Souvenir - Chapter 4.5

“Good. Right now, you’re still recovering. You need a clear head for this.”

I nodded. He had a point.

Alex pushed himself up from the chair.

“She’s waiting outside.”

I glanced at the door.

“She is?”

“I told her to sit in the waiting area for a bit.”

“…Can you bring her in?”

He gave me a long look, then sighed and turned to go.

I needed to talk to her.

Alex was right—he would call his ex soon.

I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do yet.

But I knew one thing for certain.

I needed to see her.

A few minutes passed before the door creaked open.

She stepped inside cautiously, her movements small and hesitant.

Alex lingered just long enough to say, “I’m off. I have a press meeting to deal with.”

Then he was gone.

Su stood there, nervous.

I tried to smile.

But pain flared in my abdomen.

It was a clumsy attempt, but I hoped she understood.

“…Thank you for staying with me.”

She gave a small nod, her eyes lowering slightly.

I exhaled, then decided to get straight to the point.

“Did your mom ever talk about me?”

“Yes. She said you had black hair… that you were Japanese…”

I had told Vera I was Japanese-American. Had she simplified it for Su?

Before I could dwell on it, Su continued.

“…She said you were a lawyer. That you wanted to help her. That you might come to our house.”

Her voice was smaller than I expected—gentle, measured. But her pronunciation was crisp, deliberate, as if she had always spoken with clarity beyond her years.

“And she said you were going to take us to the mall. She promised you’d buy me shoes with this.”

She reached for the small, round shoulder bag hanging around her neck—some sort of character-themed pouch—and carefully pulled out a fifty-dollar bill.

The sight of it hit me like a punch to the gut.

Memories crashed back.

The night I met Vera. The money I had given her.

Now, here was her daughter—holding it carefully, like something precious.

The money that had been a trade for something I didn’t want to think about.

It was likely all that remained after her drunken father had taken the rest. The only thing she had managed to keep safe.

My fingers curled slightly.

“…Your mother,” I began, hesitating.

Did she not know?

Had no one told her yet?

She lowered her gaze.

“…It’s really sad.”

Then, as if she couldn’t bear it anymore, she let go of my arm, eyes widening, filling with tears. She clenched her hands into fists, pressing them against her face as she tried desperately to hold them back.

I reached out, hesitating only for a second before gently stroking her hair.

She knew.

She understood everything.

She was about the same age as I had been when I lost my own mother.

And because of that, I knew exactly how much it hurt.

“Mom… Mom protected me until the very end,” she whispered. “No matter what, she was always on my side.”

I couldn’t do anything but continue stroking her head.

After a long moment, she lifted her gaze, tears still clinging to her lashes.

She looked straight at me.

“…Now that Mom isn’t here to protect me, what happens to me?”

Her voice was small.

“Will I have to live alone?”

I opened my mouth.

But no words came out.

She stared at me, waiting.

Could I really say it? That I wanted to adopt her?

The thought seemed too impulsive. Too simple. But why? I had the skills, the knowledge—I could handle the legal process without breaking a sweat.

Still, the words stuck in my throat.

Silence stretched between us.

Then, Su whispered:

“…The mall.”

“…What?”

“You promised,” she said. “You promised to take me and Mom to the mall. When you get better, we’re going, right?”

She clutched the fifty-dollar bill tighter.

“I want to buy blue shoes,” she said, her voice a little stronger. “I love blue.”

“…Alright,” I murmured. “We’ll go.”

Her face lit up.

“I can’t wait! I’ve never been to a mall before!”

“We’ll go this weekend,” I said. “Do you like shopping?”

She nodded. “I love looking at clothes! And going on picnics at the park.”

“How about an aquarium?”

Her eyes widened. “Really?! That sounds amazing! There are so many things I want to do! I never got to go anywhere before… just thinking about it makes me happy!”

She beamed, her entire expression softening, as if the weight of grief had momentarily lifted.

And in that moment, I knew.

This wasn’t just some passing impulse.

It wasn’t a fleeting sense of obligation.

My decision had already been made.

From now on, I would take her wherever she wanted to go.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

She reached for my hand, grasping it tightly with both of hers.

I squeezed back.

Su.

Just saying her name made something tender bloom in my chest.

I had started a new life the moment Vera entrusted her to me.

From the day I took her in, my world had slowly begun to change.

At first, I had been lost.

I had no confidence in raising a child.

I had money. A stable career. A home, inherited from my father, where I could easily prepare a room for her.

But being a parent?

That was something I had never imagined myself capable of.

Even now, I wasn’t sure if I could live up to Vera’s wishes.

But one thing was certain.

I wanted to be there for her.

I wanted to be the one she came home to.

I wanted to see her grow.

And I wanted—more than anything—to live this life with her.