Chapter 200: Meeting Her Father

Chapter 200: Meeting Her Father
Vida's POV

"I thought I could finally get information about Veronica." Those were the words that had hit me the moment I walked into the living room. I woke up a few minutes ago and found out Meredith wasn't beside me. He was beside me when I fell asleep; maybe he left after he saw me sleeping. So, when I couldn't find him, I decided to look for him. Today was the longest day of my life, everything was happening so fast, from finding out the woman I had know all my life as an aunt is not related to me not even to my mother, and suddenly a man was sitting there, asking about the woman that was my mother, that in my nineteenth years of existence, this was the first time, I was seeing the face of my mother.

"You know Veronica?" I heard myself asking, my voice barely above a whisper. He turned suddenly, and I saw the surprise in his eyes the moment our eyes met. I couldn't take my eyes off him; just as he couldn't take his eyes off me.

"Veronica!" He had called me, and then I heard a gasp from the other side.

"Vida, your eyes." I have heard Linda whisper, but I didn't look at her; my gaze remained on the man, who kept staring at me as if I didn't want to miss any details of him. He was just like my mother described him: a god on earth, with his eyes and hair. From his look, he wasn't just some ordinary man in the street. Then his words came up again.

"She didn't tell me, she was pregnant." I could see the surprise in his eyes as they moved over my face like he was searching for something, "How old are you?" He asked, his voice filled with hope and urgency.

"Nineteen!" I had replied without hesitation, and just like that, everything changed. I saw it the exact moment realization hit him; his entire expression shifted.

"I'm..." His voice faltered for the first time since he set eyes on me, but I could still feel the certainty in there, " your father..."

The words didn't just landed, they crashed into me, "I'm your father," the words had ring in my head again, I didn't even know how to react to it because the truth is everything just felt unreal, a few minutes ago, I felt I was never destined to meet the two people that had brought me into the world, I had wish to meet my father since it wasn't possible for me to meet my mother since she is already dead. My mind had gone completely blank. Even when Meredith had told him that he was not my father, I didn't say a word; I just stood there looking at him. But he had said in confidence, "I do not need anyone to tell me what is mine when I see them, your eyes, your hair, and your voice, didn't you already notice they sound like mine?" It was at that point that I realized our voices were similar; he was really my father, but still, I couldn’t move. I just stood there, staring at him. His eyes roved around, then they fell on me again. "Where is your mother?" He asked and that was what broke me because I couldn't answer that question without feeling it all over again, the pain, the loss, the emptiness everything hit me, as my mind begins to picture how my mother had suffer before she died at this point I couldn't hold everything inside, my lips trembled and then I cried not the quiet kind but that uncontrollable kind, that kind that tore through your chest and left nothing behind.

"Baby!" I heard Meredith scream, then take a step to get to me, but before Meredith could get to me, the man, whose name I still had no idea, had already crossed the room, and in a second, his hand was wrapped around me.

"I'm sorry," he had whispered into my head, his voice breaking, his lips pressed to the crown of my head, "I'm sorry," the moment he touch me, everything inside me stilled, not completely but enough to feel the connection, his embrace felt familiar, warm and homely, My hands clutched into him instinctively, and I held onto him tight as if letting go, I might lose him. It felt like a dream but if it was, I didn't want to wake up from it but somehow it was real, I cried into his chest, let everything out, the grief, the confusion, the anger, and the relief, all of it, and he held me tight, he didn't let go, as if he was having the same fear as me. Afraid I would disappear. For the first time in my life, I felt what it feels like to have a father, I really have a father. Even when the tears had stopped, we remained silent in each other's hands. I couldn't tell how long we stayed in that position, but it was what it was. I just wanted to get all the hugs and kisses that I didn't get from my father all these years. "Baby, come home with father." He said softly, his hands still resting on my shoulder as he pulled back just enough to look at me, my heart skipped, "Come with me," he repeated

Slowly, carefully, I looked up at him, "Do you mean it?" I asked because I needed to know, I wanted to be sure this wasn't something that would vanish the moment I start believing in it.

He nodded, "I do," he ran his hand on my hair, caressing it, "let father show the world their new princess, the princess of the imperial kingdom."

"You are a prince?"

