Chapter 10

Rain poured heavily, drenching the city streets that shimmered under the glow of traffic lights. Amidst the rush of people running for shelter, three small children walked without umbrellas.

Devano wrapped an arm around his shivering sister, Leviana, while Dirga clutched tightly onto the soaked piece of paper whose words For Our Father were fading away, washed out by the rain.

Their steps were heavy. Each movement sent splashes of water from their drenched shoes.

No one spoke.

Devano kept his head down, his jaw tight, rage boiling quietly inside him. Every time he blinked, he saw it again — that woman’s hand, Celine’s hand, striking Leviana’s face. The sound of that slap echoed in his mind, louder than the storm, shattering his pride as the eldest brother.

Behind him, Dirga’s small fists clenched. “I should’ve protected you,” he muttered, voice barely audible beneath the roar of rain.

Leviana didn’t answer. Her empty eyes stared ahead, her tiny face streaked with a mix of rain and tears.

After a long silence, Devano finally spoke, his voice hoarse.

“We’re… we’re not going back there again.”

He turned to his siblings, eyes red from holding back tears. “Dad doesn’t want us.”

Leviana looked up, her lower lip trembling. “But… he’s our dad. Why doesn’t he want to see us, Dev?”

That innocent question struck deeper than any wound.

Devano bit his lip so hard it almost bled. How could he explain that the world wasn’t fair—that sometimes, even your own father could reject you?

Dirga’s tone turned bitter. “Maybe he has a new family now. That woman… she must be the one.”

Devano nodded faintly, forcing his heart to stay strong. “We’ll only cause trouble if we keep looking for him. From now on, it’s just us and Mom. No one else.”

The sky grew darker. Thunder cracked, shaking the air. The three of them quickened their pace toward the small house on the outskirts of the city.

When they finally reached it, Elara stood at the door, her face pale with panic.

“Devano! Leviana! Dirga! Where have you been all day?!” she cried, her voice trembling.

They stopped at the gate, drenched from head to toe.

Devano bowed his head, unable to meet her eyes. “We just… went for a walk, Mom.”

Elara rushed forward, hands shaking. But when her gaze fell on Leviana’s face—on the faint, hand-shaped mark across her cheek—her heart stopped. She knelt down, her voice breaking.

“Levi… who did this to you?”

Leviana lowered her gaze. “It’s okay, Mom… it was just an accident.”

Elara turned sharply toward the boys, her eyes narrowing. “Where did you go?”

Silence.

Devano held his breath, his throat tight. He knew that if he spoke, everything would unravel — including the secret Elara had fought so hard to bury.

Elara took a deep breath, then pulled all three of them into her arms.

“You made me worry sick! Don’t you ever disappear again!” she shouted through her tears.

Her embrace was warm, but the pain between them had already taken root. Leviana buried her face in her mother’s chest, her small body trembling. She wanted to believe everything would be okay, yet the image of the woman who slapped her wouldn’t fade away.

After changing into dry clothes and eating a little, they sat quietly in their shared room.

Elara remained in the living room, staring at the open laptop on the table.

On the screen, an old folder glowed — filled with photos of her and Liam. She closed her eyes, regret flooding her heart.

“So that’s what you saw,” she whispered. “You were looking for him…”

Tears slid down her cheeks.

Fear consumed her — fear that her children had been hurt, fear that her past was clawing its way back.

She knew Liam would one day find out about them, but not like this.

Not through her daughter’s bruised face.

Upstairs, Devano sat by the window, watching the rain trace lines on the glass. Dirga had already fallen asleep, but Leviana lay awake, clutching the torn paper in her hands. The once-bold words For Our Father were nearly gone.

“Dev,” Leviana’s voice was soft. “Why doesn’t Mom ever talk about Dad?”

He stayed silent for a long time before replying.

“Maybe because she’s afraid we’ll be disappointed.”

Leviana hugged the paper to her chest. “But I’m not disappointed, Dev… just sad. I just want to see him once.”

Devano turned away, blinking rapidly as his vision blurred.

He knew that pain wasn’t only hers — it was his too.

As the eldest, he was supposed to protect them. But today, he’d failed.

Outside, the rain softened to a drizzle. The thunder had passed, leaving behind the gentle, endless sound of water dripping from the roof — like the rhythm of sorrow that refused to stop.

Devano reached over and held Leviana’s small hand.

“We don’t need him. Mom’s enough for us.”

Leviana looked at him, then gave a small nod. But deep in her heart, that tiny spark of hope refused to die. She still wanted to know what it felt like — to be held by a father, even just once.

In the living room, Elara stared at an old photograph in her hands — a picture of her and Liam on their wedding day, a day built on lies and tears. She exhaled shakily, then placed it into a drawer and slammed it shut, as if locking her past away forever.

But the world has its own way of reopening old wounds.

At that very moment, in the towering glass office of Ashford Group, Liam sat in silence by his window.

Noah had just handed him a report — a thin folder containing three names: Devano, Leviana, and Dirga.

Liam stared at the paper, his heartbeat quickening.

“Those children… came here?” he murmured.

Noah nodded. “Yes, sir. But Mrs. Celine assumed they were someone else’s kids. She had security escort them out.”

Liam froze, his gaze distant. Inside his chest, something stirred — a feeling long buried and unfamiliar. A pull he couldn’t ignore.

Far away, in that small rain-soaked house, Devano still sat awake, eyes fixed on the quiet night sky.

And in his heart, he made a vow:

> “Starting tonight, we won’t look for Dad again…

not if he’s already decided to forget us.”