the door. Everything stopped. My body went completely still. Like something invisible had wrapped around me, and it tightened.
Because standing right there—
It was him.
Ruciano.
For a second, I couldn’t breathe. My mind didn’t process the present. It dragged me back. Back to that night. Back to the fear. The helplessness. The moment everything changed. Flashes hit me all at once—
Hands grabbing me. Voices. Darkness. Being taken. Being sold. I felt it again. That same suffocating panic clawing up my throat.
My fingers twitched at my sides.
After all these years, I had buried him. Buried everything connected to him, connected to my past. I forced myself to forget.
But now?
Now he was standing in front of me like none of it ever happened. Like he had the right. Something inside me snapped. Not fear. Not this time.
It was fury, pure, burning. Uncontrollable fury. My chest rose and fell sharply. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.
He looked… older. But the same. The same man who ruined my life. The same man who handed me over like I meant nothing. My nails dug into my palms.
Say something.
Do something.
But my body refused to move.
“Lina…” he called softly.