Lusting After My Best Friend's Dad

What are you doing here?

Bella's pov

I arrived at my dad's house about 3:30pm. My sole intention was to confront him and express my anguish exactly as I felt it. In my haste, I left the remaining money with the driver and hurried towards my dad's grand residence.

The young taxi driver called out, "Wait, you haven't taken your change," but I paid no attention. Not only did I leave the money in his hand, but I also neglected to close the back door of the car I had exited from.

Tears were coming out my eyes throughout the entire journey as I thought about my break-up. The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror, attempting to console me. But I disregarded his gestures. If it had been another woman who had taken Fred away from me, it might have been a different story. The pain wouldn't have been as intense. However, the fact that this person was from my own household made it all the more heart-wrenching.

Halfway down the pathway to the house, I quickly glanced at my dad's parked car. If it was there, it meant my father was at home. This was one way of determining his presence at home. What I wanted to tell my dad was straight to the point: Gianna had been sleeping with my boyfriend behind my back, and she was the one who had spread lies about me. Based on my dad's previous judgments between us, I knew he had always been fair. In this case, it was crystal clear to everyone that Fred and I were in a relationship, and Gianna must have fed him false information.

The front door stood open, eliminating the need for me to knock. I entered my father's house just as I always did.

"What are you doing here?" My stepmother immediately stood up from the couch she was sitting on. I felt like I had entered the wrong house at first, but upon seeing my stepmom, I knew I was in the right place—my dad's house, to be precise. There was no need for us to exchange words. She must be aware of what her daughter did to me, and telling her would only rub salt in the wound.

"Dad!" I called out, intending to go to my dad's room. As I walked through the sitting room, my stepmom rushed over and blocked my path.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I didn't want to engage with her. I had overreacted in the past when I had some misunderstanding with my stepmom and her daughter, and it didn't end well when my dad intervened. All she wanted was for me to push her, and I knew she would pretend to be injured as she would easily fall to the ground. Her actions would overshadow what her daughter did, and I didn't want that to happen.

"Dad! Dad!" I raised my voice, but she continued to stand in front of me, preventing me from reaching my dad's room. Trying to avoid any contact with her, I hurriedly passed by the right side of the sitting room. Just then, my dad appeared. My stepmom was the first to spot him and quickly stopped, turning toward him. It was evident from his appearance that he had just come out of the bathroom, still wearing a white towel around his waist. He must have heard my voice, which prompted him to come straight to the sitting room. My dad has always shown a keen interest in me, and his presence gave me confidence. I was certain that he would support me. After all, Gianna had taken away my boyfriend on the day of my engagement, and now my stepmom was blocking my way to meet him.

"You are the reason for all this," she said, widening her eyes at my dad. Her attempts at intimidation never worked on him when it concerned me.

"If you had put her belongings at the door, she wouldn't have had the audacity to challenge me."

Put my belongings at the door? Considering what your daughter did to me? I wondered, and before I could say anything, I waited for my dad to respond to my stepmom's accusation.

"Bella! You are a disgrace to this family. You have changed from the girl I raised with so much love and affection."

I was stunned by my dad's words. He had never used such language with me before. My initial thought was the humiliation he must have faced from friends and relatives due to the cancellation of my engagement party.

"Dad, it wasn't my fault. Gianna has been sleeping with my boyfriend," I said, my voice choked with tears. The thought of it and saying it out loud brought tears to my eyes, and I couldn't help but picture the scene of Fred holding Gianna by the waist as they walked towards his car in his house.

"And so what?" My stepmom responded to me, then turned to my dad, who was still standing in front of me. She continued, "I thought you had called her on the phone and told her how her promiscuous lifestyle had almost destroyed this family..."

"Gianna set me up!" I exclaimed, pouring all my strength into my words. Couldn't my father see my pain? My tears must have drawn lines on my makeup.

"Shut up, Bella. This has nothing to do with Gianna . Fred sent me evidence of you sleeping with another man. If it weren't for what he said, I would have shown it to you."

