This I Promise

LVII. Again

"Mom? Mom?" a voice of a little girl whispered to her ear. "Are you still sleeping? Mom?"

(F/N) slightly opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of a beautiful dark - haired child with steel - blue - colored eyes. The child in question was shaking her a bit, wanting so much to wake her up.

"What - ?" (F/N) closed her eyes once more, wanting to rid them of the remnants of sleep, and when she opened them once more, the beautiful child was gone, to be replaced by a blue - eyed, blonde one.

"Mom? Are you awake now?"

"Ivanna? What are you doing here?" (F/N) said, groggily trying to sit up on an unfamiliarly comfortable bed. Her eyes that were still adjusting to the light of the morning splashing through the open, pastel - curtained window scanned the room, slightly memorizing the foreign surroundings. And when she looked at the child once more, the reality of her miserable life sunk right back into her system.

This was Delilah's guest room. She rushed here the other night, unable to go anywhere else, and sought the wisdom of the one person who would never try to deceive her. It was here where she poured out all of her misery and trouble. Right into the bosom of the woman she never thought would help her in this kind of shitty situation.

(F/N)'s hand instinctively went to her forehead, unable to fully believe her current state.

"Mom?"

Her eyes snapped back to the child who kept calling her mom. The child seemed frightened of her appearance that she drew back to the corner like some zookeeper who was scared of his own caged animal.

"Ivanna?" (F/N) began, but the child drew back further into the corner of the room. Having realized that yesterday's fiasco might've made the child frightened, (F/N) made her voice softer. "Sweetie, what are you doing here?"

But, the child didn't answer. Instead, she ran to the door and went out of the room like a bat in frantic flight.

(F/N) was dumbfounded of what just happened. But, something even more had caught her attention. If Ivanna's here, then,...

"Don't tell me - !"

Rosemarie was helping Delilah prepare for their breakfast in the kitchen when they suddenly heard some heavy footsteps coming down from the upper floor. The women looked at each other and immediately put down the plates to see the person.

(F/N) ran so fast that she almost bumped into Rosemarie on the way to the living room.

"(F/N)! You're awake." Rosemarie squeaked, holding unto (F/N)'s shoulders.

"What are you doing here?!" (F/N) couldn't help but panic. She was so confused as to Ivanna's presence in the house, but to see Rosemarie here, as well? "Wait - ERWIN IS NOT HERE, IS HE?!"

"He's not here, (F/N)." Delilah announced in her authoritative voice. "You can relax now."

(F/N) looked at the lady and almost giggled at her appearance. She was still wearing her nightgown over a dark pink robe and covering her feet was a pair of fluffy, pastel pink, bunny slippers. Her long blonde hair was still in rollers and she's not wearing makeup. All in all, she didn't look like THE Delilah Smith who used to teach her etiquette.

(F/N) dropped her shoulders and arms and calmed down, believing Delilah's word that Erwin Smith, the Commander who deceived her, was not present.

"Ms. Smith, I finished trimming the bushes - WHOA!" Jonas, who just came in from the garden, began, when he noticed (F/N). He held out his shears in defense towards her. "You're not going kill us, are you?"