Chapter 9

ALEXA.

"My father left me in the orphanage when I was seven…" I blurted out in a low voice.

I panicked when he stood up and was about to leave the house. As much as I hated him for what he was doing to me, I couldn’t deny that I wanted his presence in this house. It made me feel safe that, regardless of what I threw at him, he would never let anyone hurt me.

So I opened my mouth to speak, hoping he would stay a bit more.

He stopped walking and turned his head around to look at me.

I swallowed hard as I met his eyes. "He told me not to say to anyone that I still have a family. He told me to tell the orphanage I ran away from the man who put me on the street to ask for alms. And I must keep it that way until he comes for me."

"How old are you now, Alexa?"

"Nineteen. I begged the orphanage keeper to give me a space to sleep after I turned eighteen because my father told me not to leave the place. She was kind enough to give me a space in the attic. And I found work in a nearby