The first time Doug saw the child, he knew she was different.
As a security guard, he was naturally attuned to reading facial expressions and identifying threatening behavior.
But the girl his wife brought home was a complete blank slate.
Her gaze was steady and unblinking. Her words were precise, measured.
It was as if she had no emotions at all.
Their first meeting didn't go well. For some reason, his wife wouldn't let him touch the girl. And yet, when Doug looked at her, she seemed perfectly fine, something that only deepened his confusion.
However, Doug trusted his wife. He knew her well enough to understand she likely had her reasons.
So, he waited. Waited for her to explain in private.
But the explanation never came.
That same day, the emotionless girl fainted.
That was when Doug first suspected something might be seriously wrong. Still, fainting could happen to anyone. He tucked the thought away in the back of his mind as something minor.
Maybe she was just a quiet child. Maybe she fainted because of low blood pressure. She'd been hospitalized before; surely she had some health issues.
So, Doug waited for Priyanka to share the details that night.
Adoption wasn't unfamiliar to him; his grandmother had been adopted, too. Though his parents were his biological family, several of his uncles were adopted.
He had no objection to adoption. On the contrary, he embraced it. But raising another child, when they already had Connie, wouldn't be easy. It was something he believed needed thoughtful discussion.
Even so, he had agreed to Priyanka's request without question.
But that night, when he expected her to open up, things didn't go as he'd hoped.
Doug watched her lie back on the bed, poring over documents with a tired expression. Her face and hair were a mess as if she hadn't even noticed how disheveled she'd become.
She was clearly anxious, and the sight unsettled Doug. He had always known her to be composed and rational, never like this.
She was still his wife, but at that moment, she felt like a stranger.
That didn't make her any less beautiful. Even now, there was something in her tired face, a kind of desperate charm that made him want to gently hold her cheeks.
Though he'd never say it out loud.
He would have expected her to tell him on her own the circumstances, but now she didn't even seem aware of what was happening to her body.
So Doug decided to stay silent.
He didn't ask her to stop worrying; he wasn't foolish enough to pick a fight with his wife, especially when she was clearly so emotionally fragile. He knew well that Priyanka would hold a grudge if he got too involved in her concerns.
But then, even the worried look on her face, the one he felt powerless to fix, suddenly softened when the sound of wheels rolling outside the door caught their attention.
The rustling of papers stopped abruptly, and Priyanka seemed to hold her breath, staring at the door.
"Tok— Tok—"
She just kept staring blankly, as if her mind hadn't quite caught up yet.
Doug just stared at how easily her state of focus was interrupted; it was a peculiar sight. The last time she had reacted in a similar way was when Connie was a baby.
She would cry at night, making them wake up and take care of her in intervals. That was necessary because a baby needs extra care.
In other words, Priyanka was giving this girl the same level of attention she once gave a baby.
"Tok. Tok."
The knocking came harder this time, though still soft. But it was enough to wake Priyanka from her paralysis and send her rushing to the door, still looking unkempt.
Beyond the door was the girl, expressionless, sitting in her wheelchair, clutching a notebook in her arms.
[CAN WE SLEEP TOGETHER?]
Those words seemed to be written there, and Doug immediately understood what had happened.
Maybe she had a nightmare. Connie, too, used to sleep with them until a few years ago, her vivid imagination often keeping her awake.
That was why they had prohibited her from watching or buying any books on scary topics. Even now, when she was older, Priyanka still checked each book she bought to make sure there was nothing related to sensitive subjects.
Priyanka looked at Asha and then at him with a serious expression.
"Doug, can you sleep on the couch today?"
He listened to his wife without thinking too much; it felt only natural. Asha had only spent a day with him, but Priyanka had been with her far longer.
He did not want to make them uncomfortable, so he just grabbed his pillow with a smile.
It might seem strange, but he was not sad about sleeping on the couch. Lately, he had not been sleeping well anyway, since Priyanka was constantly working. Even when she tried to be discreet, the faintest hint of light would wake him up.