He nodded again, "Prince Vladimir!" My eyes bulge at the mentioned of that name, I have heard so much about him and I told Akira one time, that I wish I could marry him but Akira had told me, the man is almost forty that he is too old for me, then I had said I will marry his son, not knowing he is my father, "will you come with me?" He asked again and something in my chest warned, a fragile hope rose in my chest for the first time, I will have a father not just an ordinary man in the street but a prince, before I could give father a reply, a sound cut through the room, it was low deep and familiar, I turned slowly and it was at that moment, I saw Meredith, his eyes were clouded, dark filled with something I had never seen directed at me since we started dating, and then his emotions hit me, he was frustrated, in pain, my heart dropped, he probably thinks, I would picked father over him

"Meredith..." Before I could say anything, he spoke first.

"I'm sorry." The words were quiet, but they hit hard, and then he turned and walked away just like that.

My chest ached. I didn't mean to hurt him. "Meredith!" I wanted to call out, but no sound came. Tears blurred my vision again, and before I could move, a hand gently wiped my tears away. I didn't realize I was crying again. I turned and looked at the man I had longed for these years.

"Come with me," he said again, softer this time. "Let me make up for everything I missed, for being absent for the past nineteen years," his voice broke slightly, "let me be there for you," his eyes softened, "we can be a family. You, me, and your mother"

I shook my head, he still doesn't understand that my mother is gone, "no!"

His brows furrowed slightly, "Why not?"

My throat tightened, "because..." The words hurt to say, he stared at me, I could see the fear in his eyes, "she is gone."

"No!" His voice cracked, "No, it can't be, Veronica can't died." I watched as reality hit him; his face crumpled slightly, and tears filled his eyes. "She is dead?" He asked to confirm again, and I nodded, and that single act had broken him completely, a broken sound left him as he turned away slightly, running a hand through his hair, "I didn't know..." He whispered, "I didn't know..." The pain in his voice was real, raw, "I'm sorry," he kept repeating, "goddess, I'm so sorry..." I look at him, my aunt used to say real men don't cry, but here I was witnessing a powerful man cry all because of love.

I stepped closer without thinking, and wrapped my arms around him again, this time I wasn't crying, I was the one holding him, "It's okay," I whispered softly, even though it wasn't, even though nothing seemed to be okay, but he needed it and maybe, I needed it as well. After a while, he pulled back slightly, looking down at me, "Did you love her?" I asked quietly, the question felt important even though I knew he did.

He didn't hesitate, "yes," his answer was firm, "she was the only woman I ever loved," my chest tightened, "I couldn't even love my fated mate the way I loved her," he admitted.

His words warm my heart more than I expected. I smiled faintly through my tears, "Thank you," I whispered, "for loving her."

His expression softened completely, then he pulled me into another hug, and for a moment we just stayed like that, like it was just the two of us in the whole world, finding each other was the best thing that had happened to us.

He spoke again, his hand caressing my hair, "Come with me." The words were gentler now, less urgent, but still hopeful. I pulled back slightly and shook my head; his face fell.

"I can't,"

His brows pulled together, "Why not?"

"Because..." I swallowed, "I can't live without Meredith." The truth came out easily, because it was the only thing I was sure of.

"He can't protect you," my father said firmly, his tone shifted slightly protective, worried but I shook my head again

"He already has," my voice steadied, "he has been protecting me for a long time," through everything, through things even Meredith didn't understand. "He had sacrificed everything for me, he had stayed with me, even when all I did was cause him pain." Father looked at me, his expression unreadable, "I love him." I said softly, "And he is the father of my child." That was when his gaze dropped slowly to my stomach.

His eyes widened slightly, "You are pregnant?" I nodded, silence followed my affirmation, he sighed, but I could see he wasn't disappointed, but it was a sigh that showed acceptance, "If you love him..." He said slowly,

I nodded again, "I do but I think..." I paused, his gaze lifted to mine, then he smiled faintly.

"You think he is disappointed"

My chest tightened, "I don't know" the way Meredith had looked at me, the way he had walked away, the moment I asked father, if he meant it. Fear crept in, while father chuckled softly, then leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

"I don't think he was disappointed. All I saw was a man who was ready to let you go with me, if that would make you happy. All he wanted was your happiness." His voice was certain, confident, "I'm not going to force you to come with me." Hope flickered inside me again, "but don't shut father away, my home is always open for you." Without thinking I hugged him again.

"I love you, father!"