Chapter 47: Chapter 47

I approach slowly, staring in awe at the robust man in the middle of the doorway.

“Father?”

Looking past my aunt, Ian opens a huge smile upon seeing me.

“Alice!”

Completely ignoring Aunt Ana, my father enters our house, walking towards me and giving me a strong hug.

“I was so worried. You left without saying anything!”

“Uh...” I try to answer, but his strong embrace makes it a bit difficult.

“Are you okay?” he puts his hands on my cheeks, making me look him in the eyes.

“Yes, dad. I...”

“Am I a joke to you?” he interrupts me, furrowing his brows.

And suddenly, that joyful father for having found his daughter, turned into an indignant one. Confused by his quick mood change, I am at a loss for words to respond.

“Why didn't you let me know you were coming back to Brazil?” he arches his eyebrows and crosses his arms.

He was one of the people indignant about me not being able to say goodbye.

“Mom was very sick. And... I couldn't let you know I was leaving.” I try to explain.

My father shakes his head negatively and takes a deep breath.

“Don't do that again, okay? It took me years to find you again. I don't want to lose you again.”

His facial expression becomes calm again.

“And... What are you doing here? How did you find us?”

“Firstly, I need to express the size of my discontent knowing that the house I left for you and your sisters, your mother sold to a stranger. But, by the way, the lady who's living there is very receptive, and she gave me your address.”

“Mom went through a tough time.” I sigh.

“And where is she now?”

“I don't mean to spoil the moment, ‘father and daughter’...” My aunt interrupts. “But I need to know what's going on.”

“What's going on is exactly a father trying to reconnect with his daughters.” He responds in Portuguese, which makes my mouth open automatically.

“Dad, you speak Portuguese?” I say in amazement.

His attention returns to me.

“Of course, daughter. I lived here for years.” He smiles serenely.

“And why didn't you tell me?”

“You only spoke English to me, so...” He shrugs. “Better for me.” His sly smile returns, eliciting an eye roll and a small chuckle from me.

My aunt still waited for an answer from my father.

“So, Ian, are you not going to tell us the reason you're here?” With crossed arms, she observes him impolitely.

"As I said," my father turns his attention back to her. "I'm trying to reconnect with my daughters. After years that you and your sister pushed me away from them!"

"We didn't push you away from them," she refutes. "You chose to go to London. And the girls would be better off without you."

The intensity with which my aunt's words sounded undoubtedly revealed that she harbored a huge dislike for my father.

"I gave everything I could give to Stefanny. And the least she could do for me... She didn't do it," he spat out the words.

"And what did you expect? That she would decide to live in a little house in the countryside and have a long and happy life with you?" she frowned. "What you gave Stefanny was the least you could have given, because... You couldn't give her anything else, could you?" she sneered. "Stefanny deserves a life fit for a queen, not a miserable life with you."

"Auntie! What are you saying?" I reprimand her actions.

My father approaches her.

"So, is this how you usually treat a man who gives himself body and soul to a woman?"

"Love doesn't fill your stomach, Ian!" she says sharply. "I think you should leave. We don't want your kind in our family."

My father doesn't say another word and walks past her, leaving the house.

I look at my aunt in disbelief.

"Can you explain to me what that was about?" I say, astonished. "Why did you treat him that way?"

"It's better this way, Alice. He won't do us any good."

"What are you talking about?"

Aunt Ana approaches and puts her hand on my shoulder.

"You don't need to understand. You just need to trust your family. Us, here, in this house."

I abruptly remove her hand from my shoulder.

"Sorry, but you're not giving me the best reasons to trust you."

I walk past her towards the exit of the house.

"Alice!"

I ignore her.

I hasten my steps out of the house and see my father sitting on the curb in front of it. I approach slowly. I see him with his face buried in his hands and his elbows resting on his knees.

"Dad? Are you okay?" I hear him sniffle.

"Yes, I'm fine," he nods. "I just... " His voice breaks, and then silence ensues.

I sit down next to him. My father takes a deep breath and looks up.