Thanks to her, they might both get some real rest tonight.
As he walked away, he felt a slight gaze on his back but thought nothing of it.
What Doug did not expect was that tonight was just the beginning.
*
In the first month, the house was full of changes.
Kitchen knives and any other sharp objects were sealed away in high, hard-to-reach places.
Food was restricted to the most nutritious and equally unappetizing options possible.
Doug looked at Connie, who seemed to share his thoughts with sympathy.
She had asked him more than once to explain what had happened with Priyanka and why she had suddenly decided to adopt a child, but Doug always sidestepped the questions.
Even after a month, the two still had not had their long-awaited private conversation. She seemed to have simply forgotten, and he did not bring it up either.
Doug watched as the girl ate the "healthy" food Priyanka had prepared. She did not seem to mind it in the least.
If he had the same courage and stoicism, he might have been able to deal more easily with the mysterious pink lion that kept appearing at his work.
But his eyes were not only on Asha; they were also keeping close watch on Priyanka's state.
Now that a month had passed, she seemed to be taking more care of her appearance and showing fewer signs of stress. She was still working a lot, but that had been the case even before Asha's arrival.
The girl seemed like the medicine Priyanka needed at the moment.
With each passing day, Priyanka seemed to soften more and more. But Doug still felt her behavior was a bit excessive, almost irrational in some ways.
Once, he was called from work to drive home and take Asha to the hospital.
He rushed back as quickly as possible with Connie's panicked voice still echoing in his ears.
But when he arrived, it turned out to be nothing more than a small scratch on her wrist. That was all.
Her body was in perfect condition. If she had suffered serious physical abuse, there would have been scars or bruises. Yet her skin was as white as snow.
Most likely, she had some mental condition, maybe autism or trauma. But since the girl was usually calm and composed, even Doug found that hard to believe.
She didn't seem traumatized at all. And after that incident, nothing like it ever happened again. Of course, Priyanka hid all the knives, but Doug noticed the girl never actually searched for one.
It was probably just a small accident, and Priyanka had overreacted.
But, as always, Doug didn't let his worries show. Like any other day, he drank his coffee, ate his bagels, and went to work.
Once again, he felt a pair of green eyes watching him intently as he walked away.
A fact Doug chose to pretend not to notice.
Things were fine as they were. He wondered how different they might have been without his involvement.
And with such thoughts, he repeated the same routine, day after day.
There wasn't a single day when the girl didn't look at him quietly from a distance.
*
And two months passed since then.
Asha had fully integrated into the family. Now, not only Priyanka but even Connie was showing more emotion.
The girl was finally sleeping alone and displaying signs of independence. Doug could now sleep in his room as before.
As a result, Doug even enjoyed sweet moments with Priyanka, just as any healthy couple would.
Meals felt more palatable, Priyanka seemed livelier, and Connie less anxious.
And Asha seemed… well, it was honestly hard to tell, since her expression and actions hardly ever changed.
Still, he knew Priyanka had enrolled her in therapy, and Doug saw no reason to worry. He went to bed with a lighter heart, looking at his wife's face, which seemed more alive than ever.
'That's really intriguing.'
She had changed so much, and yet he hadn't done a thing. Doug could analyze it all with some detachment, since he wasn't directly involved.
The change in Priyanka and Connie wasn't small. Even Connie, who had less interaction, was already showing noticeable differences in her behavior.
Just what was this girl? Some kind of alien with the strange power to influence those around her?
Since she was mute, deaf, and moved very little, Doug couldn't read much from her actions without direct interaction.
But the effects in her surroundings were clear enough for a spectator like him.
He wondered what other changes she might bring. And if he ever engaged with her more… would he change, too? Doug was curious about that.
In the three months they had lived together, he was the only one who hadn't changed. He still looked at the situation with a clear head, even if he wasn't as sharp as Priyanka.
