"What is going on here? And what is he doing here?" he asked, his tone cold.
Before I could gather my thoughts to respond, Mr. Mattias gently squeezed my hand and stepped forward. "Derry," he began, his voice steady but respectful. "I understand this may come as a shock to you."
My father's frown deepened, but Mr. Mattias pressed on. "Please, I would appreciate it if you let me explain."
"Explain what? The fact that you went ahead to find Shimma, even after threatening to ruin your life?" my father said, anger evident in his voice.
But there was this strange calmness about him; he was as angry as I thought he would be.
"I don't care if you ruin my life, Derry. All that matters to me is your daughter, Shimma," Mr. Mattias said, turning to steal a glance at me.
"And there
