My mafia Daddy

3. THE LONG LOST DAUGHTER II. ________________

NINATH POV

•

„Ahh… another day almost ends.” I mumble into the pillow as I collapse face-first onto my bed. My arms and legs flop out like a ragdoll, and for a moment I don’t move at all.

•

Dinner was the same as always. Lukewarm soup with too much salt and no taste. It’s like we live in some kind of loop here, like one of those old movies Sister Luisa once showed me on the little orphanage TV. The same day just keeps repeating until the person finally goes insane or runs away or… dies. I roll over onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. Off-white, old and boring. I try to think of something, anything, I could do before lights out that doesn’t feel like another version of yesterday. Well, I don’t get far before…a soft knock at my door echoes through my room.

„Sister Luisa?” The door opens gently and there she is. Her eyes are a little red. Her expression was too soft. Too careful.

„Hello, dear…” She says with that half-smile she uses when she’s trying to be strong.

„May I come in?”

„Of course.” I scoot over on the bed as she steps in. She sits in the chair next to my bed and folds her hands in her lap like she always does when something’s weighing on her.

„You look sad.“Did something happen? Maybe I can cheer you up. Want to hear my impression of Sister Annabeth yelling at the girls in the laundry room?” I say, tilting my head giving her a grin. Goofy on purpose, but she doesn’t laugh.

„You know, the day they brought you here… you were so small…” She begins, voice already thick.

„Two days old. Crying nonstop. They didn’t know what to do with you, but I did. I held you, fed you, sang to you and you stopped crying. Just like that.” She smiles, and this time… It’s real, but sad.

„I’ve raised you every single day since, Ninath. Watched you grow into this sweet, strong, curious girl who makes the whole place brighter. I know we’re meant to love all the girls the same, but… you’re my heart, child. You always will be.” I blink fast as her words hit something deep in my chest.

„Thank you, Sister Luisa…” I whisper, already feeling the tears threatening to rise.

„You’re like my… my mom and best friend I’ve ever had.” I jump off the bed and throw my arms around her neck. She hugs me back tight, warm and real and trembling just a little.

„You are such an angel.” She says into my curls, but then she leans back, holding my face in her hands as she used to when I scraped my knees or got sick. Her eyes are glossy, her voice more serious.

„The reason I’m telling you all this… It’s because something’s changing. Something good.” I blink.

„Good?” She nods slowly.

„You’re being adopted, sweetheart.”

For a second, I don’t understand what she said. I just stare at her.

„…w-what did you say?” Her smile is soft.

„You’re being adopted sweet angel. The adoption is already in motion. Tomorrow morning a family will come for you.” The words land hard. I feel the breath leave my lungs all at once. I sink back down onto the bed, my eyes wide.

„I… I don’t understand. I thought… I thought I’d be told months in advance. There’s always a trial period, check-ins, paperwork…” I stutter startled and confused.

„This case is… different my dear.” She says carefully.

„Everything has been handled already. It’s all legitimate. And I know it's all very sudden, but I promise you, this is real.” I blink again.

„Am I really leaving?” She nods.

„Yes. Tomorrow.” I don’t know how to feel. It’s like a part of me is floating, rising out of my body in pure shock and another part is crashing onto the floor. I’m happy. Right?

Isn’t this what I’ve dreamed about? To be chosen? To leave this place? To have a family?

„Can I stay up late tonight?” I ask in a whisper. Sister Luisa lets out a quiet laugh, dabbing the corner of her eye.

„Yes. Of course.” She sits beside me, and for a while we don’t speak. Then she clears her throat and looks at me more closely.

„There’s something else. Something I need to say… because once you leave these walls, the world won’t be like this anymore.” I look up at her. Her eyes are warm, but heavy. She continues gently, as if each word is something delicate she has to hand me without breaking it.

„There are things out there you haven’t seen, sweetheart. People who don’t live by kindness or faith. People who will lie to your face just to see how far they can push you. Especially boys. Especially men.” I frown a little.

„Like… mean people?” She lets out a breath, one that carries far more weight than the word mean could ever hold.

„Yes, but not always in ways you’ll recognise. Some of them will be sweet. They’ll smile, hold the door, call you pretty, buy you gifts… and make you feel special, but underneath it, they want something. And they will pretend to care just enough to take more than they’re owed.” She says softly, but her voice tightens. Not angry, protective.

„They’ll make you question yourself. They’ll test your trust, your beliefs, your boundaries. If you haven’t learned to draw the line, they’ll do it for you and they’ll cross it when you aren’t looking.” I go still. That sounds… wrong. Twisted and confusing too.

Why would someone be kind to hurt you?

I stay quiet, fingers twisting a loose thread on my blanket.

„You must protect your heart and your body. They are both sacred. You don’t owe them to anyone. Not even if they say the right things. Not even if you like them.” She says, reaching for my hand and her voice gentles again.

„If something feels off, it probably is. If someone makes you feel small, or nervous, or like you’re only worth something if you give them what they want… say no. Say it as loud or as soft as you need. But mean it.” I nod slowly, my chest tight. The truth of her words presses on me. Unfamiliar and sharp.

„You’re allowed to be strong and still be kind. You don’t have to harden yourself to survive the world, but don’t let anyone mistake your softness for weakness.” She pauses.

„Especially not a man.”

