King of My Heart

Chapter 2 - Childhood Playmate

*22 years ago*

Helen Kinsley's (Claire's Mother) POV

When I first knew Sarah in high school, I've always remembered her for her beautiful pair of eyes that glistened like jewels of joy. Tragically, those pair of eyes were soon filled with sadness ever since she married that rich jerk who cheated on her with his secretary. What's more outrageously absurd was that his mistress was a married woman with a family of children.

They drove Sarah crazy, drove her into a state of mental torture which eventually wore her down physically. She was soon devoured by sickness.

I was by Sarah's death bed watching her losing every breath of her life, her eyes weren't just darted with an unspoken sense of sadness, this time, they also spoke of death and regrets.

"You should have never married him, I should have stopped you, I'm sorry..." I cringed in agony at the state that she was in.

"Don't be... It's not your fault, I should have taken your advice, I brought this upon myself. Thank you for always being there for me," She uttered with struggle as she looked at me with her remorseful eyes welled up in tears.

"You're going to be okay, don't worry," I could only grab her pair of cold hands tightly, hoping to provide some warmth of comfort before her death.

She shook her head lightly and those pent up tears of her finally streamed down her cheeks, "I know my time is up, please... please take good care of Liam for me, would you?"

I never wanted to accept the fact that she was going to leave us. I nod my head in response because I knew she needed this final assurance from me for Liam was her heartstring.

I was soon submerged in my sorrowful wail when I finally lost her.

Liam Craig's POV

I was eight years old when I lost my mother. I knew I lost her even though Aunt Helen tried to keep the unbearable truth away from me. That day when she left me, I was nothing but a vacuum of emptiness. I lost a fatherly figure in my life too when my father decided to bring this upon us. Silence treatment towards him was the best revenge I could do at that age, his patience soon worn out and he finally agreed to let Aunt Helen take care of me. I was alone and lost until the day Aunt Helen brought me to her house, the day when I met her - Claire Kinsley.

"Claire! Look who's here?"' Aunt Helen introduced me excitedly to her daughter.

She was a three years old toddler when I first met her. She had her hair tied up in two pigtails. Her dress was soiled with chocolate syrup from the chocolate-coated cookie that she was munching off her hand. Even though her cheeks were stained with chocolate syrup but they still couldn't conceal the rosy chubby cheeks on that peach cream complexion of hers.

"Broda! Brother!" She burst into a wide smile and squealed in excitement, sounding gibberish as she spoke. Without a single warning, she threw herself into my embrace.

Being an introverted person since young, that sudden hug definitely took me off by surprise.
I will never forget those beautiful eyes of hers when she looked up to me. They were like sparked jewels of pure innocence and joy. I felt warmth in her embrace for the first time ever since my mother left.

"Claire, from now on, Liam will be part of this family, you'll have to take good care of each other alright?" Aunt Helen knelt in front of us and spoke softly to Claire. Not knowing if Claire actually understood what her mother had just said, Claire just nodded her head and smiled brightly. She was definitely the cutest thing that I've seen.

Two months passed, but I still couldn't open up to any of the Kinsley's family member. I was still trapped in sorrow, I just wanted isolation from everyone else.

"Liam!" Claire fumbled towards me as she shouted my name from afar. I curled my legs up with my back against the tree and wiped my tears. I didn't want anyone to see that brittle side of me.

"Ouch!" Claire tripped and fell right in front of me, I was expecting an annoying wail from her thereafter, but it didn't come. Surprisingly, within split seconds, she giggled as she tried to stand up on her fours. She looked silly with a few leaves stuck up on her hair.

"Leave me alone!" I snorted as I turned my head away from her. Instead of scramming off, she placed her pair of little warm hands on my arms. Puzzled at what she was doing, I looked at her and saw a worrisome brood across her little face as she said, "Liam, don't cry. Claire will always be here for you."

I don't know what came over me at that point of time, but her words unleashed my pent up misery and released me from suffocation. I wailed out loud in front of her, for the first time in front of anyone, ever since the death of my mother. It was her constant companion and relentless pestering that made me realised I was no longer alone. I had her.

From that day onwards, our relationship improved and we became closer than ever. Although she might not remember what she had said to me, her words have been deeply imprinted in my heart.

*20 years ago*

Two years later, Claire's father passed away from hereditary heart disease. It was a difficult period of time for Kinsley's family. I knew how they felt, having to deal with losing their loved one.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Claire asked me after one of our hospital trips to visit her father.

I shrugged my shoulders and replied, "I haven't thought about it, what about you?"

She looked down and said, "I want to be a doctor so that I can save people like my daddy from sickness and pain."

I didn't know how to console her, but I know watching her father losing his life as each day passed must be over-bearing for her, so I gave her a pat on her shoulder and reassured her, "I'm sure you'll make a good doctor."

"Really?" She asked with a gleam of hope flashed across her face.

"Of course, I promise you'll be one," I said confidently.

Aunt Helen was a strong woman, she became the sole breadwinner and took on multiple jobs to support the family after the death of her husband. I was grateful for the love the Kinsley's family had given me when I needed it, so the least I could do for them is to help Aunt Helen take good care of Claire. I made a request to my father that I wanted to be in the same school or at least be near to where Claire was schooling so that I could help look after her and help her to achieve her dream of being a doctor.

I never thought that I would grow up to be a doctor too, until one day, when I overheard a piece of disturbing news that changed the direction of my life entirely...