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"Again, I'm not stalking. I happened to know her school and saw you guys at the park coincidentally," he replied. "And Olivia is not your family." He paused and got ready to swing again. "She's my family. And I love her more than you ever will."
He charged at me again but I leaned in and caught his hand. I punched his face, and he stumbled backward, falling down.
I brought out my phone and dialed 911. "You wait here."
"I don't get it you know?" he stated as he wiped his bleeding lip.
I searched my pocket for a handkerchief and gave it to him. "Use this."
He flinched as he looked at the cloth and back at me.
"I'm a doctor, I can't stand to see a potential patient bleeding and do nothing," I explained.
Punching him had gotten me to relax for what he had done to Olivia. But I was starting to realize that he wasn't worth the extra effort.
"No wonder she's attracted to you. You show her a shred of kindness, and she's all over you," he said and wiped his lips with his hand, refusing to take the kerchief I had offered. "Tell me, when you find out about her past, why did you let her continue living in an illusion of false hope. Her daughter looks like yours, meaning she's constantly being reminded of her past just by looking at her. I bet she's kept that locked up, just like she always does. And you don't even care, do you? All you care about is having a convenient woman to look after your daughter."
He paused and chuckled. "And I'm the bad guy?"
I felt bad for the guy.
"You really don't know Olivia, do you?" I asked. "To be honest, I thought punching you would make me feel better, but this just feels pathetic and is honestly a waste of time. In fact, if this was a novel, readers would find it as an absolute waste of time."
"What are you going on about?"
"I already know about Olivia's pain. Time and time again, I've thought if letting her take care of Chloe is the right choice. But she has taken it to herself, to give Chloe a taste of having a mother, and in return she has a little bit of closure for moments she missed with her own daughter," I said.
"Bottle it up? She's already told me about her fear of replacing her own daughter. But she's chosen to stick with it. I can share a little of her pain, and I'm going to be there for her every step of the way to make sure she doesn't fall into despair. Because I love her. Not because our daughters look alike but because she's been through too much."
"So you only love her because she's vulnerable then," he scoffed.
I grabbed his collar and pulled him up. "Yes. And because I can be vulnerable with her as well. That's what love is. She told me how she was willing to wait until you were ready for marriage, but you ran away because you're a coward and couldn't take her hand even when she was willing to take yours."
Why was I getting so annoyed?
"You and I are not the same Jason. She's helped me become a better father. She knows how unlucky she can be; she knows how awkward I am with my daughter. She knows I'm also hurting from not being able to save my wife, just the same way she couldn't save her daughter," I continued, my voice a little higher.
"But I chose to accept her, because she accepted me. Me, a random widowed stranger in London. She and my daughter mean the whole world to me."
"Why are you telling me this?" He raised a brow. "You've kept all of this inside without telling her about it? Face it, you're afraid of her rejecting you. You've gotten comfortable with this strange lifestyle. A fake family that you know is mostly reliant on the fact that your daughters look alike." He got on his feet properly, but he was slightly shorter than I was.
He grabbed my collar and continued, "You're worried that she might not feel that way. You're worried about telling her how scared you are of the two of you taking the next step while at a critical point in your life. While you've kept receiving bad news after bad news, while she keeps getting better in her career. You slowly realize that if you tell her, everything will change. And not necessarily in a good way. You foolishly hope the life you have will continue, but it won't. Because…"
"Is that what happened to you?" I asked.
He stopped talking and punched me. "What would a billionaire like you know anyway? I won't be surprised if she gets sick of you."
He made me realize one thing I've been secretly worrying about: if Olivia didn't share the same feelings but was comfortable with the atmosphere my family provided her.
"I feel nothing for you," I said as I let go of him and turned to leave. "If you get close to my family, and by that I mean Olivia and Chloe, I'll not stop at punching you."
"You don't get to tell me what to do. I still have to talk to her," he said.
"Try me then," I said without looking back.
I had other things to focus on, like telling Olivia everything. If Jason was able to make me feel worried about my relationship status with her, then who knows what he had told her before she got injured.
****