„…O-okay, I won’t.” I whisper and she brushes a curl behind my ear, her hand lingering at my cheek. Then leans in and kisses the top of my head the way she always has, like I’m precious, like I’m hers.

„I don’t know who’s waiting for you, sweet girl. But I hope, with all my heart, they cherish you and that they will treat you the way you deserve.” I lean into her side, curling into the comfort I’ve known for as long as I can remember and just like that… the ache starts again. The knot in my stomach. The tremble in my chest.

This is my last night here.

The last time I’ll sleep in this bed.

The last time I’ll hear the chapel bells echo through the stone halls.

The last time I’ll sit here with my sister Luisa and feel her love and care.

Everything changes tomorrow. And even though this place has always been a little like a cage…it was my cage. The only world I’ve ever known. I will have a real family. Maybe go to school. Maybe make real friends. Maybe even have a normal life… whatever that means. Of course, I’ll miss Sister Luisa. Maybe my new parents will let me write to her. Maybe they’ll let me visit on holidays.

„I don’t know what to say.” I blink fast and wipe my face with the edge of my sleeve.

„I’m so happy… but I’m also so sad. I don’t want to leave you, Sister Luisa.” I look at her hopefully.

„Can you tell me about them? My new parents? Have you seen them? Did you talk to them? Are they nice? Do they look kind? Tell me, tell me…” All the questions flood out of me in one breath, and I don’t even realise I’m talking too fast until I see her smile. She gives a small chuckle, wiping at the corner of her eye. „Slow down, Nina dear. One thing at a time.” I smile sheepishly and bounce to my feet pacing in front of the bed.

„I have to pack! Oh God. I have to… but I don’t have anything…” I stop, my fingers frozen around the hem of my dress.

„Where do I even start?” Sister Luisa stands slowly, her robes whispering against the floor. She lays a gentle hand on my shoulder.

„We’ll do it together, sweetheart. Sister Teresa gathered some things. Donated clothes, a suitcase and a few essentials. It’s not much, but it’s a start.” She offers me a soft smile. „You’ll have what you need.” I nod, and something inside me softens. But still… there’s this ache behind my ribs I can’t explain. As the moonlight spills through the small window, painting pale ribbons across the floor, I sit on the edge of the bed with the suitcase beside me. My excitement feels like it’s wrapped in grief. Beginnings…They always look like endings first. And tomorrow? Tomorrow is both.

•

Sister Luisa moves quietly around the room, placing folded clothes onto the bed one at a time. After a moment, she clears her throat gently.

„There’s something else, Nina.” Her voice is calm, but I hear the tightness underneath.

„I wasn’t supposed to tell you yet, but I don’t want you walking into tomorrow with no idea of what’s coming.” I straighten a little, heart fluttering.

„What is it?”

„The person adopting you… is a man. His name is Marcus Black.” A man? My stomach dips, but I try to keep my face neutral.

„He’s your legal guardian now. I haven’t met him, everything came through the agency, and very quickly, but from what I’ve seen, he’s… determined to care for you. To give you a home.” I say nothing at first. I think I’m still trying to imagine what it means to live outside these walls.

A man? A father?

„Will he… will he be nice?” She stops folding and looks at me, like really looks at me.

„I hope so, but even if he isn’t everything you imagined, you are not powerless. You are not alone.” She says honestly. Her eyes mist, but she smiles.

„You’ve always been brave, even when you didn’t feel like it.” I swallow the lump rising in my throat.

„Sister Luisa… can I ask something strange?” She lifts an eyebrow.

„You can ask me anything, sweetheart.”

„…Is it scary?” I whisper.

„The outside world?” There’s a long pause. Then she sits beside me again, sighing softly.

„Well, it can be, yes. The world is wide and beautiful Nina, but it’s not always kind. People out there… they don’t always live by faith, or truth. Some will see your heart, your softness, and mistake it for weakness.” I blink slowly. Her voice is so calm… but so serious.

„You may meet boys, or even men, who smile at you, flatter you… Say things that make you feel special, but not all of them are good. Some will take, even when you don’t want to give.” I frown.

„Like… thieves?” She smiles faintly, but shakes her head.

„Not always that obvious. Some of them will try to take your trust. Your body. Your peace. That’s why you must listen to your heart. If something feels wrong, say no. You are allowed to say no.” I nod slowly, heart beating a little faster. This is real. It’s really happening.

„You have every right to protect your body. It’s yours. It’s sacred.” She pauses, then adds softly.

„I lived a life before I came here. Before I gave myself to God. I’ve seen things and felt them too.” I look at her, wide-eyed.

„You have?” She chuckles.

„Yes, little one. I wasn’t born in robes and vows. I was a girl once too. And I made mistakes. But you… You don’t have to learn everything the hard way.” I lean forward, wrapping my arms around her waist tightly.

„I love you, Sister Luisa. You’ve always been… everything. My home. My mother. My friend. I don’t know what I would have done without you when I was little. When the others teased me. When I cried at night. You always made it okay.” She closes her arms around me too, burying her face in my hair.

„And I would do it all over again a thousand times, sweet girl.” She whispers.

„You have been the light of my life. And I will miss you every day.” My throat tightens.

„Can I come visit you one day? Will they let me?”

„I hope so. If not, then write. I’ll keep every letter.” We sit like that for a long time. The suitcase was forgotten. The world beyond the walls is waiting.

For tonight…this is still home and Sister Luisa is still my rock.