59 | Z A C K

"Gosh! it's so cold!" Daisy said as she linked her arm to mine. I held onto hers tightly and we continued walking.

Snow danced in the light, a choreographed ballet conducted by the gentle wind. I watch them tumble, each snowflake trying to make it to their destination. The street was covered in a blanket of snow. The road was barely conspicuous as cars fumble to find their way out.

The children were outside, each enclosed in their sweaters as they sing and build the snowmen whereas utterly oblivious to the dark world. Some kids were looking out through the window and watching the other kids play with a dismal look because their parents forbade them from going out.

"So, any name suggestion? Some people start naming their babies before they even conceive." Daisy said after a short moment of comfortable silence.

I didn't really pay much attention to that. It was all about the health of the mother and child. "I don't know but I think we should choose an angelic name. She's very special to us and will grow up to be our seraphic princess." I reached out to gently rub my hand against Daisy's hidden bump.

She leaned her head against my shoulder. "And she's going to have a wonderful, caring father who will always be by her side."

"And a gorgeous mother who will teach her how to be an amazing woman like she is." I smirked when she cuddled me to hide her blush.

I felt her hit my chest with her hand and I faked a groan. "Who told you she's going to grow up like Maya? Our daughter is going to be a badass just like her mother but with different circumstances."

"Whatever you say. You're still the badass girl I fell in love with. I'd be over the moon if our daughter grows up to be like you." I pulled her closer when she said nothing and turned away. She might not say it but I know it in my heart that she loves me. With time, she's going to admit it pretty soon.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you about the dog I found in the shelter. And I'm going to adopt it in a few days. It's a Samoyed breed and it's only a few weeks old. It's so freaking cute I couldn't resist not taking it with me. I never know I'll have this interest in a dog but we instantly bonded. I think it's going to be great for our daughter. What do you think?" The interest was clear in her eyes.

"Fantastic. I'd love to go with you to the shelter next time." It was nice idea to have our daughter growing up with a dog around her. She will never be alone and the dog will always protect her.

My black coat is almost drenched in the snow as it only got worse. Daisy held her waist, groaning in excruciating agony. Her eyes scrunched up into slits and her face scowled into an alarming contortions of pain. My heart skipped a beat as I held her to support her.

Are you okay?" I cursed st my stupid question. "We need to get you to the hospital."

Daisy shook her head in disagreement and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes as she exhaled before opening them. She looked into my eyes and gave me a weak smile. "Don't worry about it. Tiffany said it happens to some pregnant women all the time. Maybe it's the reason I lost consciousness at the party."

I sighed as I held her by the shoulders, stopping her from walking. She stared at me in confusion when I unveiled the sorrow in my eyes. "There's something we need to talk about."

She folded her arms and raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "That you and Skylar are back together?" I saw the playful glint in her eyes.

"No. Actually, Skylar called to ask about your wellbeing yesterday morning. She apologised for everything she did to infuriate you." I didn't reveal the part where Skylar burst into sobs, blaming herself for almost causing Daisy to have a miscarriage.

"It doesn't really matters anyway. Tell me Zack, what's going on?" She curiously asked.

I let out a shaking exhale and turned away. I couldn't look into her eyes and tell her about the evil deeds of her sister. "You didn't black out from any natural cause, Daisy. It was intentional." I took her hand, my eyes on our joined hands. "You were drugged. By your sister, Jenna. She tried to make you lose the baby. The doctor found an elevated amount of expired amphetamine in your system which could be very risky but thankfully, nothing happened."

She stood still, her eyes filled with tears. Her face puckered and she was ready to cry. She covered her mouth with her hands to muffle the sob. I would rather Jenna took a knife to my skin than watch Daisy cry. It hurts. It hurts to watch her lips tremble and tears flowing down her cheeks uncontrollably.

"I'm... I'm scared, Zack. I'm scared." she cried as she took a step back. I tried to pull her closer and comfort her but she pummeled her tiny fists at my chest to pull away. "No! You don't understand! Jenna would go an extreme length just to makes sure I loose the baby. Don't you get it? She's the fucking devil."

I grabbed her shoulders and shook her in anger. "You fucking listen to me, okay?! If you chose to believe that you're weak, then Jenna will have her way with so much ease. You've being deluding yourself that she's stronger but she isn't. Stop being weak and fight back! Don't give up, please. The Daisy I know would never give up because she knows the worth of what she's fighting for. And I want her back," I said with emphasis.

Daisy calmed down but said nothing. Instead, she stared into my eyes as if in deep thoughts. I looked back at her with the same intensity before pulling her into a hug. She gladly hugged me back. I felt a surge of relief when her sobs quietened. Daisy pulled back and nodded at me.