Doug finished his breakfast with these thoughts and got ready to leave for work.
But before he could, Connie stopped him.
"Dad, your tie's crooked!" she said, adjusting it with care.
He accepted her gesture without a second thought. But when he turned, he caught two emerald eyes locked on him, steady and unblinking.
As they always were whenever he left for work.
She looked at him but never approached, unlike how she behaved with Priyanka, and more recently, with Connie.
Doug didn't want to admit it, but after months of this repeated behavior, he couldn't stop wondering.
'Is there a reason she keeps her distance from me?'
Once that thought took root, it became difficult to ignore.
Doug went to work that day, more thoughtful than usual.
'Was she always an orphan, or was she abandoned by her parents later in life?'
'Her physical condition wasn't serious, but perhaps she suffered verbal abuse wherever she came from.'
'Does she look at me every day because she expects something from me? Maybe the warmth of a father she never had... or are there other reasons? Was she really afraid of me...?'
He began recalling all the information he had about his adoptive daughter.
He knew only that she was an orphan brought from a hospital. The amount of information Priyanka had given him was far too little to judge anything beyond that.
Before, none of this had mattered to Doug. He'd always justified his inaction with blind trust that Priyanka would make the best decisions.
But with the facts hidden from him, and Asha's constant stare, he started to feel a peculiar urge.
'I should pay a little more attention to her.'
He wanted to know more, at least enough to satisfy the uncomfortable curiosity gnawing at the back of his mind.
*
And then, a week passed.
Doug began noticing details he had never seen before.
Asha wasn't just watching him before work.
Sketches of him appeared in her notebook while he sipped his morning coffee.
It was an abrupt shift in subject, since her drawings had previously followed Connie's suggestions.
As long as they shared the same space, Asha's eyes lingered on him, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the courage.
It was as though she was trying to communicate through her actions, subtle, inexpressive actions.
If he were around, she would pause the TV for a moment, return to it for a few minutes, then pause again. As if she didn't want to lose her entertainment, yet still wanted to keep him within her awareness without seeming out of place.
Doug would never have noticed these details before. They were so specific, you wouldn't see them unless you were paying close attention.
And her actions weren't limited to that.
Sometimes Doug forgot things around the house, like his tie, his coat, or a pen.
But mysteriously, these items would reappear exactly where they were supposed to be, minutes later, without him lifting a finger.
He had thought it was Priyanka, but she never cleaned in the mornings. She always started around 3 p.m.
And Connie wasn't even home; she was at school by then.
That left only one person, Asha.
'How long has she been doing this?'
Doug also realized he wasn't taking as long to leave for work these days.
That was a feeling he'd started to notice about two months ago.
Which meant she had been watching him, making subtle moves around him through small gestures.
Only he hadn't noticed.
And the more he noticed now, the more unsettled he became.
The coffee he was drinking, who had reheated it?
His clothes were folded, but folded so neatly that even Priyanka wouldn't have put in that much care.
The toothpaste had been replaced, though Doug couldn't remember the last time he had done it himself.
Small aspects of his life, things he had always ignored, were being quietly taken care of.
The food Priyanka prepared had always been a bit too bland, yet recently it had become more palatable.
If Asha was paying attention to these details, could she even have influenced Priyanka's sudden changes in the menu...?
That same day, Doug decided to watch the girl while he ate.
Two small eyes stared at him as he chewed. They weren't focused on any particular part of him, yet her posture and gaze were undeniably directed at him.
'It can't be... can it?'
When he hesitated, she stopped eating too. When he slowly put food in his mouth, she mirrored him.
He repeated it a few more times, and each time, she copied him.
If there had been doubts before, there were none now.
This girl was definitely taking care of his needs in secret.
The reasons were unknown, but it felt like a favor not even Priyanka or Connie had received.
Doug had always thought he was the bystander. But within a week, he realized that by focusing so much on others, he had forgotten himself.
And perhaps his own routine had already been altered, without him ever realizing it.
