Fated Forever

1 | She'll Be Fine

"You can't be serious about leaving, Ron. What about me? What about Leila?"

Harsh whispers coming from her parents' bedroom could be heard through her slightly opened door as Leila pretended to sleep.

"She'll be fine."

"You don't know that—Leila needs you. She needs her father," her mother begged. "You can't do this to her— to me, Ron. Please."

Leila's eyes flew open when she heard the door to her parents' room open and close. Footsteps pounded down the stairs, and with as much curiosity as a 6-year-old had, she hugged her stuffed bunny closer and shimmied out of her bed.

Peeking her head out of her slightly opened bedroom door, she carefully looked left and right before tiptoeing down the steps.

"Daddy?" She asked, causing him to stop in his tracks, eyeing the suitcase in his hands. With a look of surprise on his face, he turned around. "Where ya going?"

"What are you doing up past your bedtime, princess?" He asked, not answering her question and instead, reaching for the front door again.

"Couldn't sleep," she murmured, still feeling a bit confused. "Where you going, daddy?"

He opened and closed his mouth, hesitating. "I'm just going to work. Go back to bed, Leila."

Tilting her head to the side, she looked out the window to see the sky still pitch black. She thought her parents only left for work after they dropped her off at school.

Without waiting for her answer, he opened the front door and continued towards his car, placing his suitcase in the trunk.

"Are you going to pick me up from school tomorrow, daddy? I got an A+ on my spelling test yesterday— you promised me ice cream if I did," She stood barefoot on the front porch, still holding her stuffed bunny close to her body.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow, princess."

"Promise?" She gave him her best puppy dog eyes that she knew no one could resist.

"Promise."

With that final word, he left as Leila waved happily to her father who never once looked back at her.

Leila smiled wide, oblivious to the fact that this would be the last time she would see her father. Turning around, she saw that her mother was standing at the door, her eyes puffy and red.

"Eomma, are you okay?" Leila asked with worry. Despite only being 6-years-old, it was evident that her mother had just been crying.

Giving her daughter a pained smile, she leaned down, embracing her daughter's small body and holding her tight. Leila patted her mom on the back, wanting to comfort the older Korean woman and take her sadness away.

"I'll be okay, sweetheart," her mother whispered, quickly wiping away her tears, not wanting her daughter to see her cry. But Leila was smart for her age— she knew her mom was sad. "I love you, baby. So so much."

"I love you too, eomma. Can I sleep with you tonight?" Leila asked, keeping her arms wrapped around her mother's neck.

"Of course, sweetheart."

With that, the mother and daughter retreated back into the warmth of the cozy house, escaping the dark and cold night.

The next day, Leila waited outside the school under the pouring rain, hoping her father would show up.