The Woman From Hell

Gareth stood up reluctantly. He leaned in closer to look at me, his palms trembling non-stop. "You... you're Millicent's child?"

"Yes, I am." I looked at Garet, eyes unblinking.

He was my father. I had almost stayed unknowing of the truth about who I was. I had never had a father figure in my memory, but now he was in front of me.

Gareth stepped back. There was a look of disbelief on his face that was covered with the vestiges of time at the moment. Rosa stepped forward and supported him. "Gareth..." She called Gareth's name softly with reluctance and tenderness.

Rosa helped him down again, and Gareth beckoned to me. "Come here, child. Let me take a look at you."

I stepped forward and stopped a few inches away from Gareth.

I only realized how much older Gareth was half-crouched before him.

"I thought you looked so similar to Millicent when I first saw you, but really, I didn't expect you to be our child." Gareth looked at me with tears in his eyes. "I'm John Lovere, your father." Hot tears fell onto the back of my hand after these words were said.

Gareth cried.

"I know. I guessed it the first time I came to see you." My voice softened the more I spoke.

"Will you be willing to call me your father once?"

At Gareth's request, I bit my lower lip. It was a moment later that I uttered the word, "Dad..."

"I hear you." Gareth took my hand and patted it. "I only knew Sandra took you away. After that, I heard nothing more. Tell me quickly, how have you been all these years?"

I sniffled and sat down next to Gareth with Theo's help. "My adoptive mother brought me up. She later entrusted me to the Grants before she died. I married Theo and had children."

"I thought I wouldn't be able to find you again. But then I found out that the Yards had been looking into your whereabouts and knew then that you were still alive and in this world. I wanted to find you before they did, but unfortunately, I didn't manage to. I allowed you to suffer so much." Gareth's words were full of guilt.

I shook my head. "It's also because of the Yards that I was slowly able to learn everything about my mother and you."

"I didn't agree to work with you to go up against the Yards before mainly because I didn't want to be involved with them anymore. I've gone incognito for so many years. Siłas also didn't know that I was Jghn. But then we came to Whaldorf City and

he found out."

I had more or less guessed all this. "Silas asked me to go back but I refused, so he sent people to stifle me. Fortunately, I had help. We really ought to remain a distance away from people like him." "Then, what were you trying to find out when you followed me back then?"

"I just wanted to find out why you refused my invitation back then but accidentally found that you often visited the hospital. Can you tell me why you go to that hospital?" I looked at him. "Are you sick, or is it someone else?" Gareth's hand that was on his knee tightened. He was nervous now.

He looked up at Rosa and then at Theo before turning to look back at me. "You're my daughter, so I should tell you about this. The person I visit in that hospital is Millicent."

My eyes widened at that. "Mom? Isn't she already..."

Gareth sighed. "After I found out that

Millicent had jumped off a cliff back then, I immediately got people to look for her under the mountain. It was a long time before we finally found her. Fortunately, a stone had obstructed her and saved her life. After she was sent to the hospital, however, the doctor told me that she might not wake up."