Someone was standing at the door of the room, his eyes fixed on her in an unblinking stare.
He spoke in a chillingly calm voice:"
_What are you doing here?"
She tried to answer, but her voice caught in her throat. She rose to her feet, the paper still clutched in her hand.
The man began to approach, and as the light from the window fell across his face, Celine recognised his features more clearly. Just as she had feared, it was her father. Markus's gaze shifted from the box to her face. His eyes were hard as stone.
At last, Celine spoke:"
_Who is this woman? And who is the man who wanted Lilia?"
He replied coldly:"
_That is none of your concern, Celine. Your excessive curiosity will only bring us trouble. Drop this matter, stop doing idiot things!"
The words burst from her before she could stop herself:"
_She's my sister! Even if she wasn't born of you, she's still my sister! whatever you do, i will not stop! She is so precious for me and i won't accept your decision!!!! "
He stared at her for a moment, then seized her arm roughly, snatched the paper from her hand, and tore it to shreds before her eyes without so much as a blink. His voice was low, tense:"
_You don't know anything. There are things far beyond your understanding. This isn't a book for you to read or a riddle to toy with. There are people... who would hurt us if they knew."
Celine felt that Markus's words carried more than anger, they carried the weight of fear. And when he said "people who would hurt us," it wasn't exaggeration. He meant it. He left her then, stepping out of the room, leaving the box open, photographs scattered on the floor, and the sound of torn paper echoing in her ears.
In that moment, she realised there was something dark in the past of Lilia. Something dangerous and that Markus and Marlene's decision to send her away wasn't out of weariness or burden... but escape. Escape from a past that refused to die. Yet why endure all this, why bring her into their lives in the first place, only to abandon her and place her and themselves in danger?
She returned to her room at her grandmother's house, shut the door behind her, and wiped away her tears. Grabbing her small notebook, she hurriedly wrote down everything she could remember from the letter. She decided she would begin her own investigation starting with the name, the date, and the city where the centre had been mentioned. She could no longer trust anyone, anyone in the world except her innocent little sister, who does not know anything.
When she was lost in her thought, she heard a voice calling her. She step out and then turn to the sound side. Her heart felt like something important happened, she just wished yhat it isn't a bad thing. When she arrived to the livng room, she saw her sister covering her hand and the grand-ma was beside her. Celine hurried to Lillia asking anxiously:"
_are you ok ? Tell me now! What happened !!?."
The grandmother respond calming :"
_there are nothing to worry about, just a little scratch because of the wooden chair."
The older sister was reassured and then took Lillia to the bedroom. That night passed calmly but no one know what it will happen in the next morning...
To be continued...