Chapter Four

(Raya's POV)

The Festival Of Light and Harmony soon ends, but, with Becky's newfound parentage, Tong, his wife and son are invited to stay in Heart so Becky can get used to having a family again...not that I'm not family, considering I'm her betrothed...but I just want her to get used to being around her adoptive family again, with the wedding coming up in...who knows how many months.

We haven't decided on a date yet.

Or a venue.

Or what we're wearing.

Or the food, or the music, or...you get the picture. We haven't had any time to make any decisions concerning our wedding, with the festival and Becky reuniting with her adoptive father, mother and brother.

This morning, Becky is out in the garden, meditating on her new life here. She's not having any regrets being here, she's just hoping the mysterious force that attacked her once will not do so again.

But her wish, and my same wish for her, will not be granted.

I'm in the library with my future brother-in-law, Jun, who just turned two, reading to him, when we hear a scream coming from the garden.

Becky's adoptive mother, Mei, takes Jun from me so Tong and I can go investigate the scream together.

Once Tong and I get out to the garden, we see a sight that breaks our hearts – Becky, lying on the ground, her dress bunched up above her waist, her undergarments at her ankles. We rush to her side, and see she's barely conscious.

"Raya, go get your father. And hurry!" Tong tells me, tears welling in his eyes.

Nodding at Tong with tears of my own forming, I run as fast as my legs can carry me back inside to find Ba.

Once I find him, one look from me tells him we need to help the love of my life.

Ba gathers as many spare healers as possible, and tells them to wait in Becky's and my bedroom.

When Ba and I reach Becky and Tong, Tong has gathered his adoptive daughter in his arms, and his holding her closely and protectively against him.

"Tong, we need to get her inside, in case the attacker is nearby." I say, kneeling in front of my future father-in-law and my betrothed.

Tong nods solemnly, and, standing up slowly with Becky in his arms, we head to the bedroom.

I try to suppress my rage, not at Becky, but at whoever attacked her.

"Raya...Tong can stay with his daughter. Come with me to investigate where she was attacked." Ba tells me. With a quick kiss on my betrothed's forehead, I tearfully follow my father back out to the garden.

Unfortunately, whoever had attacked Becky is long gone. Whoever had attacked her knew how to clean up their mess. Whoever had attacked her could've been the same person who had attacked her before...but how would they have gotten here, to Kumandra?

We head back inside to tell Tong that we couldn't find the attacker, but he's occupied with rubbing his daughter's back as she sobs. Heartbroken, I look at Ba, finding tears of his own welling in his eyes.

"Tong?" I ask, kneeling beside him.

"She may be pregnant. I will kill whoever did this to her, regardless of whether she is with child or not."

"I'll be right there with you, Tong. But, right now, we need to focus on helping Becky physically recover from this. I don't know if she ever told you of the miscarriage she had."

"She did. She has been through so much heartache, so much pain...why would someone do this to her again?"

"I – I don't know, Tong."

"R-Raya..." I rush to Becky's side, taking her hands in my own.

"Shhh. I'm here. I'm right here."

"Did you find the person who did this?" She asks.
"No."

She bursts into fresh tears, and Tong doesn't hesitate to kiss his daughter's head, trying to bring her even just an ounce of comfort.

Filled with heartache and grief, Becky soon cries herself to sleep with Tong and I watching over her protectively.

Once guards are placed outside the room, Tong and I go over to a corner of the room to talk.

"Tong, I just want you to know that I will still love and marry your daughter, whether she's going to have a baby or not."

"I'm grateful for that, Raya. I don't know whether my daughter could survive another heartbreak."

"I'll make sure she does survive any heartbreak that comes her way, and I don't doubt you'll do the same."

"I sure will. And thank you."

"You're welcome. Thank you, too."

"For what?"

"For giving her a family."

"I don't know why my memories of her didn't resurface until recently."

"I don't either...but I know you'll make even more memories with her."

"Yes, I will. And I don't doubt that you, Raya, will make new memories with her."

"I sure will."

I lean on my future father-in-law, sighing sadly.

"I'm sure that she will be fine. I do know that both you and I will be by her side, no matter what." Tong tells me.

"I would have said the same thing."

For the next five months, wedding planning is put on hold until we know for sure whether or not Becky is pregnant, since she doesn't want to go through the pain of miscarriage again.

She goes through five months of throwing up, weird cravings, weight gain (don't tell her I said that), among other things.

The healer comes by our bedroom one day after five months have passed, and she listens for a heartbeat...and she finds one, which confirms our suspicions – Becky is indeed pregnant.

Even though it's not her fault, she apologizes to me and Tong profusely. After we've told her relentlessly that this is in no way her fault, she decides with me that it would be best for our wedding to be put on hold until after the baby is born. Tong agrees.

"And I will be with you, my daughter, from the first contraction, to the final push." Tong proudly tells his adoptive daughter. I agree with Tong.