𝐒𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 - ★彡[ᴀʟʜᴀɪᴛʜᴀᴍ]彡★

𝟑𝟎 - 𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐀𝐋

(190K SPECIAL IS AT THE END OF THE CH.)

Every child should have a parent, but not every parent should have a child. The sad truth of this world is that when you're born, you can't change the hand you were dealt. No matter what circumstances you're in, having wishful thinking does nothing except further deteriorate your mental pain.

'Please help her.'

'Offer her support.'

That's not the child's job. Forcing that onto a child will no doubt wreck their image of their mother. If a mother goes from a parental figure to someone to be pitied in the child's eyes, then they will likely never rely on their mother as any other child would.

But now I realized something.

Perhaps by me placing so much stress on my past and my mother's neglect I was just giving her power over my life. I was allowing her to keep me in the same spot and trapping me in the endless cycle of resenting both myself, my mother, and this world.

In reality, you can't change the hand you were drawn in life—but that doesn't mean that you should fold immediately if you have a bad hand. It's possible for a hand of 1, 3, and 5 to beat an initial hand of a 9, 10, and ace. Giving up too early won't allow you to experience the thrill of life, which was something I failed to experience.

Now I...want to change.

I don't think I would have been able to come to this realization if it weren't for Alhaitham. Because I saw that despite him having it all in riches and money, he was just as lonely as I was. Perhaps he didn't even realize it himself but on the ferris wheel that day he had an expression that reminded me of a small, feeble child.

Things couldn't stay the way they are. I wanted to find myself and find the truth to my father's disappearance, and I wanted Alhaitham to achieve happiness in his life. Because of my own ineptitude, because of my own selfishness, because of my own feelings—I wanted to grow stronger.

I sat across Alhaitham at the dining room table. I had my own personal copy of the contract and he had his. His smooth gray hair was slightly disheveled as it fell over his face and he was wearing a loose black t-shirt with gray sweatpants. It was a stark contrast to the business attire he had worn the first day we met.

"I would like to clarify with you that everything said in this room will stay in this room. If you spread private information around, this company will pursue legal action," he spoke as if going through a list of rules on a contract, 'X'ing off each one as he went along. "That runs both ways, of course. I expect that we can cooperate."

Everything was similar to the day he had first proposed that contract to me and yet at the same time the complete opposite.

"Of course," I smiled gently. This was a new step for me, a way for me to move forward past my inferiority and shame.