Sakura and the brothers turned to see Haruka collapsing there at the door in Sosuke’s arms.
Sakura shot up and headed straight to Haruka. The woman’s skin was sheet white, and it worried her sick. Akira was beside her aunt, calling Haruka’s name while the maid who had opened the door for them stood to one side, her face shocked and concerned.
Sosuke easily and gently picked up Haruka and brought her into the living area, laying her on the sofa. The maid hovered about until Brenda told her to go and resume her chores. She nodded hesitantly and rushed away.
Akira, who looked almost as pale as her aunt, kneeled on the floor, her hands holding on to Haruka’s tight.
“Oba-chan. Please be all right. Please?” she said softly, her voice shaking.
Nicolas was behind her, his hands gentle on her shoulders. Akira glanced up, her eyes teary. “She was okay on our way here and then…” She couldn’t go any further and threw herself into his arms, snuggling her face against his chest as her body shook.
Akira’s reaction shook Nicolas to his core, and he felt his stomach churn with sickness. He’d never felt like this toward any woman before. Of course, he loved his mother and Sakura. They, however, didn’t make him feel the way he did right there. Akira made him feel connected, and when things like this happened and she was scared and upset, he felt as though he were in the same boat as her. He felt her pain and wanted to help ease it.
He tightened his arms around her and said, “She’ll be fine.”
Akira raised her head to stare up at the handsome man and nodded, blushing a little for showing her weakness in front of him.
Sosuke took a deep breath and turned his attention to Sakura. “Sakura-chan?”
Sakura, who was staring at the pale woman before her with concern, turned her attention to Sosuke. “Yes?”
“Please go and sit beside Oba-chan. She was so worried about you last night.”
Sakura, realizing she was the one responsible for the woman’s worry, obediently came to sit on the floor beside the sofa.
A few moments later, Haruka fluttered her eyes open. “Sakura,” she called out weakly.
“I’m here,” Sakura said, moving in closer. “I’m okay. I’m sorry I worried you.”
Haruka stared long and hard at Sakura through teary eyes. She brought her hand up and touched Sakura’s face, stroking her soft skin. The woman smiled sadly, which confused James, Brenda, and the brothers. They could tell by her action and the affection and adoration on her face that the woman really loved Sakura. But with such a deep devotion? How? Why?
“I’m so sorry,” Haruka mumbled, shaking her head. “I’m so sorry. It was all my fault. I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have. I…” Tears flowed down her cheeks and her body shook.
Sakura grabbed for Haruka’s hand and held on to the woman tight. She said soothingly, “It’s all right. It was my fault. Not yours. I should have taken more care to tell you where I was going.”
“No. No. No,” Haruka mumbled. “That’s not it. It was my fault.” She raised herself up and pulled Sakura into her arms, hugging the girl tight, never wanting to let her go. “It was all my fault. I left you there on the doorstep of Queen Mary Orphanage, thinking you’d be safe, thinking you’d be all right. I’m so sorry.”
Those words, uttered in her broken voice, shocked Sakura to her very core. She stiffened in Haruka’s arms as, unbeknownst to her, tears flowed down her cheeks.
James and Brenda eyed each other while the brothers sported confused and shocked looks on their faces.
“What do you mean?” Sakura asked, her voice trembling with emotion and bewilderment.
Haruka moved back so she could look at Sakura properly. She cupped the girl’s face and smiled through teary eyes. “I’m your biological mother, Sakura. My maiden name is Haruka Tanaka. Suzuki is my late husband’s surname.”
Sakura sucked in her breath and her heart pumped loud and fast as she gazed at Haruka.
Haruka touched the pendant of the necklace about Sakura’s neck and said, “That was mine. My very first jewel I designed myself. I left it for you. It…and the note. My daughter’s name is Sakura.”