Doug finished his meal that day, then reached for his coat and tie, which were "conveniently" waiting on the sofa.
He walked to the door and picked up his car keys, which were "conveniently" on the rack.
He bent down to put on his boots, which were also "conveniently" there, along with a clean pair of socks.
Just as he touched the doorknob, he paused.
With a discreet glance, he looked back.
Two green eyes stared at him as if asking, "Did I do a good job?".
"..."
Doug opened the door and stepped outside. Her eyes followed him until the door closed completely.
Only then did he allow himself to look up at the sky with a blank expression.
Sweat trickled down his face from anxiety. He reached into his pocket and found a white handkerchief, placed there, "conveniently."
He stared at it, swallowed hard, and wiped his face.
Perhaps the best thing he could do was work without thinking too much about it. Something Doug knew he couldn't do, no matter how hard he tried.
The secret behind the girl's gaze was deeper than he had imagined.
Her attention to detail was a bit much.
*
A few more days passed, and as Doug had expected, he couldn't simply forget what he had seen.
Once he noticed Asha's unusual behavior, it became impossible to ignore.
At every meal, she would mimic his eating and stare at him.
When he looked away, she would gather his things and organize them. If he casually mentioned something was missing, it would somehow reappear.
Now that he had noticed, it all seemed so obvious. He was surprised he hadn't seen it earlier.
Suddenly, the girl who once seemed so expressionless appeared much more alive. Doug had to admit he had been a little insensitive toward her.
He hadn't even tried to connect with her, using the excuse that she was "scared" of him, a fact even he didn't fully believe.
Maybe, deep down, he had simply been neglecting her.
Just because he provided food didn't mean he should ignore his daughters.
Even Priyanka, who always seemed so busy, now showed more warmth and involvement with the girls than before.
Maybe he should book a place for dinner tonight. That could be a good start to some real family time.
Doug began planning how to get closer to Asha before he even realized it.
But how could he not? Her gaze was too piercing to ignore.
Connie and Priyanka usually understood Asha through her hand movements or general demeanor. Doug, on the other hand, relied on instinct.
What he read was the sparkle in her eyes.
Sometimes they were full of life; other times, dull and vacant. It might seem odd to say someone's eyes "sparkle," but in Asha's case, they truly did.
Whenever Doug picked up the keys she had collected, her eyes would shine with quiet anticipation.
With every move he made, it was as if she were watching a performance she had choreographed herself.
In the past, he would have missed it entirely. But now that he saw it, the performance had found a new audience.
In a way, they were both pretending.
Doug acted as though he knew nothing, watching her eyes light up.
And Asha watched him closely, waiting for him to play his role. It was as if she were admiring a piece of art she had created.
They lived in a quiet simulation, held together by an unspoken understanding.
Unless one of them broke the silence, there was no telling how long it would continue.
Doug walked to the door and closed it, feeling her gaze on his back. It was something he'd grown oddly used to.
As the door clicked shut, he pulled a coin from his pocket and flipped it into the air.
It was a habit of his, one he indulged in only when he was truly happy.
He hadn't done it in years. The last time was probably at his great-grandfather's funeral, just before marrying Priyanka.
He had thought he'd never do it again. And yet, there he was, flipping his signature coin.
Her attention still made him slightly uncomfortable, but kindness, no matter how awkwardly expressed, was still kindness.
And in that sense, Doug was an easy man to please.
He could feel her consideration, and that small truth was enough to lift his spirits.
"Mhm~"
Unlike just a few days ago, Doug left for work in noticeably better spirits, playing with his coin and humming a tune from his childhood.
It was, in every way, a satisfying day.
It was a shame that the smile didn't last until the end of the day...
The moment Doug arrived at the water park, a large number of reporters could be seen.
Doug approached one of the reporters, who seemed slightly out of place in the crowd.
"Excuse me, can you explain why there are so many reporters here?"
