Petals & Bullets

36 - dear mom and dad

THIRD PERSON POV

-FLASHBACK-

Himari sits at her desk with a pen in her hand over a blank piece of paper. The weight of an unspoken secret presses on her as fear grips her heart. In the silence of her office, the pen starts to move as the ink intends to reveal what she was never able to say out loud. Dear mom and dad, the letter starts.

For years, she felt like a terrible and deceptive person, with her secret on her conscience every time she looked at her daughter, Tim, and her parents. She wanted to put things right by writing out her problems on a piece of paper in detail before coming out to her parents.

—

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm not sure where to actually start this letter. Before I knew it, everything spiraled out of control. I just hope, in the end, you can forgive me. I know this isn't how you two raised me. Of course, not only your forgiveness but, most importantly, Tim's. Every day, I think about what a great husband and father he is. Every day I think about how terrible and cowardly I am.

What I want to tell you is that Seraphine is not Tim's biological daughter. Weeks before I found out I was pregnant, Tim and I got into a bad argument and broke up. A couple days later, I went to Japan to represent the Hanada name for an annual event. I was sulking over my worries and had drinks with a man I didn't know. We were both drunk when things got heated between us. He left before I woke up.

A few weeks later, I was having morning sickness and decided to take a test, finding out I'm pregnant. Tim came over unannounced to apologize, hoping we could reconcile. I was still in shock when he noticed the test in my hand. He was over the moon when he assumed the baby was his. Tim was away for a couple weeks to take care of family matters before we broke up. Which is why I knew the baby wasn't his. A secret DNA test only proved it when Seraphine was born.

I don't know why I kept silent when he misunderstood. I guess I panicked and was ashamed, not knowing who the father was. Sharing the news with both of you increased my guilt, especially since Tim already held a place as your son-in-law in your hearts. Everyone was happy and I let that happiness make me selfish to the point where I planned on never saying anything. I knew Tim would be the best father and give Seraphine the world.

Aside from this secret I've held, I have good news. I am currently pregnant with his baby. I truly love him with all my heart. However, I don't know if that would make him happy when I tell him about Little Bara. I think he might suspect something. He's been very distant from me over the past month. I need to come out clean, so I'll start with this letter."

Your Daughter,

Himari

author's note: Bara means rose in Japanese.

—

Suddenly, Himari hears footsteps coming from the hallway. She quickly folds the letter up to hide it in her favorite floriography book and looks to the doorway to see Tim. Himari doesn't recognize the resentful expression on his face as her heart beats raggedly.

"Tim." Himari utters his name but it no longer sounds the same to him. Not even in his heart.

The sharp sound of stilettos taps against the floor and her attention shifts to the woman with long red hair and signature red lipstick. Veronica has a cunning smile spread across her face as she places a hand on Tim's shoulder. Himari looks down at her hand on her husband's shoulder while putting two and two together.