Chapter 21

"[I-I can't believe he wants to do this to me!Am I, not his child?]"

Amelie just patted her back and ruffled her hair a bit.Rosè snuggled in her arms, still sobbing.

The waiter didn't know if he should approach,but Amelie just silently gestured to him for some water and continued comforting Rosè.

"[I'm here for you.]" she then cupped her face and wiped her tears like an older sister.This only made Rosè sob even more.

After a bit more crying,she took a sip of the cold water the waiter had brought and coughed a bit.

"[Do you want to go to the bathroom to freshen up?]"

Rosè silently nodded.

Amelie helped her to the bathroom and also washed her face as if she were a child.Rosè's tears started falling again touched by this care.A care that even her own family hadn't given her.

Amelie only briefly knew about Rosè's family situation.Some she told her herself and some that Dennis had told her before.

Rosè lost her mother when she was a teen, and her father had gotten remarried soon with another woman who also had a child.Back then the little boy had been 8 years old.It didn't take long for Rosè to find out that her stepbrother was actually her half-brother.

After they returned to their table,Rosè wiped her teary eyes and spoke with a nasal voice.

"[You know that my mum died when I was 13,right?]"

Amelie nodded.

"[When dad brought back a woman and said that he wanted to marry her barely a year after mum died,I kept quiet.I didn't say anything.No matter how hurt I was,thinking about how soon he had forgotten about mum,I still tried to be understanding.'He's heartbroken and just wants to escape!','He deserves a chance to be happy!'.I would keep repeating this to myself.I didn't say anything!I just gave him excuses!I wanted to believe that maybe deep down he had always loved mum and that that woman was a kind person that had helped in these dark times!No matter how much I hated it that another woman would sleep on my mum's bed,I still shut up!]"

She almost screamed from the pain.Amelie took her hand and rubbed it a bit looking at her with sad eyes.

"[Even if I suddenly got a stepbrother,I still tried my best to be nice with him.But apparently being nice wasn't enough!I also had to be his 'big sister',I had to 'share like a big sister'!It didn't even take a month for them to kick me out of my own room because his room was 'too small' and I would 'go to a boarding school' anyway!I-I-]Ugghhh!I started doubting who's his real child!"

Rosè was too emotionally stimulated that she couldn't even find the proper words to describe her feelings and switched to her own language.She then laughed self-mockingly.

"But of course,he had actually been his child.Among the child of a lover and the child of his wife,of course he would choose the former!I'm the daughter her never wanted and he was the son he had always wanted!"

The tears slid on her cheeks again.

"I found out very coincidently,actually,though I had my own suspicions.I mean,that 'stepbrother' was an exact copy of my 'father' and the timing of his marriage was of course suspicious.I hate that I share the same curly,blonde hair as them!I hate when my roots start to show with the same shade as them!" she then spoke weakly"That same hair that I used to be proud of when I was a little girl."

Amelie's eyes got a bit red.

"I took the first chance that came to leave!During school holidays I wouldn't go back home,but go to my [uncle(mother's brother)] or grandfather!After I was finally a legal adult,I finally had access to mum's inheritance,apparently she seemed to have a gist of his affair,she hadn't left him even a cent!That man called my 'father' would go and support his lover and affair child with my mum's money!"

Rosè wiped a tear that slid on her cheek.

"But I still had a bit of hope.I still had hope that no matter what wrongs he did to mum,he still had a bit of love spared for us."Rosè sneered with her eyes teary."But apparently that show he pulled on her funeral,on our entire lives,were all just an act.Naive me still thought that he loved me until now!Naive me still thought that no matter what I'm still his child!So I allowed them to stay in that house that mum jad left to me,the house I avoided to go,the house with the last memories of my mother.The house of my happiness and of my nightmares.That no matter what,a parent would always love their child unconditionally!Sacrifice for them!And that no matter my anger and hurt I had to forgive because ,after all, he was still my father!" The hurt tears had started slipping again.She looked at Amelie and smiled sadly with the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I guess,being around you all,that love each other unconditionally,made me forget about the world I grew up in!I guess,the love that you all showed me made me forget for a moment that not everyone is self-sacrificing!" Then her smile fell and she stared at the table with an empty look.

