Chapter 66
"I never wanted to go back to the past to have to relive that day again. I developed postpartum depression that dragged on for eight long months after the birth. I became bitter, empty, and for a long time, I lived through the days without truly knowing what I was doing. The Liana from that night died with the child, and the one inhabiting my body now is relentless, and I could never love her."
"I remember looking at that little baby, and my desire was to harm her because she reminded me of what I had been capable of doing. I never managed to love her. I started treatment and had a great recovery, but I couldn’t feel the main thing, which was being her mother, even if not by blood. The crying bothered me, the laughter, and even taking care of her was distressing. Because everything reminded me of my daughter, the one I killed. I fled and disappeared for years, I even tried to make contact a few times, but I never managed to move forward. Inside me, I yearn for her forgiveness, but in practice, when I see her, everything is different. I met and got involved with many men until I found Jack. With him, the desire to build a family and even have a child emerged. This baby growing inside me is healing me."
He stands up again, this time impatient, his eyes full of pure hatred, and I can see the pain burning in his dilated pupils.
"You’re a monster, the worst kind. The worst type of human being I’ve ever known. I can’t believe you did this to me, to our daughter."
"This Clayre is not our daughter."
"Shut the hell up. She’s my daughter. I raised her while you were never truly her mother; you’re just a despicable human being. Heartless, who punished another child for years for an entirely your fault mistake. You’ve made several victims in your farce of trying to be a mother. You used the suffering of a man who was losing his wife, you used me, and you used a baby to ease an irreparable pain. You’re the real demon here. My Clayre will never forgive you, and our Clayre is no longer here because of you. Now I understand why you didn’t do the test. The genetic test would show you don’t have the gene for the hereditary disease, which would have led the doctors to request more tests and could reveal your secret."
"No, Gerald, I swear, I didn’t do it out of malice. I’ve been living with the pain all these years. Part of me died, and that’s why I became cold, distant, but not a day goes by that I don’t punish myself."
He remains silent, crying uncontrollably at the news. I really came to hate a child who was not at fault, but now an adult, she stole my fiancé and wanted to take revenge. However, I can’t tell the truth, Gerald is blind and can’t see the real face of his daughter. That snake disguised as a good girl.
"When she asked me to accept her, I thought I was finally ready to move on, but she and Jack fell in love, and I felt my world die again. I became blind with rage, with the remorse of knowing she wasn’t my daughter, but mainly because she should have gratitude, after all, I welcomed her, she got a family, so why was she doing this to me? She wanted revenge."
Gerald advances furiously and unexpectedly slaps my face while Jack holds him back with force.
"Don’t lose your mind. You need to think, calm down, let’s go."
He says, putting his arm around his shoulders while guiding him out.
I place my hand on my face, feeling the burn. Gerald stumbles down the stairs in shock while Jack returns and fixes his gaze on me. What he transmits is disgust and repulsion.
"Jack, I swear I wanted to donate the bone marrow and save her, but I would never be compatible, and I need you to forgive me. I still dream of our family; we’ll have a child."
His drooping eyelids, tear-filled eyes, and the way he rubs his beard in confusion make me anxious.
"When this child is born, I will never leave them with you.
My child doesn’t deserve a mother like you. Malicious. Selfish. Narcissistic. Who lied all these years, making a girl who’s not at fault suffer. Clayre had the right to know her real parents, and from what you said, she has a brother. When were you going to tell her if Gerald hadn’t questioned you? Would you rather see her die than be saved? Liana, there’s no way not to feel contempt for you. All the pain you feel is little compared to the lives you’ve ruined! What was Clayre’s real name supposed to be?"
I hesitate, but confess her name.
His rejection only reassures me that I will flee with this baby. I will raise them rigorously, talking about how they have a traitor father. When they reach adulthood, they’ll take every dollar from his fortune. This child will be my revenge. It may take time, but it will come relentlessly.
"Her real name is Star."