The man stopped and looked at him as if he were seeing someone completely out of touch with the world.
"You really don't know?" he asked, his tone indignant.
But since Doug genuinely had no idea, he simply nodded at the reporter's rude question.
The man, seemingly unimpressed by Doug's indifference, reached into his bag and pulled out a newspaper filled with handwritten notes, presumably his own.
[Special attraction "Pink Lion" breaks visitor records. Understand the success behind…]
Before Doug could finish reading, a cold sweat broke out across his face. In the distance, he spotted his boss, looking confused and overwhelmed as several reporters surrounded and questioned him.
Even his boss appeared unaware of what the park's greatest draw had become.
All signs pointed to his day being anything but calm.
*
Unsurprisingly, the water park was temporarily closed.
An internal investigation was being conducted behind closed doors. The future of his job was bleak and unpredictable.
This resulted in an unexpected day off, which he spent passed out on the couch, still exhausted from the previous night's chaos, dealing with an avalanche of reporters.
He couldn't even remember the family dinner he was supposed to have had. He was so tired that all his energy was spent sleeping.
'Should I get another job?'
The problem area was exactly the one Doug oversaw; the fact that a wild animal had appeared and he hadn't even reported it would fall squarely on his shoulders.
Doug had no idea how he would even report such an incident. A magical pink lion capable of traveling through rifts in space? How exactly was he supposed to handle that? His salary wasn't even that high.
He heard that Beach City was going through some renovations at the amusement park and they were hiring more staff. It was an area that frequently attracted tourists and was also a very peaceful place to live near the waves.
It was also not too far from the city where they currently lived, so even if they lost the tax incentive and moved, it would still be possible for Priyanka to keep her job here in Coast City and keep Connie in school.
Doug could also seek better opportunities in a big city, like Empire City. But he was reluctant to do so.
His family needed stability, and he was also worried about how well Asha would adapt to the hectic life there. She barely seemed able to interact properly with him.
Coast City had a population density that was neither too high nor too low, but he received benefits for serving as a security guard there, as there weren't many available jobs.
But if his current job were to disappear, those benefits would go with it. They also earned a reasonable salary for a family with one child, but with Asha joining the family, Doug had to weigh his options.
They also received tax benefits for adopting Asha, who was a special case recognized by the government. However, this money was intended to be used for her proper upbringing and education, not to cover household bills or daily expenses.
His head ached just thinking about the problems he would have to deal with after losing his job, but before he could drown in worries, three pairs of eyes focused on him.
"Stare..."
Priyanka had her arms crossed as she eyed him with a suspicious smile, Connie looked at him expectantly, and even Asha was clearly looking at him this time.
"Doug, get the kids ready to go to the bookstore."
It seemed like family dinner had turned into a trip to the bookstore without him even realizing it.
Priyanka's words were sudden, but also very welcome. He would worry about such matters later.
Doug lifted his heavy body from the couch, stretched his back, and grabbed his car keys.
When he looked back, Connie was pushing Asha in the wheelchair with a serene expression, watching her carefully. She really seemed to have adjusted well, without any signs of awkwardness like in the first few days.
He offered to put Asha in the car, but Connie was surprisingly restrained about it, as if she wanted to monopolize her younger sister's attention for herself.
Doug thought it was cute, so he just let her go, but he was surprised at how easily Connie carried Asha in her arms.
They were the same age, but Connie seemed to carry her effortlessly. How light was Asha?
He felt a sense of alienation watching the scene, but decided not to think too much about it. She'd been eating the same food they'd been for the past few months. He was confident Priyanka would manage her diet well.
'Children's metabolisms are truly enviable.'
He wasn't that old, but he wasn't that young either. He would soon be middle-aged and had many things to worry about, the main one being maintaining his physical body.
Doug adjusted the car mirror and watched two children deep in conversation.
Connie moved her lips carefully, making almost no sound to convey her words, and Asha simply watched, seemingly disinterested.
