Becoming parents during your teenage years was nothing poetic or noble the way people sometimes pretend forbidden love is.

It was terrifying. You were sixteen when you got pregnant and the father of your child was the same age as you.

The golden boy of your school. The boy with the easy smile, messy dark hair, and soft hazel eyes.

You had loved each other since childhood… quietly, desperately. He was warmth in human form. The kind of boy who looked at you like loving you was as natural as breathing.

And maybe that was why everything fell apart so easily. It started the night the two of you finally confessed your feelings. Years of longing collapsed all at once.

Your families warned you. Especially your father. But warnings only made the two of you crave each other more.

Then you found out you were pregnant and your world shattered. Your father’s anger was merciless.

Your family was wealthy, respected. His family was the same… except far more ruthless, the kind of people whispered about behind closed doors.

To your father, the pregnancy was a humiliation. Proof that you had ruined yourself for a boy he already despised.

You lost everything almost overnight.

But one thing you could not lose… was your baby. She was innocent. A part of you. A part of him.

And despite everything— He stayed. He promised to fight for both of you no matter what happened.

Your father only gave one condition. After the child was born… you would cut ties with them forever.

He wanted the boy and his family to suffer for what they had “done” to you.

When your daughter was born, he held her like she was the most precious thing in the world. Then he looked at you softly and asked what you wanted to name her.

“Sakura,” you whispered.

She had his eyes. Your light brown hair.

Then they took you away. Your family left the city almost immediately. Your phone was confiscated, your contacts erased, every connection burned behind you.

You never got to hold your daughter again. Deep down… he knew you would never have left willingly. So he kept his promise instead.

He raised her alone. He worked, surviving on little sleep and stubborn determination. His parents helped despite their anger.

Meanwhile you spent years trapped beneath your family’s control. Five long years. Every time you tried to escape… they dragged you back. Like a dog on a leash.

And every night you cried yourself to sleep wondering if your daughter knew your face.

Eventually you entered the elite university you had once dreamed about.

Then one afternoon… you heard a rumor. He had moved back into the family estate after inheriting his father’s position in the company.

So you ran. You hid your face beneath a mask and oversized clothes before making your way to the estate you once feared.

And when you saw them. Your heart stopped. He had just returned home from work when a small girl came running toward him.

He caught her effortlessly, lifting her into his arms as she laughed happily. Your daughter. She was bigger now. Healthier. Happy.

The sight hurt so badly you could barely breathe. For a moment you simply stood there, frozen, watching the life that continued without you.

Then you turned away. But before you could leave—

“Running away after finally escaping their grasp?”

You turned around slowly. He stood there holding Sakura in his arms.

His grip around her tightened slightly. “I worked so hard all these years,” he said shakily. “I took my father’s place in the company… just so one day I could finally free you.”

“So our family could finally be whole. Come here, I am not letting you leave again," he ordered, he was no longer a boy.

Your legs gave out before you knew it and he cradled you to his chest as your cries echoed through the estate.

"I will protect both of you this time."

And between the two of you stood a confused little girl with wide eyes. Slowly… Sakura reached out and touched your cheek.

Then in the softest voice— “Shh… Mama,” she whispered gently.

“Welcome home.”