VENGEANCE RISES

Reconciliation and Retribution

Leah held both her kids in her hand and proceeded to leave the environment, she had a

tear drop down her eye after everything. She wiped her face with the back of her palm and

kept going, though slowly.

Kadmiel and Kelita who had been standing there during the whole episode saying nothing

stood behind her, watching as Leah carried the children away.

The weight of guilt and pain pressed down on him. The years of unintentional absence, the

silence he had not known was so loud for Leah and the children, all these threatened to

choke him.

His mind raced with thoughts of how to fix the damage that had already been done. He

knew he had to make things right, even though he had no idea how.

His hatred and anger toward the four great families seemed to multiply during that

moment. His face was red with anger but the feeling of sadness overwhelmed and

suppressed the feeling of anger he felt.

As if pushed by something. He took a few steps forward, he signalled to Kelita to join him.

“Leah!” he called out, his voice rough, breaking the silence of the dusty and calm street.

She stopped for a moment but did not turn around. Her back was stiff, the weight of five

years of struggle reflected in every tense muscle in her body.

She clutched the children tightly, as if protecting them from an unseen threat. But Kadmiel

was not the enemy, at least not anymore.

She had to believe that. “Leah, please… Let me talk to you,” Kadmiel pleaded, following

her. His footsteps quickened as he saw the pain in her posture and the protective way which

she held both her children.

She spun around sharply, her eyes flashing with a mix of rage and hurt.

“Talk? Now you want to talk, Kadmiel? After all these years? Not a single letter, nothing,

and now you want to talk? Her voice cracked, trembling with an emotion of sadness.

“Where were you when I was struggling to feed them? When I had to choose between

shelter and food? You have no right to talk to me, Kadmiel! I was shamed by my own

parents because of you!”

Her words stung him, but he did not retreat. “I did not know, Leah. I did not know about

them or about you. It was one night, I had no idea it would change everything about our

lives,” he said softly, taking a step closer.

Leah took a step back, her hand tightening on her daughter’s arm. “Stay away from them.

I do not want your guilt or your pity. You think you can just show up now and everything will

be fine?”

Her son, the boy who had been quietly watching the exchange, suddenly spoke up. “Mom,

is this man the one from your photo? Is he... is he my father?”

His small voice pierced through the tension, cutting straight to the heart of everything.

Kadmiel’s breath seemed to stop, and Leah’s face crumbled with the pain of years

unspoken.

She tried to pull her son closer, but he broke free, running toward Kadmiel with wide,

curious eyes.

“Are you my father?” the boy asked, stopping just a few feet from Kadmiel.

Kadmiel knelt, his heart pounding quickly in his chest. He had not expected this, had not

known what to expect. “Yes, I am. I am your father,” he said, his voice thick and filled with

emotion.

The boy looked up at him with innocent eyes, filled with wonder and amazement. “Mom

always cries when she looks at your picture. She says you are a hero, well… Your actions

today proved that.” Leah’s face twisted with anger and hurt.

“No, Kadmiel is no hero,” she spat. “He is just a weak man who abandoned us. Do not

idolise him my dear.” She took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice.

“I don’t want your empty promises. You were not there when it mattered.” Kadmiel reached

out tentatively, but Leah retreated her steps.

“Please, Leah, I did not know. Let me make it right,” he pleaded.

“I don’t want to take them from you. I just want to be here, now.” For a moment, Leah

hesitated, her eyes flickering with the remnants of a love that had been shattered by time.

But the years had hardened her heart. “You can’t make up for the years you missed,” she

said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The little girl tugged on Leah’s hand. “Mom, do not be mad. He is trying at least.” she

whispered. Leah let out a shaky breath and finally relented, her anger getting calmer in the

face of her children’s hope.

“Fine. You can come with us. But do not think for a second that this makes up for

anything,” she warned, her tone cold.

Kadmiel nodded, grateful for even this small chance. As they walked together in silence,

the weight of their broken past hung heavy between them.

The children chattered innocently with Kelita, unaware of the tension that was burning in

the air, while Leah remained cold and distant.

When they arrived at Leah’s modest home, they were greeted by her brother, a tall,

imposing figure with the same sharp features as Leah. His name was Josh.

His eyes narrowed as he saw Kadmiel walking beside her. “Is this who I think it is? What

is he doing here?” her brother growled, stepping forward protectively.

Before Leah could respond, her son spoke up, ran out of the hands of Kelita and headed

toward Josh. “He is our father,” the boy said, his voice filled with a child’s naïve hope.

Josh"s expression darkened instantly. “Your father?” he repeated, disbelief and anger

mixing in his tone. He turned to Kadmiel, his fists clenching at his sides.

“You dare come here after all this time? After what you did? ”Kadmiel braced himself. “I

know I made mistakes. But Iam here now to make amends, is that not what matters? he

said, keeping his voice steady.

Leah’s brother scoffed, his eyes burning with unsaid fury, his face grew red as Kadmiel

spoke those words and he was not ready to hide his anger. “Amends, what shitty amends

boy!?

You think you can just waltz in here and say you are sorry? And everything will go back to

normal or we would throw you a feast? Are you dumb? Coming here to seek some sort of

validation you would not get.”

Without warning, he went towards Kadmiel, his fists swinging wildly. Kadmiel did not fight

back.

He let Leah’s brother’s fists connect with his body countless times, the pain sharp but

deserved.

He knew he had to take it, he owed them that much and much more.“Stop it please!” Leah

and Kelita shouted.

Leah rushed forward to pull her brother away. But the anger that had been building up over

years of resentment could not be contained.

Her brother threw another punch, and Kadmiel stumbled back, crashing on the ground,

blood trickling from his mouth.

“Why are you not fighting back? You coward!” Leah’s brother growled, grabbing Kadmiel

by the collar.

“You hear what I called you, yes….You are a coward.

”Kadmiel met his gaze, his eyes filled with remorse and pain. “Because I deserve this. I

hurt Leah, and I was not there for my children. But I am here now. I am not running

anymore.”

Leah’s brother kicked him with his knee really hard, sending Kadmiel crashing into the

doorframe. “You think you can just show up and everything will be okay? You are delusional

and that disgusts me,” he spat.

Leah stood frozen, watching on as everything happened, torn between her brother’s anger

and her children’s silent pleas for peace.

She had waited for this moment for years, the confrontation that would finally release her

from the pain of abandonment.

But now that it was happening, it felt uncomfortable. “Enough,” she finally said, her voice

shaking. “He is not going anywhere.”

Josh looked at her in disbelief. “You are letting this r****t and fake daddy stay? After going

to get milk and he never returned? Disgusting”

Leah nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving Kadmiel’s battered and bruised up

form.Kadmiel was curled up beside the doorframe while Kelita was comforting him and trying

to treat his wounds to the best of her abilities while consoling him.

“I am not forgiving him, far from it, but the children deserve to know their ass of a father.”

Kadmiel struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from his lip. “Thank you, Leah,” he

whispered, his voice filled with gratitude.

But Leah’s brother was not ready to let go. “You can stay, but you are stepping foot inside

this house, maybe your sister can,” he said coldly.

He looked over at Leah and she approved, Kelita did not want to leave her brother, but

Kadmiel advised her to go in with them, assuring her that he would be fine outside.

“You wait out here.”Without another word, he pushed Kadmiel out the door and slammed

it shut, leaving Kadmiel standing alone in the fading light.