The Biggest Question
“Where is Devon, Daemon? Where is your wife?! Take her here this instant. I will talk to her!”
Daemon can already hear Brian’s loud voice from the top of the stairs so he hurried down. Devon and Lucy are still in the room sleeping soundly together. The child asked to go home but Devon found a way to trick her into believing that her parents have something important to do.
He blocked him by carefully closing the door behind him to face him and Sylvia who’s crying her eyes out. “What are you doing here, Brian?”
His brother-in-law snatched him by the collar and spoke in a hoarse voice from too much anger. “I’m here to kill you and Devon if you don’t show her face and return my daughter to me. I know you are hiding her. I want you to drag her here so I could talk to her.”
He pushed him away but he did not budge and continued blocking the door.
“I don’t know where Devon is. She has not come home since yesterday.”
In the end, he lied to protect his wife. He’ll buy her enough time until she realizes what’s happening.
That made Brian angrier, making him pull out his gun and aimed at his face. His guards all brought out their guns ready to shoot Brian and Sylvia at his order but he shook his head at his men.
“Do you expect me to believe that? You are obviously hiding her! Step aside. I will make sure that she’s not here with my daughter.”
He stepped forward to try to make me move aside but one of my men issued a warning shot.
“Brian, please. Not this way,” Sylvia interrupted her husband who’s in a rampage. “You said we’ll talk to them calmly. Please, Brian.”
“There’s no way I’ll be calm in this situation. They took Lucy from us!”
Brian successfully entered the door and shouted inside. “Devon! Devon! Lucy! Lucy!”
He ran to the stairs but Daemon was quicker to stop him. Daemon’s guards dragged him back to the yard and made sure that he can never pass through again.
“What do you think you’re doing, Brian?” Daemon asked in a low voice as guilt consumed him.
He has always been a tough man, a warrior built for all kinds of situations but when it comes to children, it’s an entirely different matter.
“I’m doing what a father should be doing. I’m searching for my missing daughter whom your wife kidnapped from us.”
Scratching the side of his eyes, he sighed and asked for patience silently. He doesn’t know how long he can go on with this act. “I told you already. Devon is not here. Leave my house now.”
Brian shook his men away and approached him with that same beastly expression he wore throughout. “Why are you so calm? Is it because you think you’ll have our baby as your child? As the replacement of your dead daughter?”
Daemon’s eyes narrowed as his face grew darker. It’s a line he should never cross. “Emily is not dead, Brian. We will find her. You will return her to us so you better watch out what you say.”
He smirked and palmed his own face in frustration. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Believe me. I do. Now leave before I do something drastic. A Farrows inside my house trespassing and threatening to kill me is a recipe for a disaster.”
Brian looked at his house hopelessly and took Sylvia’s hand. “I will come back. I will find Devon and when that happens, I couldn’t say what I can do to her.”
“She is your sister. What can you do to her?”
A look of a desperate man crossed his face. “She’s not my sister anymore. Family ties in our family don’t matter much as you can see. My parents to your child. Devon to her niece. We’re all animals, Daemon. Animals!”
But before they could leave, Brian’s phone rang in his pocket.
“Hello,” he said angrily without looking at the number.
“Brian.”
He stood there momentarily frozen before his eyes widened in fury.
“Devon! Where is Lucy? Return her to me now!”
Daemon hid the surprise in his face. So Devon must have all heard the commotion downstairs.
“I won’t until you also return my Emily to me.”
“Then you should have talked to dad about that! Why are you doing this to us when we did nothing to you?! Give Lucy back to us.”
“I don’t think he will hear me out. You know him, he doesn’t like me. Why don’t you beg him instead to return Emily to me? You are his favorite son. I’m sure his heart will melt for you.”
Brian glanced at him before turning his back. “Do that yourself! I don’t negotiate with a criminal! Ask dad about your daughter. Find her yourself!”
“So why don’t you do the same thing, Brian? Find Lucy yourself. Oh, you can’t do that, right? You don’t know where I am. You don’t have any idea where I’m hiding.”
“Damn you! Where are you?! Are you inside this fucking house?! Tell me where your husband is hiding you!”
“Find me, Brian.”
“Devon, I’m telling you. Do not test my patience. Come out while I’m still being nice! Come out now!”
His face was already red from too much emotion while Sylvia continued sobbing in the corner.
“I’ll test it as much as I can, Brian. I’ll do more outrageous things like this just to have my child back.”
“Fuck you! I’ll kill you the second I see you!”
To both of their shock, Sylvia took the phone from Brian to talk to Devon.
“Please Devon! Give me back my child! I’ll beg your father to return Emily to you! Please, just let me have Lucy back!”
“Sylvia!” Brian tried to get the phone back but she refused to give it back.
“I don’t care anymore, Brian! I don’t care about your family anymore! All I want to have is my child back! Please, I want to have my child back! Devon, tell me what you want to do. I’m willing to do everything!”
She walked a few meters from them and got back on the phone with Devon.
“I want my daughter Emily. I want her back. That’s all I ever want. You know that’s all I ever wanted. I asked you all nicely! I begged! You are a mother too. You know how painful it is to have your child taken away from you!”
Sylvia nodded and wiped her face. Daemon can only look at the sky above while listening to their conversation.
“Of course. I know it. I know it now. Sure, I’ll talk to your parents. I’ll kneel in front of them just so you could have your child back.”
“Sylvia! You can’t do that!”
“I can do everything Brian for our child!” she yelled at her husband who was too stunned to react to her reaction. “I will do everything for her because she is my child! I don’t care if she’s not a boy! She is still my daughter!”
Brian gritted his teeth for the rest of the time that Sylvia talked with Devon.
“I can do that, Devon. Just please do not hurt Lucy. Don’t make her cry.”
“I won’t. I promise you. Your child will not be harmed in any way. She’s still my niece after all.”
The two left his house after it had been settled that the couple would ask their parents for Emily in exchange for Lucy.
After making sure that all are secured, Daemon went back into their room where he saw Devon brushing the hair of Lucy who’s still sleeping.
She is sitting beside her while she lovingly looks at her as if she is all that matters. Daemon felt something punch his gut. He remembered that look. She used to look at their baby like that too.
He sat next to her and caressed her back. “I’ll let you do this for two days more. After that, we’ll give the child back to their parents, okay?”
But Devon is no longer listening to him. She’s busy staring at Lucy like she is the most precious person she has ever laid her eyes on.
“She’s so beautiful. I bet Emily will also grow as pretty as her or even prettier. She’ll have the prettiest sparking pair of eyes. I promised to protect her but I lost her. I ran away to give her a better life but I only drove her away from our arms. Maddy is right. I failed as a mother.”
“Devon, you did not fail as a mother. Do not blame yourself. I told you we will get Emily back to our family. It will happen. We’re going there.”
Devon just smiled sadly and went back into gazing at the child.
“Can she be our daughter instead, Daemon? Can she be the replacement of our dear Emily?”
