Chapter 4
1027 Words
Chapter 4:
"Daddy!" Lily's voice rang out and Christopher stared down at her, recognizing her instantly as the little girl who had claimed that he was her father at the airport.
He was dumbstruck as he glanced from Zara back to Lily. He saw a striking resemblance between Zara, the little girl, and a bit of him. So, this little girl was his daughter.
Christopher felt a pang of sadness in her heart. He had a daughter and he had forsaken both his wife and kid for years. He did own them a lot.
Lily's face brightened as she said, "Mummy, I told you I saw Daddy, but you didn't believe me. Neither you nor Daddy believed me today. It's unfair," she pouted.
Kate immediately drew her back. "Hey, don't you dare call this loser your father ever again, or else I'll throw you into the attic!"
Lily's eyes immediately shone with tears as she held behind her mother. "But… he's my father," she shuttered.
"Mother, can you stop threatening Lily? She's only a child," Zara protested. "You've locked her up several times already, please stop scaring her already."
"What!" Kate barked. "I'm only trying to protect her from this man who came back to make our lives miserable once again. The only person she should recognize as her father is Mr. Hermit and no one else!"
"This man is a loser. Have you forgotten what he did to our family so soon, Zara?"
Zara glanced at Christopher, her expression initially on seeing him was filled with confusion and surprise but now changed to that of anger.
"How dare you try to show up after all these years, Christopher?" Zara said with a deep frown etched on her face.
She was trying so hard not to be hostile to him because of her daughter. Although their marriage was like a joke, she had decided to love him but he suddenly disappeared without a trace. No communication or a hint of where he was going.
She had been devastated. It was the first time she had brought her to love someone but he left. She had every right to be angry.
Staring at him now, he was no longer the fresh graduate she had been forced by circumstances to marry. He no longer looked young, his face had become chiseled, making him look more mature and reliable.
Christopher took a step towards her, his pleading eyes were locked on hers. "I know you're angry at me, Zara. I've been gone for a long time, but–"
"But what? But what, Christopher?" Zara's tempo was gradually rising. "You think you can just walk back in here and expect everything to go back to normal? You abandoned me, Christopher! You not only failed as a husband but you failed as a father as well!"
Zara held the tears threatening to fall back. She couldn't afford to let anyone see her weak. A few months after Christopher's disappearance, she found out that she was pregnant.
Her mother had advised her to abort the baby, saying it would only bring bad luck to her but she couldn't bring herself to do it, after all the baby was innocent and she had kept it.
"She's… our daughter?" Christopher said, glancing at Lily who was still hiding behind her mother's back.
He reached out towards her but Zara slapped his hands away.
"You're not worthy of touching her at all! You're so despicable, Christopher. You not only left me, you stole money from my father as well."
"Stole money?" Christopher furrowed his brows. "What are you talking about?"
He glanced at Vincent, Zara's father, who was looking at him guiltyly.
"You want to deny it?!" Kate hollered. "Don't you even try to do that? You stole $500,000 from us and you have the cheek to return, I had almost forgotten about it. Are you back to ask for more?!"
"Yes! What Kate said it's true!" Vincent said. "This punk stole a huge amount of money and left. Call the police!"
"Wow, so this punk is not only useless but is also there!" The Styles began to speak amongst themselves.
"And he still has the guts to walk in here. The nerves of him. Someone should call the police, this man has to be sent to jail!"
"He can not even be compared to Mr. Hermit at all! He's a disgrace!" One spat out angrily.
However, Christopher scoffed loudly, his face indifferent to their accusations. "I didn't steal any money from you and father at all."
He glanced back at Zara. "Zara, you have to believe me. My mother was sick and was dying and I needed money for her treatment and your father had borrowed that money from me but she died soon after and I gave your father back the money."
"I didn't take any money from your family at all."
Zara looked at her parents, curiously. "Is that true father, mother?"
But none of them could look into her eyes to give a response and that was when she knew she had been fooled all along by her parents.
"But that doesn't change the fact that you're a good-for-nothing and will only drag my daughter into your poverty-stricken life!" Kate snapped. "You don't deserve to be with someone like Zara."
"Yes," Vincent seconded. "You don't deserve my daughter and I won't let her continue in such a marriage that would lead to her early doom!"
"Exactly, Zara will only get married to Mr. Hermit and no one else!"
"I have said it before and I will say it again. I will only leave unless Zara initiates a divorce with me and you all have no right to decide our lives for us."
Kate immediately held Zara's hand. "Zara says something. Chase this punk out of here! He doesn't deserve you."
"Mum," Lily called out. Zara stared down at her daughter and her heart broke into a thousand pieces when she saw the tears in her daughter's eyes.
For the past three years, Lily had always wanted to know her father. Should she take away this from her because of her anger?
- Writer
