The Miracle of You

The atmosphere was positively stifling, in Hailey’s opinion.

She had never felt this way before whenever she talked with her parents. Even when she got a failing grade one time, Luther and Emilia didn’t scold her that much. Not at all, in fact.

Instead, Luther simply told her that she could do better next time, while Emilia suggested tutoring for that subject in case Hailey had a hard time understanding the lectures.

Even when she accidentally broke an expensive antique in the house, when she fought with her brothers as a kid, when she argued with her parents as a young teenager going through puberty and menstrual cramps…

They never hit her or reprimanded her so harshly. They were never cold to her and treated her just like how they treated her brothers. She loved them because they were fair and didn’t have any favorites among them.

But now…

It felt like she was conversing with a pair of strangers.

No, that was wrong.

Maybe she was the stranger all along.

Maybe she had missed all the times when her parents had treated her a little differently than her siblings, when they had often done their best to make her happy, when they had been careful not to scold her too much. When they treated her like a delicate doll and gave her everything she wanted.

‘I don’t like where my thoughts are going,’ Hailey thought, closing her eyes. ‘I can’t jump to conclusions just yet…’

Luther cleared his throat at that moment, catching Hailey’s attention.

“You deserve a full explanation from us,” he said softly. “We’re very sorry for not telling you sooner, Hailey. We intended on waiting until you turned eighteen, but it would seem that perhaps we made an error in judgment.”

“I do wish you told me sooner,” Hailey murmured. “I could’ve handled it.”

“We thought you were too young to understand and face the truth,” Emilia said quietly, her sobs having died down. “We wanted you to feel like we’re your real family.”

“I would’ve still considered you family even if you told me much earlier,” Hailey insisted. “I’m sure you think that I’m making too much of a fuss over a trivial matter, but it’s not insignificant to me at all. All my life, I’ve felt like something was odd, but I kept quiet because I thought it was merely my imagination. But now…”

“What?” Emilia said, looking surprised. “What do you mean ‘odd’?”

“That you guys treated me like glass,” Hailey said quietly. “You never got angry at me like you did with Paul and Ben. You never pressured me into doing anything or forced me to inherit the family business. You gave me everything I ever wanted and tried not to upset me. At first, I thought that it was because you cared that much for me… but in truth, you never really considered me as your real daughter, did you?”

Emilia gasped. “Hailey!” she exclaimed. “Of course not! You’re our daughter now. We’ve always cared-”

“I’m sorry, Mother,” Hailey interjected, forcing her voice to stay calm. “I will hear you out later, but first, I want to know the story behind all this. I want to know the truth.” She sent Luther an imploring yet determined look. “Please, Father.”

No more ‘Mama’ and ‘Papa’, Hailey realized.

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Luther was silent for a moment before finally nodding. “Of course,” he said in a strained voice. “Let me start from the beginning.”

***

As Luther explained how they came to adopt her in the first place, Hailey felt like the world was spinning beneath her feet. Dizziness gripped her mind, and she had to close her eyes to control herself from becoming too overwhelmed.

The story Luther told her was, to put it simply, complicated. To be honest, she never really expected there to be a deep story behind her adoption. In fact, she was shocked that it had happened at all.

It turned out that Luther and her birth father, Mason Parker, had been good friends in the past. They had grown up together since childhood and were inseparable. They were also the two smartest students in their school.

“It was Mason’s idea,” Luther said. “He wanted to start a hotel business. He wanted to start from scratch. He was quite ambitious, that fellow. Always determined and hard-working. It was one of the things that drew me to him, because he was someone that I admired. I wanted to succeed and achieve great things like he did. Back then, compared to him, I was only second best.”

They worked hard to make their dream come true. With Luther at his side, Mason conducted extensive research on the hotel industry, market conditions, and potential target customers.

“He did most of the hard work,” Luther admitted. “He secured the funding for the business. He approached banks for loans, sought out investors, and even used some of his personal savings. The two of us weren’t from well-off families, but Mason was a diligent individual, so he saved enough thanks to working several odd jobs here and there.”

Meanwhile, Luther was the one who scouted for areas with high tourism potential or business activity. After all, they needed a suitable location for their hotel. He also handled the licensing and permits.

“It must’ve been hard work starting everything from scratch,” Hailey said quietly.

Luther nodded solemnly. “Mason was brilliant at negotiations. He had an easygoing and trustworthy aura about him, so a lot of people put their trust and faith in him. They all cheered for him to succeed.”

“But what about you?” Hailey asked. “You two were partners, weren’t you?”

“Well…” Luther looked like he was in a state of discomfort. “The thing is, back then… I was envious of him.”

“Of… my father?” It felt strange to say that word out loud now. Hailey had used that word thousands of times for almost eighteen years now, but it didn’t solely refer to Luther now.

Mason Parker… her biological father. A seemingly brilliant man.

Hailey wanted to know more.

There was something about this story that hinted at a deeper significance. Given Luther’s hesitance and guilt, Hailey had an inkling in her mind as to what it was.

And it wasn’t anything good.