It was a strange sight, with Connie seemingly the only one maintaining the interaction from a distance, but the fact that Asha turned to watch her showed her consideration for her.
'These two seem to be getting along better than I expected.'
A smile formed on his lips watching them interact with a nostalgic vision forming in his mind. His eyes were on the children, but at the same time on a distant image of the past.
'Grandfather would have loved to meet them...' he thought, playing with the coin in his hand desolately.
He was a man who looked a bit scary, and his body was covered in scars from the battles he'd fought, but he also loved kids more than anyone else.
He treated his children, adopted or not, equally. And he was a man with a big heart. His parents and uncles carried on with their lives, perhaps never fully appreciating his grandfather's ways. After all, he was a reserved and strict man, and that sternness made some family members frown upon him.
But for Doug, nothing was more inspiring than his grandfather's imposing white beard and unwavering gaze.
Each tale of his adventures filled Doug with hope, stirring an innocent longing to experience such moments himself.
Those nights in the mountains, sitting under the stars by the campfire, listening to his grandfather's stories, were probably the happiest of his life. Even after more than thirty years, he remembered every detail.
He remembered the smell of grilled fish, the chirping of insects, and the warmth of the campfire his grandfather built with his own hands. Even as his hair turned grayer each day, he remained full of energy.
He taught Doug the weight of morality, telling him of the time he sacrificed an arm to save a companion.
He taught him the value of loving his neighbor, recalling how bonds with others were often what kept him alive on the battlefield.
To Doug, he seemed indestructible. His spirit was so full of life that Doug never imagined he could die.
But one morning, his grandfather simply did not rise from his bed. By this time, Doug and Priyanka had already been dating for a while.
His grandfather adored Priyanka, often teasing him by asking when his great-great-grandchildren would arrive.
At his funeral, many former soldiers were there; Doug could recognize them from the stories he had grown up hearing. His death seemed like a major event to many, yet at the same time, empty.
Doug saw an image of himself standing in front of a family grave.
The only remnant of the man's life he had was an old gold coin, now worthless.
His grandfather had told him that as long as he learned magic, he could attract the prettiest girls in his class, something that led him to innocently learn the coin-in-the-ear trick from the old man.
The old man would purposely make it difficult to see, keeping him trying day after day, laughing at his frustration.
It was a laughter so loud in his memories that it seemed to reverberate in that tomb.
That day, Doug flipped a coin. If it landed on tails, he would propose to Priyanka. If it landed on heads, he would stay in the funeral home.
And as fate would have it, the coin landed tails, as if his grandfather were telling him not to use his death as an excuse to be a coward.
That same day, Doug proposed to Priyanka, and a few years later, they had Connie.
But the old man's memory was so deep that an irretrievable void seemed to remain in his heart even after so many years.
He became a security guard inspired by his grandfather, and he was even following in his footsteps by adopting a child.
Fate truly was a strange thing.
But he still felt that something was missing. Doug was content with his life; he had a family, he earned a living, and that was enough.
But he wondered when he would start living his life on his own two feet.
Even now, he clung to an image from the past that he couldn't let go of, as if waiting for his old man to show up to light a fire again and tell old stories.
But the fire had long since died out.
Doug pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the path ahead, wondering where this path and life would lead him.
*
Upon arriving at the bookstore, Doug and Connie had a short conversation, and the subject could be none other than Asha.
He was struck by how Connie analyzed Asha. Her approach was precise and analytical like Priyanka's, carefully observing her hands to discern her intentions, but also instinctive like his, understanding the hidden meanings in her eyes.
He felt somehow proud of her and also grateful. For if it weren't for Connie, Doug might never have noticed how rich Asha's thoughts could be.
Looking at her, she lowered her head and hid her hands as if embarrassed, a fact Connie seemed to have misinterpreted as her eagerness to go to the library.
Doug was probably the most adept person at telling what Asha was "really" thinking, even though he hadn't known her for long.
