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Soon after the incident of her father suddenly showing up after seven years of disappearance, Roselle's grandparents allowed him to stay in their house. Discovering this news, Roselle locked herself in her room for hours, hoping this would all just be a dream. She put herself to sleep, reassuring herself that when she woke up, everything would be back to normal and her father would no longer be in the house.
But her thoughts were soon crushed as she understood that this was, in fact, reality. Fate tangled her life in misery, filled with consequences and obstacles.
---
It had been a week since her father moved into her grandparents’ house. He kept trying to make conversations with her, but each day, Roselle would wait for her grandfather to wake up so she could go downstairs for breakfast or lunch. Grandpa Yoseph, her grandfather, loved Roselle dearly. Since her father’s arrival, he had become increasingly protective.
That particular night, Roselle heard three knocks on her bedroom door. She figured her grandfather had something important to tell her. As she opened the door, he slipped inside and closed it behind him.
“Roselle, unfortunately, I won’t be home tomorrow. Your grandmother and I have some work business to finish. This will continue for a whole week. Whatever you do, don’t open the door to your father. Only open it once you hear my voice.”
Panic washed over Roselle as she clutched his hand tightly, trying to steady herself. Her body shivered with fear. Seeing the look on her face, Grandpa Yoseph quickly enveloped her in a comforting hug.
---
“This is the day… Grandma and Grandpa won’t be home until evening,” Roselle thought as she tucked a cloth by her door and turned off all the lights. Grandpa Yoseph had told her father that Roselle would be out for a school project for the month. He had also made it clear that her door would remain locked and that her father was not allowed to try to open it.
Little did he know that Roselle was hiding inside, with all her shoes stashed in her room, including her bike.
“Dad, she’s my daughter. Can’t you tell me where she’s going as well?” he yelled, pursuing his father to let him spend time with his biological daughter.
“No. You traumatized her enough by murdering her mother. What else do you intend to do to my Roselle?”
“Nothing. I just want to talk to her and fix things between us,” he replied, frustration evident in his tone, as his father’s shadow slowly receded.
Frustrated, he rushed up to his room. Just before swinging his door open, his eyes caught sight of Roselle’s room. Curiosity piqued. “Why would anyone like him not allow me to look into my own daughter’s room?” he wondered as his steps drew closer to her door.
He tried opening it, pushing the doorknob over and over, yet it was locked as if from the inside.
Roselle…
She heard him trying to open the door from the outside, and tears began to flow down her cheeks.
“Granpa… please come immediately,” she prayed, finally rising to her feet.
Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door and opened it.
---
“What do you need, Dad?” she asked, her eyes locking onto her father’s. Her voice was as cold as ice. Was this really the sweet girl he once knew?
“I thought you weren’t home. I wanted to take a look at your room decorations,” he replied, frowning.
Roselle moved aside, forcing a smile that dripped with sarcasm. “Go on, you can take a look at my room.” Though she still identified him as her father, she believed treating him harshly would only tear her apart even more.
He stepped inside, beaming with a childlike curiosity as he explored her room. From afar, Roselle watched, feeling a mix of dread and disbelief. She didn’t want to form any attachment to a murderer—certainly not to him.
After a while, he emerged from her room.
“Thank you for finally letting me talk to you, my beloved daughter,” he said, a soft smile on his face.
Somehow, his words managed to soften Roselle's icy heart. She felt a pang of disbelief, as if the ground had shifted beneath her. Her heart sank deep into the conflicting emotions of wanting a father’s presence in her life.
---
Despite her thoughts, she managed to maintain her cold expression toward him. Cruel, yet deserved.