Trapped in the Love of Stepchildren
Chapter 13

Daniel stared at his watch which showed at 7 p.m. Since this morning, she has received a lot of pressure from those around her regarding her love affair with Laura, her stepmother. He felt frustrated and angry at the same time.

Daniel is frustrated that he has to face pressure from his brothers and friends who cannot accept their love affair. They talked about how it would ruin family relationships and destroy her own good name. Daniel felt that the people around him did not understand his feelings, and he did not know how to deal with them.

Meanwhile, Laura was worried. He saw how angry and frustrated Daniel was whenever he received pressure from those around him. He tries to help Daniel and convince him that they have a strong love and nothing can ruin it. Daniel is still unsure.

One night, as Daniel and Laura were relaxing on the porch, Daniel began to open his heart. "Laura, I feel very frustrated and angry with the pressure I've received from the people around me" she said in a weak tone. "I know they only care about my family's relationship and their good name, but I feel that I can't continue to withstand this pressure."

Laura grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes affectionately. "I understand how you feel, Daniel," he said. "I also feel a little depressed by this situation, but I won't let it destroy our love. We have to get together and get through this together."

"I know, Laura," said Daniel. "But what if they're really right? What will happen to our relationships and their impact on those around us?”

Laura took a deep breath before answering. "We can't predict the future, Daniel," he said. "But the important thing is that we love each other and we have to fight for our love. We must not let others influence our decisions."

Daniel nodded. "I understand, Laura," he said. "But I feel that I can't keep fighting this pressure. I feel tired."

Laura stroked his hand. "I know how you feel, Daniel," he said. "But we have to stay together and be strong. We have to prove to those around us that our relationship is not just about dividing the family, but about genuine, supportive love. We have to fight for our relationship."

Daniel looked at Laura with grateful eyes. "Thank you, Laura," she said. "I feel better now, because I know that I'm not alone in this situation."

Laura smile. "We'll always be together, Daniel," he said. "We're going to get through all this together and be stronger because of it."

Daniel felt calmer after talking to Laura. He felt that he was not alone in this situation and that someone was always supporting him.

—

Daniel and Laura attend Daniel's friend's wedding. There, they met many of Daniel's relatives and friends. Everyone seemed happy and excited at the wedding.

However, when one of Daniel's friends asks about Daniel and Laura's love affair, Daniel feels a re-emerging pressure. The person questions about how their relationship can damage the family relationship and destroy Daniel's own good name.

Daniel was angry and frustrated. He felt that everyone was only thinking about themselves and not paying attention to his feelings and Laura. He began to blame himself for the situation.

Laura saw the worry on Daniel's face. He took her hand and said, "Don't let anyone ruin our feelings, Daniel. We have to fight for our relationship and not care what others say."

Daniel nodded, but he was still depressed. He asked permission to calm his own mind and Laura understood that. Daniel was sitting alone in the garden near the party. He reflected on everything that happened in his life and his love affair with Laura.

Moments later, a beautiful woman approached him. Daniel was nervous as he looked at the face of Emilia, his former lover who had not met for a long time.

Emilia's face looked as pretty as it used to be, and Daniel felt a little groggy. He was not sure what to say or how to behave.

Emilia approached Daniel with a smile on her face. "Hello, Daniel," he said kindly. "During not meeting. How are you?"

Emilia smiled and nodded. They sit on a bench in the corner of the park. For a while, the atmosphere became awkward and silent.

Daniel tries to break the silence by saying, "So, what have you been doing all this time?"

Emilia looked at him gently. "I moved to another city to work" he said. "I just broke up with my boyfriend."

Daniel was a little relieved to hear that Emilia was fine. However, he felt unsure about how he should respond. "Oh, sorry to hear that," he said at last.

Emilia nodded. "No problem. So, what happened to you?"

Daniel felt a little awkward to answer. "I now work as an engineer" he said. "And I'm in a loving relationship with someone."

Emilia looked at him attentively. "That's good for you," he said. "Is he a good person?”

Daniel smiled. "Yes, he's great" he said. "He was so supportive and loving."

Emilia nodded, but Daniel felt that he was still unsure about what he was feeling. He felt a little depressed and frustrated by the situation.

The silence reoccurred making the atmosphere even more awkward. After a while, Emilia decided to take the risk and asked. "Daniel, I have to admit that I'm still thinking about our past relationship" he said.

Daniel looked at her attentively. "What are you thinking?" said.

Emilia was relieved to be able to speak frankly with Daniel. “I feel that we both have grown and changed since we broke up," she said. "And I feel that we haven't really talked about our relationship and how we feel about it."

Daniel took a deep breath. "I know it's hard to talk about" he said. "But I also feel that we need to finish it well."

Emilia nodded and asked, "What do you think about our relationship?"

Daniel looked at her gently. "I feel that we have many wonderful memories together" he said. "But in the end, we both can't give each other the best."

Emilia felt a little disappointed hearing that. He knew that Daniel was right, but still it was difficult to accept that fact. "But what if we try again?" tanyakanya.

Daniel looked at her sadly. "Emilia, I'm not sure it will work" he said. "We've tried to fix it, but in the end we still don't fit in with each other."

Emilia felt a little offended hearing that. He felt that Daniel did not give him a chance to improve their relationship. "But what if we try again?" he said a little loudly.

Daniel looked at her gently. "Emilia, I know you still have feelings for me" he said. "But you also have to look ahead and look for your own happiness."

Emilia felt a little regretful as she could not convince Daniel to try again on their relationship. However, he was also relieved that they ended up talking about their relationship openly. Without them knowing someone saw and heard the conversation they both.