When Connie went to look for a book, he was the first to recognize her anxiety and discomfort.
Her fingers intertwined, and her eyes sparkled intermittently, as if she wanted to say something but didn't have the courage to begin.
Doug watched her cute behavior with a small smile, interested in her next actions.
Her eyes seemed to shift through a range of emotions, from reluctance and fear to finally an inexplicable determination. Asha picked up her pencil and wrote in her notebook.
[It's hot.]
Suddenly, she wrote about how hot the weather was; it was clearly a very clumsy attempt to start a conversation.
It was so awkward that Doug almost laughed immediately, but he restrained himself. This was the first time they'd interacted, and the girl had summoned all the courage she had to write that.
"Yes, it's very hot outside. I'm happy this library has good air conditioners."
After those words, Doug noticed her fingers pressed firmly against her hand. She seemed embarrassed by the fact that she was talking about how hot the weather was, even though they were enjoying the cool air conditioning.
It wasn't Doug's intention to make her uncomfortable, but he admitted it was a funny sight.
[The sky is really beautiful today.]
Suddenly, she abruptly changed the topic. Her social skills were a disaster, and she hadn't even opened her mouth.
It was getting harder and harder to contain his laughter.
"Do you think so? It's a little cloudy outside, and it looks like it'll rain tonight."
The weather was indeed bad, and it would rain soon, so there wasn't much to say about that.
Asha twitched her fingers again, her eyes fluttering with embarrassment.
How had he not noticed before? This child was anything but expressionless.
[I like clouds.]
"I see."
[I also like rain.]
"Yes, I also like it when it rains sometimes."
Doug honestly didn't think much about the rain, and Asha was probably the same; he was more interested in seeing how this conversation would go.
He could tell that this whole story about liking rain was just something she'd made up to keep the conversation going and cover up her earlier mistake of saying the weather was nice.
[Why?]
And suddenly she came from affirmations to questions. It was so abrupt that Doug couldn't hold himself to asking her.
"Why, you say?"
[Why sometimes?]
"Oh, so you mean that."
Just when she repeated again, he finally understood that she was still talking about the rain and why he liked it "sometimes".
Doug could answer anything, but as he wasn't that good at lying, he only told the truth.
"I work in a water park, so when it rains, things get a little out of control among the children. We usually work twice as hard on rainy days to avoid accidents..."
He began discussing work-related matters, and Asha seemed quite attentive to his every word, occasionally nodding as if listening.
This was actually a good topic; Doug didn't have many friends to talk about such things with. Neither Connie nor Priyanka was particularly interested in his work.
But Asha showed a rare interest that made him talk a little more than he should have.
"Shh!"
"Oh, sorry."
And this naturally brought unnecessary attention to them. Several elderly people's uncomfortable eyes were on them, though only one woman complained.
Doug quickly apologized to the people around him and returned to his seat, embarrassed by his own momentary outburst.
He should be more careful from now on.
He looked at Asha, whose eyes seemed to have lost much of the life they once held. This made Doug smile bitterly; he seemed to have ruined a good moment.
Doug fiddled with the coins in his hands, trying to divert his focus elsewhere.
[Sorry.]
But strangely, it wasn't him who apologized, but Asha. He was genuinely confused by this behavior.
"Uhm? Why are you apologizing?"
[For causing trouble.]
"...?"
Doug was clearly confused by her words. He was the only one who talked in the first place; how could she ever have caused trouble for him?
"Are you talking about this old woman? Don't worry about it."
He really wasn't worried about it, just a little ashamed at best. And that was all his fault in the first place.
[Sorry for sleeping in your room.]
But the string of excuses didn't end there.
"Oh… That? Don't worry, I also like to sleep on the couch."
Asha seemed to have unlocked a lock that had been firmly attached to her heart. And without a filter, she let her feelings out.
[Sorry for ignoring you.]
"I don't mind."
[You're a nice person.]
"I'm happy you think that."
