The Surrogate He Discarded

Kristal glanced toward the other children gathered near the entrance of the orphanage’s multipurpose hall.

They were still watching the car.

Their small faces were filled with expectation, their eyes fixed on the closed door as though they were waiting for one more familiar face to emerge.

Isobel.

They had been expecting her.

But the car door remained closed.

A few more seconds passed. Then a few more.

Slowly, the children’s excitement faded. Their smiles disappeared one by one, replaced by puzzled expressions. Several of them turned toward Richard, silently searching his face for an explanation.

They were standing too far away to have heard what he had told the little boy with the missing teeth—that Isobel had something important to attend to and wouldn’t be able to come.

Mama Rena noticed the change immediately.

She clapped her hands gently, drawing the children’s attention.

”Children, how about we help the uncle driver unload everything from the pickup truck?”

Her warm, cheerful voice broke through the awkward silence.

The children immediately brightened.

”Okay!”

”Let’s help!”

”There’s so many gifts!”

Like a flock of excited birds, they hurried toward the pickup truck, though Mama Rena quickly reminded them to walk instead of run.

”Careful, children. One at a time.”

Once they were occupied, Mama Rena turned toward the guests. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Her face softened when she saw Sharon.

”Madam Sharon!”

She stepped forward and greeted her warmly before turning to Richard.

”Richard, it’s so good to see you again.”

Then her gaze shifted to the young woman standing beside them.

Mama Rena studied Kristal for a moment, her eyes widening slightly.

”And who is this?”

Richard smiled.

”Mama Rena, this is Kristal Gabor. She’s Grandma Sharon’s granddaughter. She’s here on vacation.” Richard explained without stopping. Like he was afraid that if he paused, Mama Rena would misunderstand.

Mama Rena’s face immediately lit up.

”My goodness. What a beautiful young lady.”

She gave Kristal a warm smile before glancing playfully at Sharon.

”She must have inherited those looks from her mother.”

Sharon laughed.

”You’re right. This granddaughter of mine looks nothing like me. She’s the spitting image of her mother.”

Kristal smiled politely.

Sharon had black hair, a deep-set black eyes and a fierce eyebrows that made her look fiercer. At first glance, no one would have guessed that she was a foreigner in Aldea. Only when one looked closely could they notice the aristocratic features that hinted at her Fiorenzan heritage.

Mama Rena chuckled.

”Well, either way, she’s certainly beautiful.”

She gestured toward the hall.

”Come inside. The children have been practicing all week. They’ve prepared songs and dances for you.”

Kristal followed them, but before she could take more than a few steps, a small voice suddenly interrupted.

”Uncle Richard!”

A ten-year-old girl hurried toward them.

Cassie stopped in front of Richard, then looked curiously at Kristal.

She tilted her head.

”Is the pretty lady your girlfriend?”

Kristal froze. Richard blinked. Even Sharon paused. Mama Rena’s lips twitched as she tried to hide her amusement.

Cassie continued innocently.

”Then what about Aunt Isobel?”

The question landed with surprising force.

Kristal’s cheeks warmed.

She hadn’t expected such a blunt question, especially from a child.

Richard let out an amused laugh and shook his head.

”Cassie, you’re still so young. Is that really what you’ve been thinking about?”

”But I just want to know,” Cassie insisted.

Richard glanced at Kristal.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

Kristal’s heart suddenly began beating faster.

There was something in his gaze that made her forget how to breathe.

Then Richard smiled.

”Kristal is my special friend.”

Kristal’s heart gave a strange little leap.

Special friend.

The words echoed in her mind.

For a moment, she didn’t know whether to smile or feel disappointed.

He hadn’t called her his girlfriend. But he hadn’t called her just a friend, either.

Her fingers curled slightly around the strap of her bag.

Special friend... A tiny spark of hope warmed her chest.

Maybe there was something more behind those words. Maybe Richard simply wasn’t ready to say it yet.

She quickly pushed away the doubt creeping into her mind and silently comforted herself.

It’s not girlfriend...

But at least I’m not just a friend.

Her lips curved into a faint smile.

There is still hope.

Across from her, Mama Rena watched the young woman’s expression carefully.

She said nothing.

But the knowing smile that briefly touched her lips suggested that she had noticed far more than Kristal realized.

...

As orphanage director, Mama Rena had watched Richard care for Isobel since she was little more than a baby.

Back then, she had never thought anything of it.

Richard had always been protective of her—carrying her when she cried, buying her little gifts, and hovering around her whenever she was sick.

To Mama Rena, it had simply seemed as though Richard regarded Isobel as a younger sister.

He was the older brother she never had.

Or so Mama Rena had believed.

But things had changed.

When Richard returned this time, Mama Rena noticed something she hadn’t seen before.

The way he looked at Isobel was different.

It was subtle—so subtle that most people would never notice.

But Mama Rena had known them for years.

She knew the difference between affection and something deeper.

Richard was still very protective of Isobel. He still worried about her. He still treated her with the same patience and tenderness he had shown her since childhood.

But whenever he looked at her now, there was something else in his eyes.

Something softer.

Something almost achingly tender.

As though he was looking at someone he had spent years searching for.

His gaze lingered on Isobel in a way it never had before.

Yet Isobel remained completely unchanged.

To her, Richard was still Richard. Her dependable big brother. The person who had always been there to protect her, tease her, and spoil her whenever he could.

She looked at him with the same trusting affection she had carried since childhood.

Mama Rena sighed quietly.

Perhaps I’m imagining things.

She hoped she was.