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“I can’t wait to see her.” I smiled at the thought, but something deep down told me I shouldn’t have.
“That won’t be possible, flower, the day we saved you—” he exhaled shakily. “The day we saved you, was the day she left us.” Those words were the ones I dreaded, the ones I never wanted to hear, and although I knew I would have to hear them at some point, it didn’t make it any easier.
“You’re lying!” I whispered as my hand flew to my mouth.
“I wish we were, baby.” My mother squeezed my hand, but I ripped it away.They had to be lying.
I jumped up without thinking and ran to the coat cupboard. I pulled out any jacket I could find and shoved it over me.
I had to see her.
“Ana, flower, stop, please.” I gazed at my father and seeing the pain on his face finalised it for me, he wasn’t lying, neither of them were.
This was too much to take. My heart shattered as my knees buckled beneath me. I felt myself falling in slow motion until my father caught me. He wrapped his arms around me as the painful screams escaped me once again. It was one nightmare after the other and I couldn’t take another blow, not today anyway.
“Why didn’t you tell me yesterday, Mama?” I glanced over my father’s shoulder as we all sat huddled by the front door.
“You went through enough; we didn’t want to add to that.” She cupped my bruised cheek as he wrapped her other arm around the broad shoulders of my father. “How about I make us all some breakfast while you two head back to the lounge.”
“Come on, flower.” My papa helped me back into the lounge as I snuggled up to him on the sofa. He pulled the blanket over me.
“I’m sorry this happened when you weren’t here,” he apologised, and I knew it was harder for him than it was for me.
“I guess these things happen, Papa, it just hurts that I never got to say goodbye.” I sighed as the tears finally stopped.
“If it helps, I didn’t get to say goodbye either, it happened around the same time Lorenzo carried you out of that room.”
“I’m sorry, Papa, I’m sorry you weren’t there.” I looked up at him through wide eyes and he flashed me a heartwarming smile.
“It was a bittersweet day for me. I lost my mother, but I got to save my baby girl and I was where she would have ordered me to be if she’d been awake.” He kissed the top of my head.
“She was always the bossy one, wasn’t she?”
“Your grandfather was a pussycat compared to her,” he joked, and I knew that with time things would get easier as long as we all had one another.
“Papa, when’s the… umm…”
“Everything is arranged. It’s on Monday, if you feel up to it.”
“This is our only chance to say goodbye. I will be there by your side papa.” I squeezed his hand and I truly saw how vulnerable my father could be when he allowed himself to show it.
“As long as I have you, Miles, and your Mama, I’ll be absolutely fine.”
We stayed quiet for a few minutes, unsure of what to say until he was the one to break the silence.
“Where’s Lorenzo?”
“He had to work, shipments he said, but who knows. Maybe he’ll be downtown at the club.” I shrugged my shoulders as I sat upright coming face-to-face with my father.
“He should be here with you, Ana.” His face changed almost instantly as his brows knitted together in anger or disappointment. “You need him more than that shit does.”
“I felt his love the moment I woke up, but after he found out how they treated me, he left and the next time I saw him was this morning.” I sighed. “He could barely look at me, he looked through me. Do I look that bad?”
“You look as beautiful as always.” He touched the bruise on my cheek. “Nothing will ever change that.”
“Then why… you know what, it doesn’t matter.” I didn’t fancy having a conversation like that with my father, so I dropped it instantly.
“I’m not sticking up for him on any level, but I know he’s finding it hard. Seeing you like this hurts him even if he doesn’t admit it. He doesn’t know how to deal with what he’s feeling right now because he’s never had to. But that man adores you. Give each other some time.”
