Two Prayers in Winter

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized he had already passed out.After giving it some thought, I dragged him out anyway. I hoisted his unconscious body onto my back and limped home. I had just opened my mouth to tell my parents what had happened, but what greeted me was my father's hand as he struck me on the face."Your sister is waiting for hot water. Where's the firewood? What kind of junk did you drag back here?"My mother frowned and glanced at me like I was trash as she said, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and get the fire going!"I pressed my lips together, wanting to say something.In weather like this, the man could freeze to death if he stayed outside all night. Not to mention he was already injured.My sister suddenly skipped over and spotted the bracelet on his wrist. "Wow! That four-leaf clover is so pretty! Mom, Dad, I want it!"She was the family treasure. My parents would always say yes no matter what she asked for. Sure enough, my mother rea

I hurried into the front yard. I already tried very hard to be quiet, but Grandma still had a stormy expression on her face when she woke up. "So much noise this early in the morning. Are you jealous of Mia and trying to keep her from having a good sleep when she is home for a change?"She kept her voice low, but her eyes were full of spite. When she saw that I hadn't finished making breakfast, she grabbed my hair in anger. "And you slacked off? What time did you even get up this morning?"I endured the pain and whispered an apology. "I'm sorry, Grandma. I'm sorry. I'll finish right away..."I didn't dare give the two strangers too much food with her watching me. Even so, her hand still slapped me across my face. "You lazy and greedy good-for-nothing. Go back to the shed and stop wandering around in front of your sister."I lowered my head and left quickly, terrified that the next strike would be even more painful.Back in the shed, Emma stood up as soon as she saw me, and her eye

That day, I did not escape unscathed.Grandma forced me to take off my shirt, and the wooden stick came down hard on my back. Old wounds flared up, and new ones were added on top of them.I shook with pain and cried out.Grandma sneered and cursed. "Stop the act! You still think those two will save you? You scheming little…"When she finally got tired, she threw me back into the shed. She shot a smug look at Zayne and Emma as the door was slammed shut.Emma rushed over and pulled me up, her eyes already red. "How could she do this to you?! I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have spoken up so recklessly."I wanted to shake my head, but the painful sensation flared up. My vision blurred, and I passed out.-I woke to the sound of Emma crying.Zayne's leg looked infected, and he had a fever, too. Emma was so frantic she nearly threw her phone as she shouted, "This was your stupid idea, and now you're the one passing out?!""Hello?! Is anyone there?! Why is there no signal again?!" Emma a

After Emma had left, Zayne and I just stared at each other.Then, he pointed upstairs and said, "Go look at the rooms. Sleep wherever you want. Just tell the butler, and he'll have someone set everything up."I nodded, twisting the hem of my clothes in my hands.Maybe he could tell I was nervous, so his voice softened. "Thank you, Hazel. If you hadn't saved me, I don't even want to think about what would've happened to me right now."It was the first time Zayne had ever said so much to me. I stared at him, stunned, then hurriedly said, "It's alright. I'm the one who should be thanking you for getting me out."The truth was that I had saved him with my own selfish hope. I had wanted to pick a new dad for myself.I bit my lip, fought with myself for a second, then asked, "Can… Can I call you 'Dad'?"He paused.I panicked and apologized, "I'm sorry for being greedy! I already have Emma. It's fine... If you don't want me to, that's alright."Zayne suddenly chuckled. "It's alright.

I was still stunned from what Zayne had just said when a woman's voice rang out from the entrance. "Hey, hey! Zayne White! How dare you steal my daughter?!"I looked over and saw Emma storming in, fury written all over her face. She shot Zayne a glare, then yanked me behind her. She pouted and went straight to Grant. "Grandpa Grant! She's my kid! How could you do this behind my back!"Grant clearly knew what had happened already, and he teased her on purpose. "Oh? Since when did you have a daughter this old? You're not even married, and you're still young. Letting Zayne raise her is perfect."Emma glanced at Zayne, who looked completely unbothered. Then, she turned her eyes at me as I stood there still frozen. She huffed and dug in her heels. "No, no. I saw her first. She already calls me 'Mom'!"Zayne smiled as he cut in. "She calls me 'Dad' too, you know?""Hazel! You...!" Emma spun on me as though I had betrayed her. She took a deep breath and crouched down, asking, "Then you p