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I clear my throat and look at him, sitting confidently at his desk.

“Look, Dad. I’m sorry for the mess I’ve made here. It was never my intention to cause issues or make anyone else clean up my mess. I did what I did because I didn’t want to marry Ada, and you wouldn’t listen to me. I won’t be happy with her. Maybe, before everything that happened between us, I would have been, but not now. I know it’s what you want me to do, regardless of how I feel about it.”

I sigh, finally being completely honest. It’s both terrifying and somehow calming. At least it is all out there now. “I just couldn’t do it. She doesn’t mean anything to me, and I want to marry for love. I want a wife I’m proud to have, one that’s good to me and treats me well.”

I try to push the picture of Josephine out of my mind's eye. “I think I deserve that. But I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” I conclude.

Words flow out of my mouth like lava, causing my nervousness and shame to stream together. It’s definitely not to my benefit, though.

My father seems to be thinking over what I’m saying for longer than I’d like him to be. I sit in silence as he stares, not saying a word. Finally, he interlocks his fingers and puts his hands on his desk.

He stares at me with an intensity that makes me want to melt into a puddle under his desk, but I know I have to do this. My apology is part of my making things right.

“Aiden, I’m so disappointed in you. Not just for the mess you’ve caused but for the fact that you used an innocent woman to do it. I can’t imagine the hell you have put her through when all it would have taken is for you to speak up. If you didn’t want to be married to Ada, all you would have had to do was say so.”

He gives me a stony glare. “You are a grown man, capable of making your own decisions. Instead, you’ve brought a disaster into this poor young lady’s life, and that is not fair to her.”

My ears burn with embarrassment as I stare at the ground.Damn it. I would rather him be angry with me. Disappointment is almost a slap in the face. But where does he come off saying I can speak up? I did. He doesn’t listen. Whatever. It’s not worth the fight of bringing it up and making it worse.

“I know, Dad, and I’m so sorry. I truly recognize the hurt I have caused her. I know it was a mistake to do what I did. I caused a mess for you and the family, hurting her badly. The only thing I accomplished was hurting people. You have the right to be disappointed. I’m disappointed with myself,” I say truthfully while still wanting to hide under his desk.

My thoughts are going a million miles an hour. I look down and realize my leg taps ferociously on the ground.How am I going to get through this?

“Dad, all I ask is for another chance. I want to do the right thing and correct my wrongdoings. I’ve been a mess. I can’t lose her. Josephine has been an amazing part of my life, and I don’t want to lose our genuine connection. So please, let me have another chance,” I say, practically begging.

I finally glance up and look my father in the face. His eyebrow raises, and he stares at me, burning a hole through me. The anticipation is killing me at this point.

Finally, my father speaks. “Tell me about this connection, son. It seems to me that out of this mess, you may have found something valuable. Your words tell me that you do care for the woman you’ve hurt. Talk to me about it,” he says.

Is he really trying to have an actual conversation with me? Where do I even start? I want to tell him everything, right down to the letter. Would that be so bad? I don’t even know. I didn’t think I’d make it this far.Finally, I dare to say what I need to say and tell him how I truly feel.

“She gives me a feeling, unlike any other dad. I could stare into her eyes all day long and never get bored. In fact, the sea green of her eyes has become my favorite color. Everything comes very easily with her. I looked forward to talking with her and being with her more. She brought me a new sense of happiness, and I would move mountains to see her happy. It brings me unspeakable sadness that I have caused a great deal of hurt, especially to her.”

I glance at my father again and notice he’s no longer staring at me with his eyebrow raised. In fact, he’s smiling.

“Dad, there’s just something about her that makes me feel like I could spend everyday with her for the rest of my life, and it would be the best life I could live. I am very truly happy when she is around. I love her,” I say.

I feel powerful saying it. There’s no fear behind the statement, just pure passion. My father’s still smiling at me when he leans back in his chair. He glances behind me at my mother, who I realize for the first time is now standing behind me.

Shit. How long has she been here? It doesn’t matter; I know it’s the truth.

“Aiden, it seems you have found something valuable in this after all,” my father says, pausing briefly. “What are you going to do now?” he asks.

“I’m going to ask her to marry me,” I say bluntly. “I’m serious. For real, this time, I want to spend my life with her.”

As I leave my father’s office, confidence radiates off of me.I did it. He knows how I feel about her, and he knows my intentions. Now I just have to tell her.

47

JOSEPHINE

I’m out of the house for the first time in days, and it feels strange. I can’t help feeling like everyone is staring at me. They’re taking pity on me, thinking I’m the victim while the whole thing exploded around me.

It’s the entire reason I’m switching places with my father. I’m going to grab a few of my things from the coffee shop because he will be looking after it for a while instead. I will be at home looking after my mother, keeping out of the public’s eye until this blows over. We can’t keep leaving it to our employees, as good as they are, to run things without us.

I pull into the coffee shop and see a line of people at the door. My heart sinks for a moment, as I thought the media had at least backed off. Their interest seems to have already fizzled, and now I just need to wait until it fades from the memory of the general public as well.

The crowd makes me think that’s going to take longer than I expected. Then I realize they’re not here for me. We’re just busy in the mornings. I shut my car door and awkwardly walk to the door.

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