Chapter Five

Any kind of man Vanessa's foster sister had plotted with that night was definitely not a good person. Finding him now would do her no good. It would do her baby no good either. 

And Vanessa had her reason for searching for her own parents. She had a strong belief that those recurrent nightmares weren't for nothing. They must have a connection with her past. 

"Is it necessary to go back?" Drake pressed on. "That place isn't a nice place, you know. I don't think it's going to be safe for her."

Vanessa's eyes strayed to the couch where her baby slept soundly. 

She laughed softly and elbowed him. "Who told you it's not going to be safe?" She raised a brow. "Didn't we survive there as kids? Are you underestimating me now that I have a baby?"

The town where Vanessa was about to go was the original place they grew up, where the orphanage was located. 

Vanessa was confident that she could find most of the clues she was looking for in that place. 

"What about little Mara's schooling?" Drake was ready to talk her out of the journey at the last minute. "She will turn four in just a few weeks. Aren't you willing to enroll her?"

"Urgh!" Vanessa groaned and rolled her eyes. Of course, she already had everything planned out. And if she was successful in finding her parents, things were going to turn out well.

"Listen here, little boy." She grabbed his collar and pinned him down. "Don't even think about talking me out of this. It makes me feel as if you have hidden intentions."

Drake opened his mouth and closed it. 

"Tell me, are you going to miss me?" Vanessa went on. "Does the idea of me leaving give you sleepless nights?" 

"You're thinking too much." Drake dragged a pillow and shoved it at her face. "This handsome guy only has eyes for younger and slender women."

"You." Vanessa pinched his arm and he laughed hard. "Are you implying that I'm fat? You'd better not." 

Although Vanessa had put on some weight while she was pregnant, she had also lost a considerable amount of weight after putting to bed. 

And she had Drake to thank for that. If he hadn't insisted that she ate more vegetables instead of junk, for her health, Vanessa would have been triple her original size by now. 

After her adoptive parents disowned her, Vanessa had nowhere to go to nor someone that could help her. She could only rely on Drake who never left her side since then. 

They grew up together in the orphanage, and while Vanessa got adopted when she was little, Drake had to fend for himself and worked his way into living a stable life. 

But even as he now worked in a company, he never failed to help her out in her menial jobs. 

And Vanessa knew she was indebted to him for all he'd done for her baby and her. And she was going to repay him someday. But until then, she had to look for her parents and find her answers. 

~~~

The next day.

Vanessa loaded her luggage in a taxi's trunk. Drake couldn't make it to her apartment today to see her off, as he had to go to work. 

And Vanessa wasn't bothered, in fact, she was relieved, lest he brought up something as mundane as what if she couldn't find her parents there.

Although Drake never said that out loud, she could read those words from his expression.

"Mummy." Her baby tugged at her sleeve after they both got inside the taxi. "Where are you taking us? Are we going to meet Daddy?"

Vanessa suppressed her sigh and patted the little girl's hair. 

Truth be told, she had run out of answers to give each of her baby's questions. 

It surprised her that three days had passed and Mara didn't stop talking about the strange man. 

Normally, she would spot a handsome man passing by or on TV, and once she pointed to him that he was her father and Vanessa denied it, she would drop the subject. But this time, her baby was adamant. 

She looked convinced that she had found her father. 

And Vanessa was finding it hard to come up with the right words to tell her baby. Something that would make her stop bringing up the topic of her Daddy. 

And telling her that her father was dead– wouldn't that be too brutal? 

Now Vanessa regretted conjuring up those images in her daughter's mind.

"Mummy." 

Vanessa was lost in thought and had forgotten that she hadn't answered her baby's question. 

"Are we going to meet Daddy?" The little girl asked again. 

Vanessa pressed her temples. She couldn't even shake her head. "How about this, Baby." She picked her up and placed her on her lap. "Let's make this short trip first, then we'll meet your Daddy."

"Really?" The little girl's eyes lit up. 

Vanessa's heart twisted with guilt and she slowly nodded. 

"Then is Daddy going to live with us?" She asked and Vanessa had to nod again. 

"Mummy, Daddy is so handsome. He stopped the huge uncle from bullying me. When we meet Daddy, can you tell him not to run anymore? We'll make candies for Daddy, and he won't want to leave." 

As her baby spoke, Vanessa brought out her phone to check her to-do list. 

She had packed everything that needed to be packed. She had also given her apartment keys to her neighbor who would give them to the landlord when he came. She had submitted the documents she had proofread online.

She had bought her baby some clothes that would protect her from the cold weather of the other town. But she hadn't bought the food they would need to survive through the two days journey. And she didn't have any water flask with her. 

'Damnit!' Vanessa cursed and glanced out of the window. She needed to stop at the convenience store.