"That's my girl." my voice sank into her whisper as I wipe away her tears. "We're going to go through this together but you have to tell me everything you know." She accepted. "Eric and I broke into your house last night to try to see if we could find evidence before taking any action. We found tons of expired drug in her couch. I need to know what's wrong is Jenna and how she got them just for context."

We turned around and started heading back to my place. With our hands linked together, we walked slowly.

"Jenna was abnormal since when we were kids. Our parents obviously loved her the most since she was the youngest and they pay Cole and I the least attention. But it wasn't just because we were the oldest. It was because of Jenna's mental illness. At a very tender age, she was behaving like a psychopath. Once, she killed a neighbour's cat and threatened to do the same to the kids that tried to be friends with her."

"From that moment, no one wanted to be friends with her and our neighbours trolled and shamed our parents for not giving her the medical attention she needed. Jenna was later on diagnosed multiple personality disorder. She can be aggressive and the next, she's acting like the most innocent angel. But then, things escalated and she became obsessed with me."

Daisy huffed and sucked on her lower lip as she stared off space, obviously reviving the old memories. "Sometimes in the middle of the night, I woke up to find her standing over me and just staring at me with a creepy smile. She claimed she wanted to be my one and only friend and doesn't want me to be with anyone. I wanted to say no but I ended up agreeing because I didn't want to upset our parents. I soon regretted it."

"She tried to warn all my friends to stay away from me and engaged in frequent fights with them. The final straw was when she attempted to stab Andrew's eye with her pencil but thankfully, he was stronger. Again, she was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder at the age of eleven. But when the doctors found out about her aggressive behavior, they realised Jenna was mentally unstable and needed the intense medical attention because her condition will only get worse. But our parents refused to believe their daughter is going crazy so they stopped taking her to the hospital and instead, tried to cure her with the little knowledge they have.

They know they made a mistake when the incident with Cole happened. They love their daughter too much to believe she was the bad guy. Eventually, the cops forced them to take Jenna to visit the psychologist on daily basis. However, they stopped it when the case went cold. Jenna continued her aggressive behavior. She went to the extent of accusing me of stealing her stuff when in reality, she was framing me. As time went by, I realise that she doesn't just want to destroy, she wants to be me.

When we were young, she didn't want any attention except our parents'. She did everything in her willpower to have all the attention which she successfully did. And now, she wants to be me. To have all the attention on her and take my place and friends. When she saw me with you and luckily got paired with you during the English classes, she tried to be friends with you. She framed me and acted like the ideal good girl when in fact she's the monster. And when she blamed me at home for something I didn't do, I got frustrated and usually let rip of her at school which you guys assumed was bullying."

I didn't realise we are back home until Daisy stopped walking. I stopped in my tracks and reached out to tug back a strand of blond hair behind her ear. We stared at each other, our steel walls finally rumpled down. It felt good to know all my girlfriend's beautiful imperfections.

I don't care about her ugly flaws. I don't care about her damaged and broken self. I love her the way she is. Some people might see a dumb selfish, emotionless bitch - like I did before I got to know her - but others who have seen what's underneath that steel armour see a beautiful broken soul trying to be repaired. She was made of flaws stitched with good intentions.

In my eyes, I see the intrepid young lady I fell in love with. Glue her presences into the corners of my soul, painting several shades of love, building foundations of eternity as we take this walk down the aisle of eternity. I want her to be the woman I'll spend the rest of my life with, the woman who would give me a family and a place to call home.

"See, I'm not perfect for you," Her voice sank to whisper.

"I love you so much, Daisy. I love you despite your imperfections and insecurities. Your parents might make you feel unwanted but I love you. I'm willing to spend the rest of my life with you." She started to shake her head as tears started rolling down her cheeks once again but I placed a finger on her lips.

I took her hand and took off the mitten. I kissed all the tips of her fingers as she sobbed until her shoulders started shaking. I fit her fingers into mine and it fit perfectly. With my other hand, I scooped her face and Kissee her on the eyelid before moving to the other. Before I could kiss her on the forehead, she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me.

I hugged her back, letting the tear slipped down onto her jacket. She makes me happy. She completes me. She's the love of my life, one I never thought I'll have.

Her sobs died away before I felt her fingers drawing patterns on my back. "I think it's time to move on. There's one thing you need to know." She pulled away and looked into my eyes with resolution in them.

"Cole and I were adopted."

*Don't forget to vote, comment and share to support me*

Hope you enjoy. See you in the next chapter❤