Chapter 45

Brielle's POV

As usual, Blake accompanied me back home. He stopped the car in front of the gate. There was tension in the air. Both of us have not said anything to each other for a while. We were each absorbed into our worlds. I just snapped out of it and looked at Blake.

" We are here," Blake says to me. His cheeks were red because I caught him staring at me. I smiled and said," Thank you."

Without thinking, I leaned in and kissed his cheek. I felt him tense up, but after a second he relaxed and wrapped his arm around my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck. We're hugging. I took in his masculine scent. Each day his scent was starting to get more and more alluring. I wanted to smell him more. After a while, I pulled away before I could sniff him like a dog. That would be embarrassing and weird.

" Thank you for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow," I said to Blake as I got out of the car.

" See you tomorrow, Blake." I waved at him. He waved back and " I'll see you tomorrow Blake!"

With that, he drove off, and I walked to the house.

Something felt off the more I neared the door. I brushed off the feeling and opened the door, going inside the house.

" I am home!" I yelled out to notify my grandmother.

I usually get a response, but it was too quiet. Too quiet. I walked through the foyer before heading upstairs to my room, but I stopped midway. There were people in the living room with a gloomy atmosphere.

" Oh hey dear. You are back," My grandmother says, standing up. She sounded nervous. I spotted my grandfather who was sitting on the single couch with a serious expression.

" Uh, yeah. Is everything alright grandmother?"

I saw her tense up and avert her gaze from me.

Right then someone else stood up and turned to face me. A gasp left my mouth. In front of me stood my father. The man I swore never to see again after our last encounter. It was on my birthday when he chose to support his girlfriend and slapped me. I still remember that day clearly, but that is not the point right now. The point is, what is he doing here?

I stepped back as if it would open a wide distance between us. But that wouldn't help as long as we are still in the same room. I was getting agitated just looking at him. All the pent-up anger was rising in me.

As I observed him I noticed something was off with him. His hair was a little longer and he had a beard. He seemed like a mess. He had dark circles under his eyes. His whole appearance just screamed stress. Whatever it is, I don't care. I don't want him here. He should've stayed wherever he was with his little girlfriend.

" Grandmother, what is he doing here? Please tell him to leave."

My grandmother didn't say anything and my father looked momentarily shocked, but then sighed and just looked sad.

" What is going on right now? Can anyone tell me what is happening? Why is this man here!" I raised my voice, feeling frustrated.

Grandmother was about to say something, but my father interrupted her.

" Brielle calm down. I am here to talk to you. It's been a while since we last met or talked. I-I... I miss you."

Surprisingly, I was unmoved by his emotional confession. He looked like he genuinely meant it, but he should have thought about what would happen before he broke my heart and chose that woman. Even if he wanted to be with that woman, he should still have been my father.

" Well. I don't want to see or talk to you. I want you to leave and never come back." I was putting up a strong front, but the truth is, I was barely holding myself together. I clenched my fist and dug my nails into my palms while fighting off my tears. Just when I finally broke out of my shell and was happy, he decided to rock up in my life to remind me of the bad memories in my life.

" I understand -"

" No! No! Don't you dare say you understand anything!" I yelled

This was the first time I made such an outburst. Not even when he slapped me did I lash out at him like this. I was not being myself.

It's because I know his presence here will ruin my life. I had just found a reason to be happy and forget everything that hurt me but here he is, here to remind me of the past I've been trying to overcome.

" You made your choice back then and Mom and I respected that. You wanted nothing to do with me and chose that woman and soon-to-be-born child. So why are you back here here?"

A treacherous lone tear escaped my eye and I swiftly wiped it away. He doesn't deserve any emotion from me but still, I can't help but feel so angry and hurt. Right then someone burst through the door and all our attention was drawn to them.

It was my mother. She looked disheveled and out of breath. She is bathed heavily trying to catch her breath.

" Mom?" I said to her and she came running towards me and pulled me in her arms. I hugged her back glad to see her. At the same time, I was not so happy for her to be here. I didn't want her to come face-to-face with my father again. He has hurt her a lot and I don't want her to relapse. She is happy and living her life for herself but my father is here to put an end to it.

Mother pulled back and kissed me on the head.

" Are you okay Brie?" She asks looking at me and I nod my head.

" Yes, Mom. I am fine."

After confirming that, she turned to everybody else and pushed me behind her, like a lioness protecting its cub.

" Bryan, what are you doing here? " my mother snarled at him.

My father looked like her was frozen but he managed to snap out of it.

" Uh, it's good to see you, Maya."

" I can't say the same about you and you didn't answered my question yet."

" Your mother's right Maya. Let's sit down and talk. After that, I'll leave and you will not have to see me."

After a bit of resistance from my mother, I convinced her to sit down and have a talk with my father. It wouldn't help for us to keep arguing and my father made it clear that he wouldn't leave without saying what he came for. Whatever it was, we couldn't run from this. We need to deal with it right now and get it over and done with. I just wonder what could have happened for him to end up back here. Why is he alone? Where is his mistress and baby? I guess we are about to find that out.