章 1: New daughter

The cold chilly air blew against her face, causing her neatly combed russet hair to dishevel. She raised her hand and used it to tuck the piece of hair that had come to settle on her face behind her ear.

She was sitting outside the house, her bright jade green eyes observing the star-filled sky and she smiled showcasing her cute deep dimples.

"Lea,won't you come in? It's getting chilly outside." a feminine concerned voice was heard outside.

Lea turned to face the woman who had now come out of the room fully to stand not too far from her.

"Just a minute Mom, I'll be inside soon," she said with a small smile and returned her gaze to the denim blue sky.

" Isn't it beautiful mom?" she questioned, her gaze still focused on the bright stars illuminating the night sky.

"It is, honey." the woman replied looking into the sky herself.

She walked quietly toward her daughter and came to sit next to her on the wooden bench.

"Just like you," she added, causing Lea to smile.

"But you need to get inside dear, or else you'll catch a cold." Mrs.Camille stated and stood up along with her daughter.

Both of them walked slowly toward the house with Mrs.Camille's hand draped around Lea's back and they entered the house.

When they got inside, Lea saw her father sitting on the couch, sipping silently on the coffee in his hand. He turned to look at his wife and daughter who had entered the room and placed the coffee on the small table before him.

"Lea, you shouldn't sit outside in the cold. We don't want you to fall sick dear."Mr.Gordon said feeling worried for his daughter.

" Don't worry dad, I won't fall sick. I'm a strong girl, remember?"Lea said reassuringly making her parents chuckle softly at her words.

"Yes dear, you are a strong girl, but still...."Mr.Gordon trailed off.

" Alright, that's all for tonight. It's getting late Lea, you have work tomorrow. Go get some sleep."Mrs.Camille interrupted them, urging Lea to go to the room she shared with her sister.

"Alright Mom," Lea said and went over to her dad to kiss him goodnight.

She did the same with her mom when she came close to her and hurried off to her room.

After Lea was gone, Mrs.Camille went to sit by her husband and heaved a deep sigh.

"This daughter of mine won't kill me," she said to her husband in a tired tone.

"It's good she has learned to open up and speak freely over the years. She has really changed since then."Mr.Gordon stated and his wife nodded in comprehension.

"You're right honey, her mood has drastically changed since that time and I'm glad for the changes in her."

Mrs.Camille replied."It has been eighteen years since we took her in as our own after the tragedy and yet over the years, no one has come to claim her."

"Hmm...maybe all her family members died in the explosion and she was the only one who survived. she was just four when I picked her up from the site. She was lucky to have survived that tragic event." Mr.Gordon's brows creased remembering the time he had brought Lea into his home.

**eighteen years ago**

"How can you bring another woman's child into our home when I'm pregnant, Gordon." Mrs.Camille yelled at her husband seeing that he had brought a little girl home saying she was going to stay with them from now on.

"Listen to me, Camille. I didn't have an affair with any woman. I found this little girl at the site when I went out with my men to investigate the explosion. It seemed she was the youngest among the few survivalists and I decided to bring her home since no one was willing to take her in. " Mr.Gordon explained to his upset wife.

"Why didn't you send her off to the orphanage or something. If she was a survivalist, I'm sure the government would have taken care of her." Mrs.Camille ranted on.

"She's just a little girl, Camille. She lost her parents in the explosion and sending her off to the orphanage all by herself without her parents didn't sit well with me." he reasoned with his wife.

" Well, listen, Gordon, since you have decided to be the hero here, it's either she leaves or I leave."Mrs.Camille stated frantically.

"Don't say that, Camille. She's just a little girl, and I couldn't possibly allow you to leave in this condition. Please just let her stay with us. Everything will be alright." Mr.Gordon pleaded with his wife.

"But what about our child, Gordon. Is she going to share you with that girl?" Mrs.Camille said looking at the shabbily dressed girl behind her husband.

"Don't worry, Camille. We will be one family, and our unborn child is going to have a big sister when she's born."

"That's the point, honey. We are going to have a baby and she's going to have to share your love and affection with that girl over there." Mrs.Camille stated.

"Alright let's do this, we will let her stay here for the time being while we're still searching for her relatives to come for her, till then, let her stay here with us. Please, Camille." Mr.Gordon suggested looking expectantly at his pregnant wife.

"Alright Gordon, but she will be with us only till then." Mrs.Camille finally agreed and her husband's mood brightened up on his wife's acceptance.

He thanked her profusely before she brought the girl in and had her change into something nice.

A month later, Mrs.Camille gave birth to a beautiful baby girl whom they named Nicole.

"Welcome to our precious little family, Nicole Peyton."Mr.Gordon said happily while he held his baby girl in his arms and Mrs.Camille smiled." Thank you so much, Camille, for this wonderful gift. Words cannot express how much I love you."

"I love you too, Gordon," Mrs.Camille said with a wide smile plastered on her lips.

Soon both the mother and baby were discharged from the hospital and they went to their own house where the Peyton family had one new member.

Years passed by, and still, no relative of the little girl Mr.Gordon had brought home had come to claim her.

Mrs.Camille had started to grow fond of the little girl and as time passed by she came to love her as her own. She loved and treated her as her daughter, giving the same amount of love and affection that she gave her own child to her and Mr. Gordon was so happy about the change.

Both Gordon and Camille had decided to call her Lea, because, when Gordon had brought her to the house, she wore a bracelet which had the name Lea on it. They assumed that it was her name and called her that.

Back to the present, Mrs.Camille leaned on her husband's shoulder and whispered to him.

"I'm sorry I doubted you when you brought her in for the first time. I'm also sorry I pushed her away." she apologized.

" Don't worry dear, what matters now is that we're one family and we are happy. We have two beautiful and healthy daughters," he stated and Mrs. Camille hummed in response, slowly drifting off to sleep.