***
POV Clayre
The black dress with thousands of golden stars catches my attention in the wardrobe. As soon as I finish putting it on, I check the time on my wristwatch. It's 8:00 PM, and Dad still hasn't shown up. What could have happened to delay his flight so much?
Worried, I call his cell phone, but he doesn’t answer. I sit down frustrated on the bed, and Dior soon approaches, rubbing against my legs.
"Something’s wrong, Dior. It’s always me who doesn’t answer, it’s not typical of him to do this."
I think for a few seconds, but someone knocks on the door, and I rush to the living room to open it. I see my dad, accompanied by Jack. Finding them together is not what I expected; distrust grows in my chest like a weed, and frightened, I let them in. My father walks through the door with an expression I’ve never seen before. His eyes are drooping, his eyelids are purple, and when he sees me, he hugs me impulsively. My body is crushed against his chest, and the internal conflicts intensify drastically.
I pull away slightly as soon as his body relaxes, and I carefully analyze his eyes, which are fixed on me. I could even say this situation is a bit uncomfortable, that there is a strange explanation for this unusual reaction. Looking from the outside, the hug seemed normal, warm. My father has always been affectionate, always had this exaggerated protective attitude, but now, it's atypical. This isn’t just any hug, nor any heavier breath I felt coming from his lungs—there’s a bigger weight, exaggerated, bringing with it a feeling of coldness and compassion.
Jack stays a little to the side, and I don’t know how to react, so I remain still, staring at them, trying to understand why they are together and what happened to leave them physically drained.
"Sweetheart, I need to talk to you about your..." He pauses, sighs, and continues. "About Liana."
"Dad, she’s hurt, she lied earlier this week, and I don’t know what made her not show up at the hospital. What happened for you two to be here together?"
Unexpectedly, Jack approaches, his right hand touches my cheek, and my heart races. His fingers trace the texture of my skin, and his green eyes penetrate mine in a powerful connection I’ve never felt before. His chest expands, his mouth opens to speak, but he gives up and hugs me gently. Being close to him brings an infinite amount of feelings of longing, and I just close my eyes, feeling his scent.
Jack rubs his jaw against mine, and his beard follows a short path, brushing against the side of my face until his lips are near my ear.
"Clayre, I love you," he whispers, and confused, I look at my dad, who doesn’t oppose his gesture and simply watches in silence, understandingly and motionlessly.
I pull away, pushing his body, and keep a safe distance, allowing myself to observe both of them, each restrained gesture.
"Speak already. If you wanted to scare me, you’ve succeeded. I’m nervous." I rub my hands together restlessly and stop by the window to feel the gentle breeze coming through the glass.
Jack stares at my father and opens his arms as he responds with an arrogant gesture, rolling his eyes, impatient.
"Come on, Gerald, admit your mistakes."
My father makes a grimace of disapproval, and Jack smiles.
Maybe it’s an attempt to calm Mr. Protective Freburg down? What could he have done to be so fearful of me?
He spreads his legs and lets the tension speak for itself.
"Well, sweetheart, I’m not proud of what I’m about to say, but when you were hospitalized right after all that mess from the trip, your mother went to the hospital, and do you remember we went out to talk?"
"Yes, I remember."
"Great, unfortunately, that day she made a request."
Jack clears his throat, disagreeing, and my father presses his lips together.
"Okay, she made a threat."
"What? What kind of threat?" I wait for some anguish to build inside me, but it doesn’t come; I just feel an overwhelming emptiness, as if yet another ridiculous action of hers today doesn’t make a difference or even surprise me.
"Well, she gave me an option: if I could get Jack away from you, she would donate the bone marrow."
"What?" I refute, incredulous, trying to process the information, but failing at the same time.
"Yes, I called Jack and asked him to reject you, to save you. I’m not proud of having shattered your heart, but I don’t regret it because I wanted you to have a chance to live without that damn disease."
My father lowers his face in shame while inside me, only one feeling predominates: "euphoria."