[I'm really sorry.]
"As I said, you don't need to feel sorry about me..."
It was an endless string of excuses, and her written words became more tense, putting more force than necessary on the paper to convey her words.
Looking at her words, Doug felt a strong unease in his heart.
It was a feeling he would ignore every time something even slightly out of the ordinary popped into his head. Something he would quickly find justification for responding to and moving on.
He wasn't the type of person to dwell on an issue too much in the first place.
But looking at Asha before him, he couldn't think of any reason to justify her behavior.
At least not until her next words.
[Sorry for being adopted.]
"..."
Doug stared at those words in shock.
The girl's eyes seemed lifeless, as if any trace of light had been extinguished. She stared at the paper like a lifeless doll, just like the first day they met.
If her words weren't convincing enough to convey their meaning, the look she wore was.
There was no way to justify it with ready-made excuses.
Several uncomfortable memories began to flash before his eyes.
When he offered to carry her and tried to touch her head, her eyes showed alertness and fear. She closed her eyes and lowered her head as if frightened.
It was a behavior almost imprinted in her bones, as if she were ready to be punched and abused.
It was a movement so obvious that even he should have noticed. But still, Doug turned a blind eye.
Every day, she tried to reach out, but clearly never made the first move.
She would set the stage to meet his every need. Doug had thought she was just a girl who paid too much attention to detail and was too shy to talk.
But was that really the case?
How was she so good at meeting others' needs so quietly that a security guard like him didn't notice?
This wasn't a behavior that developed overnight, but a deeply ingrained habit.
But why would a child need such habits? What environment required her to act so silently to meet the needs of the adults around her?
The frightened posture she adopted every time he tried to touch her. Her eyes that wouldn't leave him until he walked out the door. Her incessant apologies and low self-esteem.
Her medical diagnoses, Priyanka's excessive attention, her psychiatric visits, and even the special government subsidies.
Everything seemed to connect in an avalanche.
Her body was in perfect condition, but medicine today could treat wounds that a few years ago seemed incurable.
Her body wasn't enough proof to judge anything with certainty.
Doug's hands stopped playing with the coin; at that point, only the image of the girl filled his eyes.
A child who had always seemed alive stood before him, dead inside, apologizing for having been adopted and causing problems.
Children don't say things without a reason; they learn from someone.
This means that before them, there was someone else who instilled these thoughts in her and mistreated her to an irreversible point.
Doug's mind heated up as he imagined the image of a man mercilessly beating the child and taking out his frustrations on her, along with hateful speech.
He felt anger at the man and an urge to stop the scene, but he also felt an even greater anger not only at the scene before him.
But at himself.
Because he realized he was constantly neglecting her, just like the people from her past.
Why would this child go through such abuse without being noticed? How many people pretended not to see her circumstances? How many times had she been ignored when she asked for help?
Doug didn't even want to imagine he was acting the same way.
If only he had asked a question. If only he had tried to approach her honestly...
He waited for the child to make the first move and almost laughed at her efforts.
How difficult it must have been to face a father figure whose traumas were piling up beyond what that little mind could contain.
Doug clasped his hands tightly and looked at the girl intently.
For the first time, Doug decided to do what had previously been unthinkable.
"What do you mean by that?"
He asked her about her circumstances, no longer with ready-made excuses. But with genuine concern.
He no longer wanted to hide in a comfortable environment.
At that moment, he simply wanted to make everyone pay for making his daughter look so lifeless.
"Can you explain it to me?"
He just hoped it wouldn't be too late for justice to be served.
By his own hands or not.
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Author's note
This chapter took days and hours to be written. It's the biggest chapter I've ever written in my life, with 6.5k words. Almost like 3 regular chapters into one. I was so scared and afraid to write it because I wasn't confident it would deliver the emotional charge I wanted.
More than just a chapter, this is an achievement. I'm very happy with the result. It's not perfect, but it was great. I hope you enjoyed it too ❤️
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