Warnings for this chapter: Talk of prostitution, brothels, arranged marriages gone wrong, kidnapping, and abandonment (All in the past and they do not go into detail). Panic attack, description of a panic attack, hints of past child abuse, alluding of crime having happened in the past.

Seren came back with the flowers in a vase and I looked up from my book, immediately putting it down to give him my full attention. “Okay, Guard Dog, go ahead and rant all you want. I promise I’ll listen.” He hesitated, then nodded and set the flower vase on the table before sitting across from me.

“Okay, where to start… First of all, her name was Nia Griffin. She was… really sweet, kind, intelligent, and, unfortunately, a bit too trusting. She was 20 when she had me… though not under the best circumstances. She told me later that, before everything went down, she was actually supposed to go to Harvard in the US and study biochemical engineering. Full scholarship, room & board and everything. It was her dream to find a cure for cancer. Apparently… her parents were… not happy that she wanted to continue her education.” My heart sank and my grip tightened on the pillow I was holding.

“... What did they do…?” I asked softly, dreading the answer. Seren avoided eye contact, chuckling bitterly as he replied.

“... She said they threatened that if she wasn’t engaged by the time she graduated high school… they’d marry her off to someone of their choosing. She didn’t believe them. She didn’t think they’d be so cruel… She should’ve. I don’t know if they genuinely thought they were marrying her off, or if they knew what they were doing… But… the person they arranged for her to marry was the owner of a brothel.” I felt bile rise in my throat at the thought, but I forced myself to swallow and respond.

“But aren’t brothels illegal?” He shrugged and looked away.

“... They weren’t illegal in Scotland, at the time… Which was where we lived. She was first brought to the brothel by basically being kidnapped in 1978… And apparently met my father soon after. She said he was… a breath of fresh air. That he was different. That they just talked books and he actually freaked out a lot when he first got there. He was described as a ‘wet blanket of a man’, yet… he was nice to her, and treated her like an actual person. Which, there, was extremely uncommon. She said his name was Aaron, but she never got his last name. He came to buy out her entire Friday night, once a week. When she was 20, in 1980, they both got drunk… and slept together. He promised to come back. But… a week later and he didn’t show up. She waited… 2 months after she found out she was pregnant to tell anyone. She said she was hoping that her price would go down, as she would be seen as less valuable once she gave birth, and he could buy out her contract. But… he didn’t come back. Mama said she forgave him for it, and that he still technically got her out of that situation… But…” My gaze softened and I gently put my hand on his before I replied.

“Seren… It’s understandable that you’d have mixed feelings about him. I don’t blame you.” He looked away and replied.

“But it’s because of him that I was born at all. I should be grateful, and he got her out of the brothel…” I leaned against him, hoping the weight would help, like a weighted blanket.

“Just because you were born from the situation doesn’t mean it was a good situation, or even that you have to be grateful it happened in the first place. Besides, just because your mother forgave him, doesn’t mean you have to. You’re two different people, in two different situations. Besides, your mother might’ve had rose tinted glasses, so to speak. In other words, she might’ve been so blinded by her love for him, that she didn’t notice the problems. For all you know, he might’ve planned it from the beginning.” I felt him relax and he nodded a little in agreement, resting his head on mine.

“... Thank you, Rosine. I appreciate it.” I nodded as well and looked up at him.

“Of course. Your mother sounds like she was a good person, and a good mother.” He paused, then smiled gently and nodded a little.

“... Thank you, again. She was.” Then I nodded once more before I pulled away.

“Okay, enough sappy stuff. Did you get anything for yourself?” Seren chuckled and smiled more.

“Yeah, I got an MP3 player and earbuds, but I gotta choose some songs to put on it.” I smiled and chuckled too.

“Gimme, I wanna put some songs on it.” He rolled his eyes playfully, but handed it to me. I put some songs on it that I thought he’d like, like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, things like that. He seemed like the rebellious, yet soulful romantic type of person. Then I handed it back. “Okay, that should be good for now.” Seren nodded, then looked at me for a moment before asking something that made my stomach churn with memories.