The Next Morning
Leana woke up earlier than usual. Maybe it was because she hadn't slept well the night before. Thoughts about Dion and Sean's resemblance kept disturbing her mind. After making sure Sean was still sound asleep, she quietly stepped out of the room to avoid waking the little one.
In the kitchen, the smell of coffee was already in the air. It turned out Revan was up earlier, pouring coffee into a cup.
"Morning," he greeted her with a small smile.
"Morning," Leana replied, taking a deep breath. "You're up so early."
"I have to go out of town today. There's an urgent meeting. I might be home late," Revan said casually. He took a sip of his coffee and looked at Leana's face. "Will you be okay here?"
Leana nodded. "Of course. Sean and I will be just fine."
Revan smiled again, though his eyes looked heavier than usual. Leana caught it, and for a moment, she almost asked the questions that had been bothering her. But she stopped herself. Not now. It wasn't the right time.
"If anything happens, don't hesitate to call me," Revan said while grabbing his coat.
Leana only nodded in response. She walked him to the door and wished him a safe trip before gently closing it.
Once the door was shut and Revan's car pulled away, Leana stood still for a moment. The house was quiet again, with only the sound of morning birds coming through the slightly opened window.
She returned to the bedroom to check on Sean, who was still sleeping peacefully. After that, her steps led her to Revan's study on the second floor. The door was usually locked, but it seemed Revan had forgotten to lock it last night. Leana hesitated for a moment, then slowly turned the doorknob.
Click.
The door opened.
The room was tidy and well-organized, filled with books and neatly stacked documents on the shelves. Revan's desk was covered with folders and a closed laptop. Leana scanned the room, searching for something, anything, that could help her answer her questions.
She opened the first drawer. Just stationery and work notes. The second drawer contained some personal documents. One of them was a brown folder with the name "Maria" written in the corner.
Leana took a deep breath before opening it.
Inside were several sheets: birth certificate copies, hospital letters, and a jolt in her chest DNA test results. Her eyes skimmed the page quickly.
Baby's Name: Sean
Mother's Name: Maria
Father's column: Blank.
Leana froze.
There was no name for the father. Not even an indication that Revan had taken a paternity test.
She flipped to the next page and found a letter from the hospital stating that Sean had been born through an emergency procedure and that they were unable to contact a husband or legal guardian at the time. Maria was listed as a patient who had come alone, without family.
"What does this mean?" Leana whispered.
Another sheet caught her attention. A photo of baby Sean, and on the back, a handwritten note from Maria:
> "Sean … forgive Mama. If you ever find this letter, know that you were deeply loved. I entrusted you to someone who could protect you. Forgive me."
Leana closed the folder with trembling hands.
Everything felt even more complicated. Revan might not be Sean's father, but why had he never told her that from the start?
Leana's steps back to the bedroom were heavy. Sean was awake now, looking at her with his big, innocent eyes.
Leana gave a bittersweet smile. "You really are full of mystery, little one. But you're also the reason I'm still standing."
She picked Sean up, holding him tightly. Whoever his biological father was.
But Leana remembered the name painted on Sean's nursery wall, Rayder, which was also Revan's surname: Revan Rayder. Her head spun as she tried to piece the puzzle together.
"I wonder just how hard your life became after I left, Revan," Leana whispered, her chest tight and eyes stinging. Oh, how guilty she felt now, realizing how rough Revan's life might have been. "I'm sorry, Revan," she murmured softly.
If he were here right now, Leana knew she'd embrace him immediately, even if it confused him.
She chose instead to stay busy, caring for Sean and nursing him until the baby dozed off again in her arms. She took him outside to the backyard garden with a small pond and blooming flowers to bask in the morning sun. The scenery reminded her of Maria.
The Maria that Leana once knew gentle, loving, graceful, a refined beauty so different from herself. Maria had once been close to her, tending to Leana whenever she got hurt from her clumsiness. Maria, Revan, Leana, and one other friend had always been together. The four of them were close, until something happened that drove them apart.
"I miss them," Leana whispered, her eyes brimming with tears at the memories. "It's hard to believe you're really gone, Maria. Will we ever have the chance to meet again? I miss you, and I often wish I could hug you. But now, I can only hold your child."
A faint smile appeared on Leana's face, her gaze tender as she looked down at the baby whose biological father remained a mystery. Not only that, the relationship between Maria and Revan was also still unclear to her.
"Whatever I learn later. I promise to protect him like he's my own," she whispered.
Her index finger traced Sean's little nose. It looked distinctly different from Revan's. Revan had a high-bridged, sharp nose. Sean's was flatter and rounder at the base. Maria's nose hadn't looked like that either. Once again, that little nose reminded her of Dion their old friend.
If Leana remembered correctly, Dion and Maria had once been close back in college. But she had decided to leave when she found out Maria and Revan were being arranged to marry. It broke her heart, and she disappeared leaving not just the city but the country altogether.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't there for you when you were struggling, Maria. I'm sorry I left without knowing anything. And I'm sorry I came back and ended up staying by Revan's side, even taking your place as Sean's mother. For everything, I'm sorry." Leana looked at the flowers blooming in the garden beautiful and well-tended.
During her few days staying in the house, Revan hadn't said much. But two or three people had come by to clean the house and garden. Leana assumed one of them was the gardener taking care of the spacious yard.
Ending their sunbathing session since Sean had fallen asleep, Leana went ba
ck inside to put the baby in his crib. Then she continued with her own morning routine.