"What did he tell you, Dad? I want to see it. This is a setup... Gianna has set me up," I insisted. I stood my ground, but my stepmom suddenly slapped me with such force that I had to cover my cheek with my right hand. The pain was unbearable and my dad didn't do anything and his silence completely showed that he supported her. Even my dad has never raised his hands on me.

"This should be the last time you speak of my daughter in such a manner. Do you know what it took for us to convince her to save this family? Something you couldn't do, you ungrateful brat," my stepmom scolded.

"Bella, your behavior could have led us to bankruptcy. All my assets and my dream house could have been seized by the bank. Your relationship with Fred was crucial for his father to approve my company's contract. If it weren't for Gianna , who agreed to date Fred and save us, the contract documents on Fred's father's desk would have been discarded. You only think of yourself and satisfying your own desires, neglecting what would keep this family financially stable..."

"She is a disgrace to this family, and she still has the audacity to speak ill of my daughter, who came to our rescue," my stepmom interrupted.

"Was my relationship with Fred just a business arrangement?" I asked. This was the first time I had heard something like this. It seemed that my dad and stepmom had taken advantage of me dating the son of a wealthy man, and Gianna and her mom had been jealous of it. But what still upset me was the fact that my dad claimed to have evidence of me sleeping with another man, yet they were not willing to show me. If we were talking about promiscuity, then Gianna 's name should be mentioned. How many times had my dad used me as a good example when scolding Gianna , who went from one relationship to another?

"Dad, I'm certain. This is a setup. Where is the evidence? No man has touched me besides Fred," I pleaded.

My stepmom laughed sarcastically before saying, "The evidence is clear, but we were told never to show it to you. Even if we presented it to you, your mistakes cannot be undone." She then turned to face my dad.

"Honey, are you going to break the agreement you had with my daughter? Why is she still here? I won't let my daughter be the one to suffer while Bella benefits from it. If Bella can't contribute financially to this family, why should she benefit from Gianna 's sacrifice to sleep with someone she didn't love? Bella must go back to the man she slept with. You can imagine the embarrassment she caused us at the engagement party. I didn't know where to look when I was there. My daughter Gianna would never bring such disgrace upon us. That was a public humiliation."

"Bella, you have to leave. You can't eat your cake and have it. I felt like a fool when you and Fred didn't show up at the party. It was when I called Fred that he told me everything and sent me the evidence of why he refused to come. Fred was right. No one could see such evidence and still go on to engage with someone like you."

"Dad...? Are you taking sides? You're jumping to conclusions about something I didn't do."

"Shut up. If it weren't for your late mother, I would have given you a slap for humiliating me like this. Don't mistake my calmness for stupidity. We thought about putting your belongings outside the door, but I didn't want to disgrace you to that extent. If you know what's good for you, go inside, pack your things, and leave this house. Go and meet the man you slept with. You must have loved her more than Fred before sleeping with him.”

"Dad...!" I screamed, hoping he could feel my pain and see the tears in my eyes.

"Where will I go? Don't you care?" I added.

"You should have thought about us and the family business before spreading your legs for another man. Having s*x is a choice. The man didn't rape you. It was a deliberate act, and this is the consequence. Leave my husband's house," my stepmom pointed towards the exit door, the same door I had passed through without restrictions.

Each statement from my stepmom felt like a bitter stab to my soul. Today would be her happiest day, as my dad had turned his back on me for the first time. The pain was intense, and my feet felt glued to the ground. Where would I go from here? Tears streamed down my cheeks, and my dad, who had always shown compassion, now hated me. If only I had started working, things might have been better. I had only graduated a few months ago, and I was still trying to figure out my life. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice when my stepmom walked out of the house and dropped my two suitcases at my feet. My dad, this time, was sitting down, waiting for me to leave, his expression filled with disapproval.

"Where did you expect me to go from here?" I asked my dad, my voice filled with sorrow, hoping to stir his emotions.

"To the man you slept with," he angrily pointed towards the exit door.