Desperate

Chapter 11

Christmas Time was a hard holiday to get through but compared to Valentine's Day, it was a piece of cake. That lovesick holiday had literally punctured a hole in Vlad's heart, making him feel absolutely hollow inside. His heart ached sorely, making him clutch onto it and hope that the pain would stop soon but knew it wouldn't; it would only get worse.

As the ache continued to become more intense, he sighed, miserable, and unclenched his chest, letting his hands fall to his sides. Why did such a holiday torment him so? Why didn't he have his precious Maddie with him to celebrate a love they could have had?

He let his head drop and leaned forward then clutched onto his head. They could have been so happy together. He would have given everything up to have her.

A soft coo reached his ears, making him glance forward to see Elizabeth laying on her bouncer and reaching up to try and touch one of her toys that was dangling above her. She giggled when her pointer finger touched a butterfly, making it sway a bit, then tried to touch the caterpillar next to it.

He blinked once before allowing a small smile to settle on his lips. Well, perhaps he wouldn't have given up everything to be with Maddie.

He stood up and walked over to her before sitting in front of her bouncer, making her smile up at him. He smiled back and reached forward, allowing her to encircle her tiny fingers around his pointer finger. She cooed, blinking a few times at him, before refocusing her attention on the caterpillar dangling above her. He chuckled softly then rubbed his thumb against her fingers, feeling how soft they were.

A course of three raps sounded from the door on the other side of Elizabeth's bedroom, making Vlad glance to his left. "Come in," he instructed, straightening his back and smoothing down his tie, something he hardly ever wore.

The door creaked open, revealing his maid stepping into the room. "Mr. Masters, I'm sorry to interrupt but some flowers came in the mail for you," she informed, smiling a bit.

He raised a curious brow; who in the world would send him flowers? "Who sent them?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure, Mr. Masters." She smiled wider. "There's a card, but I figured you didn't want me going through your mail."

He nodded once and stood up, taking his hand away from Elizabeth's. He walked over to the door and gestured to his daughter. "Will you watch Elizabeth until I return?"

She nodded. "Of course."

He smiled in gratitude and walked out, leaving Ms. Harrison to watch Elizabeth until he returned to her. He hurried down the stairway, anxious to know who sent him flowers. Glancing to his left, he noticed that his maid had already put his bouquet of deep pink roses in a vase along with an envelope standing in front of it. He hurried over to the envelope and tore it open, not wanting to waste another moment in the dark of not knowing. He pulled out the card and smiled at the picture of a blooming rose on the front with the words "Happy Valentine's Day" painted on it. He opened the card and started to read, admiring how elegant his sender's handwriting was:

"Dear, Mr. Masters,

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you like the flowers I painstakingly have been growing for the past year. They're so beautiful, aren't they? You wouldn't believe how difficult it was to grow them though, especially with my dog always trying to dig them up.

But that's not what I wanted to tell you. I wanted to thank you for taking me in and giving me a chance when a lot of people wouldn't. You truly have turned my life around and for that I am grateful you are a part of it.