Chapter 5 Home

I quickly turned to Max. Welcome back? Did I hear him right? When have I ever been to this house before?

Instead of explaining what he meant when he saw my confused face, Max walked away from me and headed toward the house. He took something out of his pants pocket-it looked like a key-because moments later, he was unlocking the front door.

"Wh-who lives here? Is this your house?" I asked anxiously. I truly couldn't guess what was going on in Max's mind. Every word and action from him only left me more confused.

"No one lives here," he replied.

"If no one lives here, then why did you bring me here?" I asked, puzzled.

"I live in the small house behind this one. If you need anything, just come find me," he said, completely ignoring my question.

"So this house isn't yours?" I felt like I had asked him dozens of questions, and none of his answers gave me peace of mind.

"It's yours," he said simply.

"Come in," he added as he opened the door wide.

"I don't understand," I replied, frowning. Was he really giving me this house? But why? I hadn't even done anything for him yet.

"Because what is rightfully yours should be returned to you," he said.

"I don't feel like I have any right to this house," I replied. Could this house have belonged to my mother? But she didn't leave any inheritance when she passed. I caught a faint smile tug at Max's lips.

"Go in and clean yourself up. You must be uncomfortable wearing the same clothes all day. After that, I'll explain everything," he said. Though his words sounded calming, I still didn't feel at ease.

"There's only one bedroom in this house, and it's yours," he added. I stepped inside hesitantly. What was Max planning to do to me? Was he following someone's orders to buy me off? Ugh, no! All the thoughts running through my head were terrifying.

I didn't ask him any more questions and looked around the house. Like the exterior, the interior walls were also blue-just a slightly lighter shade. The house wasn't overly furnished: a large couch up front, a glass cabinet, and this must be the room Max had mentioned. I slowly pushed the door open, the creaking sound making my heart race.

Relief only came when the door was fully open and I saw the room was empty. It smelled fresh-not like an abandoned room with a musty odor. Had Max been cleaning it every day?

I examined the room. There was a medium-sized bed, a wardrobe, a dressing table, and a mirror. Simple, but still far better than the room I had in Claire's boarding house.

I stepped closer and touched the bed. It felt soft, and I instantly wanted to lie down and rest. But first, I should wash up. My body felt sticky and uncomfortable.

Were there any clothes I could wear besides Max's clothes? Or would I have to borrow his clothes again?

I looked toward the wardrobe. Though unsure what was inside, I walked over and opened it. My eyes widened when I saw a stack of women's clothing-all brand new.

"You're free to wear any of them." I jumped and turned toward the door-Max was standing there.

"Whose clothes are these?" I asked curiously.

"This is your room, so naturally, everything inside is yours too," he replied.

"I mean... why are they here for me?"

"We'll talk about it after I prepare some food. You must be starving," he said and walked away. I stood there, staring after him in disbelief. How frustrating!

Thankfully, there was a bathroom inside the room, so I didn't have to go out and see Max again. I randomly picked some clothes to wear and went straight into the bathroom.

There was a bathtub perfect for soaking and hot and cold water that I could adjust however I liked. Could I finally breathe a little easier, even though I still didn't know what was going to happen next?

For the first time, taking a bath felt like the most wonderful thing. My sticky, smelly body now felt fresh after rinsing with warm water and scrubbing with soap. My oily hair now fell smoothly over my shoulders. As I began to feel a bit better, suddenly I remembered Claire's boarding house. But enough of that! What mattered now was my current situation-not Claire or anything from my past.

I hadn't realized that the random piece of clothing I grabbed was a dress that felt too nice to wear just to stay indoors. I was about to look for something else to wear when a knock on the door stopped me.

"You can come to the dining room now," Max said when I opened the door.

"After that, you're free to ask me anything," he added. I noticed his eyes scan me from head to toe-just like when we first met at the House of Sun.

"Al-alright," I replied nervously. I wanted to change clothes, but with Max waiting at the door, I hesitated and ended up just stepping out. He followed me from behind.

"Eat first, then you can ask me anything." He repeated his earlier offer. The promise that I could ask anything made me quickly pull out a chair and sit at the dining table. There was a large piece of roast meat, mashed potatoes, and some boiled vegetables.

"Aren't you going to eat too?" I asked, glancing at Max who sat across from me.

"Later," he replied shortly. Being watched while eating was uncomfortable, but I was so hungry I didn't care anymore.

"Did you cook all this?" I asked out of politeness after I finished eating. Max nodded with a blank expression.

"Thank you for bringing me here. I don't know your reason for helping me escape from Claire's brothel, but let me say it this time-thank you for what you've done," I said sincerely.

"I was carrying out the wishes of the late Mr. Davis before he died," Max replied.

"Mr. Davis? Who's that?" I asked, frowning. Max was silent, his expression serious.

"Have you really never heard the name Davis in your life? Then what's your full name?" he asked. I grew even more confused. We had been talking about some man named Davis-now suddenly, he was asking for my full name?

"Valentine. You seem to already know my name," I replied.

"Just Valentine?" he asked, unconvinced.

"How long did you expect my name to be? I don't know who my father is, and my mother only gave me the name Valentine. Is that wrong?" For some reason, I felt very emotional as I finished my sentence.

"Davis is your father's name," Max said. My eyes widened, and suddenly my body tensed up because of Max's words.

