Chapter 3

The woman smiled softly before she hugged me tightly. The gesture was heartfelt and meaningful; like a prodigal child was returning. I guess to them, that was exactly what was happening. I felt her love and sympathy leaking through her. I dropped my bags on the ground and hugged her back, craving the comfort and warmth I so desperately needed at the moment.

"Oh Daniella... I know you don't know us yet, but we're going to change that. We haven't seen you since you were a newborn," the woman blubbered. I could feel her tears against my cheek. Her body heat radiated off of her in a calming way. It protected me from the chilling wind.

"Nora, the child is probably cold," Patrick said. Nora sniffled before she let go and brought me inside. Patrick picked up my bags and set them inside the door before going back outside. Probably to talk to my father. Nora rushed me into the house and sat me down on a plush brown couch before sitting on the coffee table in front of me and rasping my hand in her own. Being this close, I noticed her eyes were a sky blue with flecks of silver. The same silver that consumed the whole of my irises. At least now I could see where it might have come from.

She didn't say anything. She just sat there, holding my hand tightly and staring at me like I could disappear at any moment. I could feel every emotion she felt. It hit me like a wave at high tide. Her eyes intense and focused on every feature I possessed; comparing them to my mother's.

My concentration broke and I jumped when the door slammed. Patrick came into the room and saw us just sitting there. Nora's eyes were still on me as I looked at Patrick. He looked sympathetically to his wife as he released her iron grasp on my hand, breaking her emotions from me.

"Love, you're scaring the poor girl," Patrick said as he took my hand and placed it gently on my own lap before letting go. He smiled warmly at me. His eyes were a green color with flecks of gold. Patrick's hair was brown, but graying slightly. His skin looked like he was in the sun often.

"I'm sorry! Did you want tea, or soup, or hot chocolate, or water, or anything?" Nora asked as she stood quickly. I shook my head. I looked between the two of them and offered a small awkward smile.

"At least I know where my looks come from finally," I said, trying to break the awkward silence with a shrug. Nora's face lit up as she went to retrieve something. Patrick squeezed my shoulder gently as Nora came back with a picture frame. She looked at it was a face of sadness and love for a moment before she turned it for me to see.

"Rebecca Grace... She was your mother," Nora said, handing me the picture. The wood of the frame was old but well taken care of. In the frame was my father and what I knew now was my real mother. My mom was draped over the back of my father as they smiled at the camera. Her black hair shined with a dark brown undertone brought out by the sun's rays. Her heart-shaped face held a wide smile of her full, pink lips, showing off her one dimple. The slits of her eyes hinted at a blue or gray iris. The crinkles on the side of her eyes suggested that she was laughing. Her sun-kissed, porcelain-like skin was flawless as she wore a white sundress. She was stunningly beautiful.

My father looked like a completely different person. He looked completely in love like I'd never seen him before. He looked happy... truly happy. I think this was the first time I'd ever seen his smile reach his eyes. He put on a good act, but as I got older, I started noticing it more and more. I started noticing how sad he really was. Maybe I was too hard on him. He did have to raise me by himself. But he kept my real mother a secret from me, and I was still very upset about that.

"She's so beautiful," I said out loud.

"And you look just like her," Nora said. I smiled lightly, content that I at least knew where my looks came from now.