"Things will never be the same again."
Gneiss Underwood never thought that he could have a shot of a normal life.
Growing up in an environment where everything defied sanity, guns and loneliness were his normal companions, if not danger and Death h...
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"It's easy to be a father, but hard to be a dad."
Number Thirty
Ashamed of himself, Kreuz silently watched his daughter take comfort in the arms of 01. He ached to be the one holding her and stroking her head like he used to do when she was a toddler. A crybaby back then, she often threw tantrums of great scales. He would have to treat her with Pistachio-flavored ice cream every time she fell on her knees or scrape her palms. Any other flavor would only shut her up for half an hour. Undoubtedly, he was the initial reason why she was a spoilt brat. Not that his wife had much to say about that department.
Those first few years of his marriage were the highlight of his life. However, human life was fleeting, and the happiness that made him soar was too fragile to last. He had flown so high that when the time to fall came, he hit the bottom hard.
Now, he was left tangled in the web of lies, hatred and pride, a prison of his own making, preventing him from cherishing his most important person in his world. His treasure. His love.
He should be the one comforting her. Not 01, not anybody. Him.
It shouldn't be like this. Any normal father would have caused hell to break loose. But that was the point. There was nothing normal about him, his life, including the relationship he shared with his only daughter. It wasn't surprising that Faye was ignoring his presence. He had caused her to hate him all this time. Even if it was meant to hide her from greater harm, it was still a poor excuse. She had every right to know the truth. He was foolish to think that deceiving her for so long wouldn't have its repercussions.
No one would ever know, but Kreuz hated himself for being a coward. He gave her up for adoption because he was afraid that he couldn't raise her well. He accepted that he was evil – he didn't want her to grow up in the same environment that tainted him. Ophelia would hate him for that. Despite these, he regretted knowing that Abcidee was growing up without him by her side. But it was their gift for her – for her future, for her shot of an ordinary life.
And he ruined that.
He allowed Abcidee to enter Creed. What kind of devil possessed him to make such an outrageous lapse in judgment?
But how could he not, when the seeing her was enough to shake his very core? She was the spitting image of her mother. The very first time he saw her, his breathe was knocked out of him. He nearly wept at the sight of her so healthy and virtuous and beautiful. He lost all senses of the present, and his mind travelled to a world of 'What if's'. He imagined himself as an ordinary man coming home from work... with Ophelia welcoming him with a kiss, and Abcidee giving him a hug. A loving wife. A brilliant daughter. A happy family. That's how it's supposed to be.
However, life wasn't so simple.
01 was staring at him. Only then did Kreuz realize that he was about to cry. As the Master, he wasn't supposed to show his weakness. He immediately blinked back the tears and turned to 05 and the Filipino boy.