She caressed the girl’s cheek with her thumb. “You were born in spring, Sakura. I remember that day so clearly, and I’ve never, ever forgotten it. I couldn’t. It was such a beautiful spring day. And you were so beautiful. So tiny and pale and so much beautiful black hair. That morning, I took the ferry to St. Joseph Island from New York. I sat there watching the cherry blossoms and thought how beautiful they were. I remembered the sakura flower back home in Japan and thought it would be a beautiful name for my daughter. So I named you Sakura. I walked along the street, wondering what I’d do with you. Then I saw the orphanage. And…”
She tightened her arms on Sakura again and whimpered, “I’m so sorry. I should have never left you there. I should have taken you back to Japan with me.”
Tears blinded Sakura now as she stared at the woman before her. Her whole body shook when she whispered, “You’re my mother?”
Haruka nodded. “The moment I saw you on the runway that day, Sakura, I knew you were my daughter. I just had to find a way to be with you. And well…” She glanced up at the brothers, who nodded and understood perfectly.
Sakura still couldn’t believe it. She’d spent the majority of her life praying and dreaming and searching for the woman who had given birth to her, and now, here she was. In fact, she’d been living with the woman for almost three weeks, yet Sakura just couldn’t believe it.
“You’re my oka-san?” Sakura asked.
“Yes, I am, Sakura,” Haruka said, hugging her tight. “I wanted to tell you so many times, but I…I was afraid you’d reject me. I am a horrible mother, Sakura.”
“No, you’re not. You must have had your reasons,” Sakura said.
The two stayed there, hugging each other tightly, mother and daughter at long last reunited. It wasn’t until much later when everyone settled down after the shocking revelation had completely sunk in that James drew everyone’s attention to him.
“Sakura,” he began, “The woman you bumped into was Mrs. Margaret Byrd. Although, she’s going by the name Julie Clark now.”
Sakura swallowed and nodded.
“As for Tara, we’re unsure yet whether she knows about her mother being alive and has any connection with her.”
“This is just unbelievable,” Nicolas said. His brothers agreed, nodding their heads.
Haruka, who looked very concerned about Sakura’s wellbeing now, said, “Mrs. Byrd was the headmistress of the orphanage?”
“Yes,” Brenda confirmed.
Haruka turned to her daughter. “Sakura, I sent you letters. Too many to count. Didn’t you receive any?”
Sakura frowned. “You sent me letters? No, I never received letters from anybody.”
Haruka looked confused. “I sent countless letters and checks with them. You didn’t get any of those?” At Sakura’s shake of her head, Haruka said in outrage, “This is unbelievable. I wanted to make sure you had the best of everything. I wrote letters to Mrs. Byrd and gave her instructions, Sakura. That money was for you.”
Sakura still shook her head. “I’ve never received anything.”
James said, “I believe this needs further investigation.”
“How much in total did you send to Sakura?” Nicolas asked, being the one good with money management.
“It had to have been at least over three million,” Haruka said.
Sakura nearly choked on her breath. Over three million? She couldn’t believe it. If there was no Mrs. Byrd, then Sakura wouldn’t have suffered the torture and bullying. If there was no Mrs. Byrd, Sakura would have had a lovely childhood, what with all that money saved up for her. But that was not to be.
“Sakura,” James said, “you do understand you might be in danger where Mrs. Clark is concern?”
Sakura nodded.
“If she knows Sakura recognized her,” Sebastian said, “she’d make sure Sakura stays quiet.”
Sakura said, “She knows I recognized her. I saw it in her eyes. She was scared, Sebastian.”
“Then there’s no doubt she’ll be planning something?” Darcy asked his father.
James nodded. “Erick said she owns a gentlemen’s parlor. She has a number of men working for her.”
The brothers understood what men meant in their father’s context. They were ruthless gangs who went about doing their own thing regardless of the laws. They were menthe Princetons didn’t like, going about doing drugs and killing anyone they were asked to, provided there was good pay.
Sebastian turned his attention to Sakura. From now on, they’d have to be on guard where she was concerned. There might be a chance Mrs. Clark wasn’t going to do anything to Sakura, but that chance was slim, considering the extent the woman had gone to in order to gain her second identity and lifestyle. What they needed was more information, and that would take time. Meanwhile, they’d just have to look after Sakura as best they could.
It was some half an hour later when everyone bothered to leave Haruka and Sakura alone so they could do some catching up. It was a long session since they hadn’t seen each other for twenty-five years.