"I should have believed my father's words about... The greatest pain there is, is loving." He shrugs and starts to look at his fingers.

"Do you still love mom?"

"I never stopped."

"Then... Why did you leave?"

My father lets out a small nasal laugh.

"I don't know what story they told you, but... your mother's family never liked me. They thought I couldn't give her a life fit for a queen." He presses his lips into a tight line. "When I came to Brazil, I confess I just wanted to escape the responsibilities my father intended for me. He owned a huge farm in the interior of England, but I couldn't see myself working with him because I always saw him as a rustic and egocentric person. Running away and starting a new life seemed like an excellent option." He moistens his lips. "But everything changed when I met your mother. Never in my life had I loved someone as much as her. And it was at that moment that I realized I needed to face the responsibilities that were destined for me. But at the same time, I didn't know I was competing for a place with a rich family guy who was so desired by your mother's family. But still, I fought to win her over. And for that reason, they hated me so much. Because in the end, your mother became interested in me. And I decided to give everything I could, even what I couldn't, just to see her well and happy. And after a few years, when my father passed away and things got tight in Brazil, I had to go back to London. And... When it came time for her to choose between me and her family... You already know the answer." He sighs.

Shocked by that story, I freeze. I had no idea, as I grew up with the narrative that my father had simply decided to return to London and marry a British woman.

"B-But... Do you know the real reason why she didn't want to go with you?"

"She was always easily manipulated by her family. They always criticized our relationship, and when we started to have difficulties, it served as a trigger to coincide with what they said. And in a moment of conflict, your mother let herself be carried away by them. And she simply decided to give up on us. On the family we had built."

"I'm sorry, Dad," I murmur and slide my gaze to the ground.

"It's okay, dear." I feel his thumb on my cheek. He looks at me. "I am determined to take care of you again. Even though you're already grown up, you're still my little girl." A comforting smile appears on his lips.

I approach him and lay my head on his shoulder.

"And your wife? What happened after that day?"

"I signed the divorce papers."

"Do you still intend to have something with Mom?"

"No, my love. Because... she's no longer the woman I fell in love with. I still love the Stefanny I met when I arrived in Brazil. But... she's no longer part of this universe. She was taken over by a superficial person."

I sigh and remember the adversities I was facing regarding my mother, and my father was right.

"I need to tell you something about Mom," I say, and he agrees to listen. "She's going to marry a doctor. Everything indicates that it will be next month."

My father didn't seem surprised.

"And do you agree?"

"Of course not," I don't hesitate to say. "She's only with him for his money."

"That's what they always wanted for her. So... it's not news."

"But to me, it is!" I say astonished. "I always believed in her kind, gentle, and sweet version. But I don't know what happened, it seems like everything is lost."

"That happens, daughter. Good people also become corrupted."

"But I'm not going to allow her to get married." I raise my head from my father's shoulder. "If it's money she wants. It's what she'll have."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a check for five hundred thousand dollars."

My father's mouth gaped open.

"That's a lot of money, daughter. How did you get it?"

"I was bribed to leave Joshua."

"And you did it? Didn't you?"

I remembered my father didn't seem to like Joshua. And until now, I had no idea why.

"Why do you seem to not like him?" I asked, curious.

"I know Scott's reputation with women. And I don't want my daughter to be used and thrown away by him. You don't deserve that. You need better."

Was that it? I breathed a sigh of relief, discovering there was no big secret Joshua was hiding.

"It's okay, Dad. He's changed. He's shown that."

"Puff..." He rolled his eyes. "He must just have a good way with words."

I took a deep breath of the night breeze.

"If our feelings remain the same when I return to London, you'll have a chance to change your mind about Joshua."

"You plan to return to London?"

I nodded.

"I don't have good reasons to want to stay here. I'll only decide what to do with the money first. And we can go back together."

"Daughter, you know what..." he hesitated. "I said I was determined to get closer to my daughters, so... I don't plan to go back to London, not before your sisters become independent. Because I know your mother won't let me take them with me."

"You're determined to stay here that long?"

"For my daughters, I'll do anything. And you should do the same. This is your home."

