Seeing her mommy being sad, Nana remembered her daddy’s instructions to make her mommy happy. That was why she asked Rosalie the question.
Rosalie didn’t know what to say in response to Nana’s question. Even a five-year- old could tell that she was unhappy.
She shut the book and said, “I’m not sad, I just don’t like to smile. Go and have fun by yourself. I’ll be here reading.”
She couldn’t bring herself to see Nana as her daughter. It wasn’t a matter of Nana being biologically hers or not, but that Nana was someone that Sebastian forced upon her.
Rosalie continued with her book, but she realized she couldn’t read a single word of it.
Nana sat obediently on the couch, looking crestfallen. “Mommy, do you hate me very much?”
Rosalie was stunned by her question. “Why do you ask that?”
“I feel like you hate me and don’t want to care about me. You don’t even want to hug me.”
Rosalie sighed. “Nana, I don’t hate you.”
The one she hated with a vengeance was Sebastian. It had nothing to do with this child.
“Daddy told me to try to make you happy, but you’re always not happy. Am I the one making you sad?”
Nana was too young to know anything. All she knew was that her mommy was not happy and that made her unhappy, too. She was very afraid that her daddy would blame her for it.
“It’s not your problem, Nana. You’re not at fault, so don’t blame yourself. This is between me and your daddy.”
Rosalie tried to be as gentle as she could to Nana. She couldn’t vent her hatred toward Sebastian on this innocent child.
Heaven knows where this child’s biological parents were. Sebastian claimed that Nana was an orphan, but for all Rosalie knew, Sebastian might have killed her parents and taken her by force.
The child looked very timid and might have gone through some kind of trauma.
“Mommy, Daddy said that you two are very loving and he would leave little strawberries on you every day. He said it makes you happy. Is that true?”
Those were truly the words of an innocent child who knew nothing about how awkward her words would make an adult feel.
Rosalie didn’t know what Sebastian told Nana. How shameless could he get?
“Nana, go play. I want to be alone by myself.” She couldn’t explain so much to this child.
“Alright then, Mommy.” Nana left with her pinwheel in hand. Rosalie stared at Nana’s retreating figure and sighed.
Sebastian dragged her to hell, and now he had done the same to an innocent child. For all she knew, he might drag more children into this mess just to satisfy his selfish desires.
After around half an hour, Rosalie heard a voice coming from afar.
“My good daughter, Daddy’s back.” Sebastian walked over with Nana in his arms. “Did you listen to Mommy today?”
“I did,” Nana said, nodding. She left when Mommy told her to.
“Good girl, Nana. That’s my daughter.”
The father-and-daughter pair shared quite a good relationship.
Nana really liked Sebastian. A child’s world was pure and innocent, and she liked whoever treated her well.
Sebastian carried Nana to the couch. “Rose, I’m done with work. Let’s go hiking after lunch.”
Rosalie turned around and said, “Can I say no?”
She didn’t want to go out with Sebastian.
Sebastian smiled instead of getting mad. He turned his attention to
Nana in his arms and asked, “ne
do you want to go hiking? Let’s head out for some fun as a family.”
Nana nodded profusely, her eyes filled with expectation.
“Rose, did you hear that? Nana wants to go out so badly, we shouldn’t disappoint her. She just
joined us and we should let her feel
loved. That settles it.”
Sebastian’s voice was gentle; although he tried to sound flexible, there was a
tinge of dominance in his voice that wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Got it,” Rosalie muttered.
What else was there for her to say?
This man would always merely inform her instead of genuinely seeking her
opinion about things.