Chapter 8%
“Eve… Sierra, are you okay?” Shawn held my shoulders, his voice filled with concern. On the phone screen, he had pulled up a surveillance video from the hospital. It was the scene of Joshua and Zafrielle being intimate and affectionate in front of “my” body.
The corners of my lips curled up slightly. I wasn’t the same as before. Now, I could remain completely calm, my heart utterly still. I lifted my eyes to look at Shawn, my smile faint, distant, devoid of warmth. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I stopped caring a long time ago.“2
“Sierra, since you’ve already made your choice, then let the past stay in the past.“/
“I know.“>
Shawn still seemed a little worried as he looked at me. He stood up, patted my shoulder and said, “Sierra, to celebrate your new life, I have a gift for you.“}]
“Okay.” I followed Shawn to the next room. The door opened and bright sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating us and every painting in the room. The dazzling sunlight and the numerous oil paintings of various sizes instantly dazzled my eyes.
I stepped in slowly. There were 20 paintings, each one a portrait of me. In the bottom right corner of each painting was a date, starting when I was five. Shawn had painted one for me every year on my birthday. Each year’s portrait showed my growth from a small, innocent little girl to a budding young woman to the mature, alluring version of myself that I am now.
I was five years old when that family took me in. Before that, my name was Sierra Salvatore. I turned to look at Shawn, who stood by the door, smiling softly at me. Suddenly, my throat tightened. He smiled like that, walked forward and gently ruffled my hair. His voice was incredibly tender. “Sierra, welcome home.“}]
“These… these…” My throat was still tight and I couldn’t speak.
Shawn asked casually, “Are you wondering why these birthday gifts were never given to you?”
I nodded. “Yes.“}
“Because someone like Evelyn, who lives in the sunlight, could never accept the kind of love that comes from the shadows.“>
I lowered my head, tears welling up in my eyes. I had never imagined that Shawn’s love for me had been there for so