"I forgot that my father would do anything for money."

Amelie hesitatingly asked,her voice quiet and a bit nasal.

"What did he do?"

Rosè could hear and feel the sadness that Amelie felt on her behalf.Remembering the warmth and acceptance Dennis,his family,his relatives had given her,made her feel even more ashamed of herself.Did she even deserve this warmth and love?Was she even worthy of them?

Noticing how Rosè's gaze was changing and how she closed her eyes with pain.Amelie reached out and gave her a warm bear hug.

"Never forget Rosè,you aren't alone!You have Dennis,you have aunt,uncle,Clover,me and many,many more people that love you and appreciate you!" She then said jokingly."I hope you don't get too scared and run away,when you marry Dennis!We're quite a lot of people,what if you get too overwhelmed with all these in-laws?"

Rosè was a bit stunned and laughed,but then her laugh changed into ugly crying.

Amelie panicked.She had thought really well about what to say to make her feel a bit better.What could've she possibly said to trigger this reaction?

"Oh,dear!Calm down!Calm down!Or you know what?Just let it out!Let it all out!"

This time,Rosè sobbed loudly and the people who had only thrown a glance were directly looking at them.The ones who threw rude glances got an icy glare from Amelie,making them immediately take their gazes back.She was too intimidating for someone that innocent looking.

"There,there now!"

"That-that-that-"

Knowing Rosè well,Amelie said.

"You can swear if you want.Nice words are held for nice people.Who cares if you share 50 % of the DNA or not?"

"Those fu****s want to marry me off to someone!"

This time Amelie was the stunned one.

"What?"

"Those-those a******s want to marry me off for money to someone and they even tried to guilt me into it!"

Amelie wanted to say that just refuse,but she knew that the answer wasn't as simple as that.If it were she wouldn't be here crying.

"They even convinced uncle and grandfather!They knew that there was no chance that I would accept!But they said awful things about Dennis to them and I'm scared!"

Amelie hadn't still recovered herself properly,but still asked.

"Why?"

"What if they do something to him?What if they threaten me to hurt him?What if Dennis gets hurt because of me?I would never forgive them nor myself!"Rosè cried even harder than before.

Amelie sighed.The girl was really so scared about her love to the point that her imagination had gone wild.

"Rosè,look at me!"

Rosè raised her tear-stained, icy blue eyes.

"Do you want me to slap you to your senses physically or verbally?"

Rosè hesitatingly said."Verbally?"

"You've said that you get on well with your uncle and grandfather, right?"

She slowly nodded.

"Then that means they love and care about you and would be willing to listen to your side of the story.If you tell them the truth then I'm sure they would be more than willing to understand.If you let them meet Dennis then I'm certain they would understand that he isn't this horrible person your father paints him on as!"

Rosè nodded again in realisation.

"And you're scared that they might hurt him?Who?I don't think they would go as far as to hurt someone you love,just for what's good for you.Not at least without him showing his real colours and without your approval.Do you even know your uncle and grandfather well enough to jump to that conclusion?"

The voice of reason finally reached Rosè.Her uncle and grandfather weren't the type of people who would use violence like that.At least not without a good enough reason.Usually they were the ones trying to calm her down when she would get into fights with other people during her boarding school days.

"But what about my father?"

"Didn't you just say that your mum had the power?And that she passed on that power to you?What are you so scared off?Plus,Dennis is a whole grown man,he can properly protect himself!He has always been stronger than his peers!I'm the one who knows that best!"

Seeing her still a bit hesitant,Amelie continued.

"No matter how powerful your family might be here,that doesn't mean their influence will be able to reach A country.They have no business there literally and metaphorically."

After more and more reasons that Amelie gave,Rosè was finally calmed down and laughed a bit at her wild imagination.

"So now are you finally calm?"

Rosè sniffed."Yes."

"Are you determined to stand up for yourself?"

"Yes."

"That's my girl!And don't worry,I'll be there with you!"