A Choice with Regrets [Levi Ackerman]

4

In my bedroom, I hear footsteps... and the door suddenly creaks open.

From my bed, I could not see anything but a dark figure greeting me at the entrance and it whispered to itself.

"Putting a monster like that in my house was a huge mistake..."

Not knowing who it is, I pretend to fall asleep in bed, but fear starts overwhelming my body. That voice belongs to my father.

My eyes shut tightly and the footsteps got louder until I could feel him breathing above me. My skin and muscles were shaking uncontrollably at this point.

"Titans like you... shouldn't be allowed to live!" My hearing sharpened when I heard him pulling out a knife and my eyes shot open at his face in the darkness, his eyes glowing at me as if I were his prey. "I should've killed you back then, but I hesitated. Now, I will end it here!"

As the knife went straight for my stomach, I sat bolt upright gasping and sweating, relieved it was only a dream.

"It's... just a dream..." I swallowed, putting a hand over my chest to relax. "Father would never—"

"Sina?"

My heart jumped at the sound of his voice from the other side of the bedroom door and he continued. "Are you all right? What happened in there?"

"N-Nothing, father," I reassured him. "Just a bad dream..."

He finally opened the door and the first thing I saw was a worried look on his face. "Oh, Sina..."

My father hurried over to my bed to bury my face in his chest and wipe my warm tears away from my rosy cheeks. "Do not be scared," he reassured me. "There, there."

I nodded, then pulled away from his body to force a smile. "I'm happy as long as I'm with you."

He was relieved to hear that from me and left the bed. "Breakfast is ready. Come down whenever you're ready."

I did not realize it was morning already until I heard birds chirping outside on the balcony outside the bedroom window. When he exits the room, I sit in bed for a moment, wondering if he ever had a bad dream about me.

Does he actually see me as a monster? Does he really love me?

In the dining room, my father served pancakes with mixed berry syrup, and together, we ate peacefully.

The rays of sunlight spilling through the curtains and birds singing sweet tunes remind me how beautiful the world is... yet so cruel.

"Father," I place my fork down and our eyes meet. "What... am I to you?"

There was a long pause, and of course, he did not expect me to act this way. "You're my daughter, Sina. Why? Is something still troubling you?"

After hearing that, I was finally at ease and shook my head. "No, I'm just glad to have you as my father."

At that moment, I believe this road of happiness will continue forever and ever into the distance.

⚔︎

A week flew by, and my father, as a doctor, has been busy as usual.

Recently, he's been hiding in the basement very often and I rarely see him at times. Worried that he might work himself to death, I've decided to cook for him.

In the kitchen, I prepared his favorite dish and was excited to reward him for working so hard. I put a lot of effort into my cooking, hoping my dish would touch his heart at the very least.