I sighed and looked down at my thumbs on my knees, discouraged.

"Is everything okay?" he asked when he saw me suddenly lose my spirits.

"I don't know if this is really my home," I confessed.

"Is it because of what you experienced in London?"

"I love Joshua, Dad. But... Sometimes I feel hesitant to give up everything I have here for him. Because... What if it doesn't work out? What if our romance lasts only a few years and then ends? And then... I will have missed out on living my life, just because I decided to give myself to him." I closed my eyes and lifted my head up, taking another deep breath. "But at the same time... When I think about going back, it seems like a great idea. I have friends there. I feel good. Free. And... There's no Mom. Although I love her."

"London seems good because of what you feel for Joshua, right? And here seems horrible because of your disagreement with your mother, am I right?"

He was right. I nodded.

"Do you think if you hadn't met Joshua and your mother wasn't acting in a way you don't like... Do you think anything would change?"

"Absolutely! It would be much easier."

"But even so, would you still want to stay in Brazil?"

His question left me without answers. Or at least, I wasn't sure what to say.

"I don't know," I shrugged.

"Do you see? Because this isn't about your mother or Joshua. It's about you. What you truly want. "

"But I don't know what I really want," I groaned.

"Because you have to allow yourself to feel. Stop getting stuck in the 'what ifs' and take control. Fight for your dreams. For yourself. Because... We can't and shouldn't use people as the basis for our happiness, because they are unstable and can crumble at any moment, taking our happiness with them. So, the best solution to avoid so much frustration is to believe in yourself and become your own anchor."

I feel my cheeks dampen. I was crying. Those words affected me in a way that I didn't know how to explain.

My biggest dream was to become a great artist. I wanted to conquer the world through my art, my drawings. That truly made me feel good.

"Don't cry, my love," he hugged me.

"I'm not crying. It was just a speck of dust that got into my eye," I said between laughter and tears, making my father laugh. "I love you so much, Dad."

"I love you too," he stroked my hair.

Headlights blinded our vision. A white BMW parked in front of my house. I couldn't see the driver, but I recognized the woman who got out of the car. My mother smoothed out her tight, thin-strapped red dress and crossed the sidewalk, freezing upon seeing my father.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in disbelief.

The BMW soon drove away from our house, disappearing from our sight.

"You look very beautiful," my father responded, sarcastically.

"What are you doing here, Ian?" she intensified the tone of her words.

"I came to visit my daughters, isn't that obvious? But I guess you were too busy with your boyfriend to pay attention to what was happening with your daughters."

My mouth opened, shocked at the confrontation my father had just made. He nailed it!

"Don't you think it's a little too late to try to play the 'daddy' role?" she raised her eyebrows, furious.

"If you hadn't kept me away from my daughters, I'm sure I would have really been a good dad. But don't pretend to be innocent, Stefanny. You stopped updating me on what was happening with our daughters. You simply chose to discard any connection with me. That was your choice."

"And it was better that way," she sounded cold.

"Yes, it was, because now, you won't have any power over my relationship with the girls."

The look my mother gave my father, surely, if she had a laser vision, he would be on fire now.

"Well, tomorrow I'll come back to see you, Alice. And take you and your sisters out for a ride." He gave a gentle but still confrontational smile towards my mother.

And soon a wicked idea came to my mind, but it was necessary.

"Okay, Dad. And... how about joining us for a dinner at Mom's boyfriend's house on Friday? It'll be great for you to meet the stepfather of your daughters. I'd love a family without conflicts." I gave a cynical smile and glanced at my mother.

"I would love to, daughter. I'll make an appearance." He kissed the top of my head and got up from the curb. "See you later, Stefanny." He smiled goodbye to her and walked towards a red HB20 on the other side of the street.

"Have you gone crazy?" My mother asked furiously.

I shrugged, disdainfully, and got up from the curb.

"I think it's fair for Dad to meet the man you want to introduce to your daughters," I stand by your side. "And I know they won't run out of things to talk about. They have a lot in common. Especially when it comes to a certain woman," I wink and walk past her, entering the house."