Faux Vows, True Desires

Nathan pushed the door open, only to be greeted by the somber faces of his two children. He paused, struggling to find the right words, "Lucy, your mom's had a rough day. Keep her company, will ya?"

Lucinda took in her father's soaked appearance and the scene inside the room, where her mother sat on the floor sobbing. She quickly said, "Dad, I got this."

The siblings stepped aside to let their father pass.

"Dad, you should go change into some dry clothes. Don't catch a cold."

After entering the room to comfort her mother, Lucinda didn't forget to shoot her brother and husband a look, silently asking them to take care of their father.

The door clicked shut behind them.

Lucinda approached her mother.

She crouched down, picking up the box of tissues that her dad must have left by her side.

Before meeting her biological father, she only had her brother's word to go by, and to her, her dad was nothing but a deadbeat.

As she got to know Nathan, she realized he wasn't the villain she'd imagined. He had made choices he thought would protect his family.

Between letting his family suffer or face danger, he had chosen the former.

"Mom."

Lucinda handed a tissue to her mother.

But when Janice didn't take it, Lucinda just wrapped her arms around her, letting her lean on her shoulder.

tears; they fell harder,

her, letting her

Finally, Janice's sobs subsided.

they sat on the bed. She tried to wipe her mother's tears, but Janice insisted on doing it herself. She took the tissues from her daughter and dabbed at

bucket

"Mom."

defend him. I don't care how hard it was for him or if he really betrayed

find it very

her daughter's attempted defense

to defend Dad. I was

wiped away more tears

Your dad can be such a scoundrel,

hurt, but he

death, scared me half

then had

advantage of

wouldn't budge, lying there. In frustration, I thought about dousing him with a bucket

buckets of water over himself and even asked how many it would take. Lucy, can you believe him? He's

picturing the scene. Her dad sure seemed to have a knack

Nathan's antics until she

composed, Lucinda suggested, "Mom, why don't you get changed? I'll clean up the water on the

Janice nodded.

fetched a mop and worked on the wet patches until the

and makeup, and looked every inch the composed lady of the house again, a stark contrast to the