"Impossible. Even my mother didn't know who my father was," I answered. How could Mother know who my father was when she had many clients all this time?

"Your mother lied to protect you," Max said.

"I-I don't understand," I said desperately.

"Emily Davis was kicked out by her husband because of slander from his step-siblings, accusing her of having an affair with a man," Max explained. My mouth fell open, and my heart pounded harder as I heard this new truth revealed by Max.

"During her escape, she met Claire, who at first was thought to be her savior, but it turned out otherwise," he continued. Up to this point, I think I began to understand what happened to Mother.

"Emily Davis didn't die of illness but was murdered by Claire's henchmen because she refused Claire's offer to work at her brothel."

"How can I believe all your nonsense? Maybe you're lying to me right now, aren't you?" I asked, full of emotion. His statement that Mother was killed by Claire's people made me very angry.

"I'm not forcing you to believe it, but this is what the late Mr. Davis wanted to tell you. He only found out the truth about his wife and child shortly before his death and wrote it in a letter. That letter was given to me, and I'm only allowed to read it after he passed away. I'm not making up nonsense," Max replied, seemingly unaffected by my anger.

"I know your mother. I was only ten years old when your mother was kicked out of the Davis family home. At that time, the late Mr. Davis was full of rage because of the instigation from his siblings," he said then.

"My father was Mr. Davis's personal bodyguard, and when my father died, I replaced him until Mr. Davis also passed away from his illness."

I didn't want to believe what Max said, but everything he said felt so real. Slowly, tears I couldn't hold back anymore fell, imagining the faces of my mother and father whom I didn't even know, and the sad story behind it all.

Max didn't continue his story and let me cry for a while. After years of living in a cramped apartment and a very hard life, I rarely cried, but this time I wanted to cry as hard as I could to release my anger and sadness.

"There are many photos of Mr. and Mrs. Davis in your wardrobe. You can look at them anytime," Max said after my crying subsided.

"So... you helped me get out of the brothel because of my father's request?" I asked, my chest trembling as I said the word "father."

"Yes, Mr. Davis only found out what happened to you after accidentally overhearing a conversation from his step-siblings. At that time, Mr. Davis was already severely ill, so he couldn't do much," he answered.

"This house is one of the places Mr. and Mrs. Davis often stayed when they wanted to get away from the city's hustle and bustle," he added, making me look around every corner of this house. No wonder Max greeted me with 'welcome back' when I arrived earlier.

"Sorry if my story makes you sad. But I had to tell you so you'd know what really happened in the past," he said again.

"Please leave me alone for now," I requested with a face still wet from tears.

"Alright if that's what you want. If you need my help, you can call me at the back house," he said, then left me shortly afterward.

My crying broke out again right after Max left. How much I wanted to say all this was a lie, that Max was just making up a story. But... why would he do that?

I wiped my tears in despair and then walked to the wardrobe. My hands moved and opened drawer after drawer inside the closet. In the very bottom drawer, there were several stacks of old photographs. With trembling hands, I took one by one of those worn photos. Slowly, my tears fell again, touching the old photos.

Max might be lying, but the photos in my hands this time could not lie to me. A couple and their baby were smiling happily. No wonder Claire said I looked like my mother; it turned out her words were true. My mother's face in her youth looked very much like mine.

I sobbed again. My chest ached. A father deceived by his step-siblings causing Mother to be expelled and brutally killed by Claire. Is that really what happened, and only now, at 22 years old, am I learning the truth?

Pressing my aching and tight chest, I kept crying without stopping. There was a deep anger and sadness I felt now. It seemed only crying could make my feelings feel lighter.

***

I woke up hearing the heavy rain. I must have fallen asleep from exhaustion after crying. The proof was the old photos of Father and Mother still spread out in front of me. I took one and hugged it tightly.

Taking a deep breath, I began tidying the scattered photos and put them back into the wardrobe drawer.

The thunderclap was so loud, paired with lightning flashing, that I held my breath. Moments later, all the lights in this house went out completely.

I was silent for a moment, then panicked a little while later. This house was still unfamiliar to me; I didn't know where the other sources of light were. Especially now, my surroundings were pitch dark, nothing visible even when I strained my eyes. Should I call Max? But where would I call him from when the entire house was pitch black?

The rain outside got heavier, and the thunder claps echoed back and forth. It was so terrifying that my whole body shivered with fear.

Even if I screamed loudly calling Max, he might not hear me. The rain was so loud it drowned out all other sounds.

My hand then groped around, and when I found the bed, I climbed onto it immediately. Hiding under the blanket was the best choice. For some reason, I had always been afraid of rain, thunder, and darkness since childhood. The three combined were the scariest things for me. When I lived in the apartment before, I didn't need to worry because Sandra was there to make me feel calm. But now I was alone in this unfamiliar house.

"Vale... Vale...!" A loud shout mixed with the sound of rain. I sharpened my hearing; no doubt, that was Max's voice.

"Where are you?" his voice came again.

"In the room," I replied just as loudly. I waited impatiently for Max to appear before me. A beam of light flashed and began entering the room; that was when I started to feel relieved.

Maybe because I felt so relieved, I immediately jumped toward Max when his figure appeared before me.

"I-I was very scared," I said while hugging his wet body.(*)