I Do Not Approve

I Do Not Approve
ELLA

After listening to Aiden, I felt sick to my stomach. What a stupid excuse! He didn't want to hurt Nova, so he chose to date her and told her he loved her. That was a recipe for heartbreak, so how could he say he didn't want to hurt her?

And his reasons for not telling me about his feelings for me were all crap. As far as I was concerned, Aiden betrayed me. He betrayed my trust. I loved him so much as a friend, and perhaps if I had known about his feelings for me, I wouldn't have been so close to him. I would have set boundaries.

I was so close to him because I thought he saw me like a sister, just like I saw him as a brother. I thought he would never think of me in that way. I mean, we've been so close since we were little, but he broke my trust.

He caused me so much pain, and now because of what he did, I may never get Lucas back. And that was the most painful part of it all.

But no, I was not going to lie down and accept what I did not do. There were things I was guilty of, and I knew them. I wasn't proud of trying to become Nova's friend the wrong way. I also wasn't proud of the fact that I didn't tell Lucas the entire truth.

Perhaps if I had told him that Nova and I used to be enemies and all that, he would have known the truth. It wouldn't have blown up in my face as it did.

What I had expected to happen was, if Nova and I had become friends (sort of), and if she came home and saw me with her dad, she wouldn't be so opposed to the idea. She would probably just be like, "Okay if that's what you guys want."

It was foolish of me to think that everything would work out so easily. Life wasn't that way, and I learned the hard way.

When I went back home, I kept thinking about Lucas. I could not forget about him, not after everything. Yes, we had known each other for a short time, but I felt as though I had known him forever. I loved him so much. Just the thought of not speaking to him for the rest of my life was enough to make me fall into depression.

I dialed his number, wanting to listen to his voice. I was scared that he wouldn't pick up, but he did. My heart began to race, and I hoped he would listen to what I had to say.

"Yes, Ella, what is it?" He asked. That same voice, the same voice I fell in love with, but it sounded different. Lucas sounded the way he did the first time I met him when I bashed his car.

"I love you, Lucas," I said. "I truly love you so much, and I swear, I could never lie about that. I just want to explain what happened. I never knew Aiden was in love with me. I have always only seen him as my best friend."

"Look, all these do not matter, Ella," Lucas said. "Listen, Ella, I know that we made promises to each other, and I know that some things happened between us.

I really did love you, Ella, but you kept a lot of things from me. I was open to you about everything, but you were not honest with me."

"I'm sorry," I cried. "I'm sorry, Lucas."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Lucas said. "My daughter, Nova, is hurt. She's in pain, and I cannot overlook that. Nova is everything I have. She's like my eye, and here I was thinking that both of you would be friends, but then you sent... I don't even want to think about it.

But the truth is that I cannot be in a relationship with you because Nova will never approve of it. Yes, I know Nova is not a child, but her happiness is important. I don't want a situation where Nova would feel unhappy or uncomfortable. I'm sorry.

Yes, you might feel like I'm choosing my daughter, but I'm all Nova has. You have parents, you have a father, you have a mother, and you have people who love you. Nova has nothing except me. I am all she has, and her happiness is my priority.

You didn't do the right thing by hurting her, so goodbye. There's no future for us, and I'm sorry about everything. Goodbye."

"No, Lucas," I cried. "Please don't say that to me. I can't live without you." However, Lucas hung up. I tried calling him again, but he didn't pick up the call. As I stared at my screen, I broke down in tears again.

My Mom quickly rushed into the room, and I realized she had been standing by the door.

"Oh dear, oh my dear," she said and hugged me. "Cry if you feel like it. Cry your heart out. Perhaps it'll make you feel better."

I knew she had heard some of what I said to Lucas, but she didn't know the whole details, so it was best for me to just tell her because I wanted to be alone.

When I wiped my eyes, my mom said, "Listen to me, Ella. I understand from your conversation that you're heartbroken right now. This pain you're feeling, I know it very well because I've once experienced it.

Back then, there were misunderstandings between your father and me, and we parted ways. I didn't feel like living anymore. I did not feel like going out. I felt empty. It was so painful, but I was able to pull through.

I was able to survive, and eventually, I was blessed with you. But as life would have it, your father came back. So, I want you to know that if Lucas is the right man for you, he would come back. But who is this Lucas? From your conversation, I can tell that he's not a student in your school. So who is he?"

I sighed and began to explain everything to my mom. When I told her who Lucas was, she gasped. I also told her about the drama between Nova and myself and Aiden.

She closed her eyes and opened them, "No, Ella, wasn't Lucas just too old for you?"

I had expected to hear something like that, so I wasn't surprised.

However, she surprised me by saying, "It doesn't matter how old someone is though, because when it comes to love, age is just a number."

I hugged her as I said, "Thank you so much, Mum. I know you're the best."

My dad came in at that time. Apparently, he had asked someone to look into my relationship with Lucas, just as I suspected, and now he had gotten the whole details.

As he came in, he said, "What were you thinking, Ella? Dating someone who is twice your age? For crying out loud, you're just nineteen, and Lucas... Lucas is thirty-eight, almost forty years old.

No, no, It's too much. He has a daughter as grown up as you. This is why all this drama is involved. If Lucas wasn't so old, you wouldn't have to be dealing with this. No, I can't tolerate this, and how dare he?

I mean, Lucas knows me, and yet he choose to date my little daughter and even hurt her in this way. I am not going to spare him."

"Hold on, Dad," I said. "Lucas hasn't done anything wrong."

"If he hasn't done anything wrong, then why are you crying so much?" my dad asked.

I sighed, "Well, the first time I met Lucas, I bashed his car, and after that, I fell for him. It was love at first sight and I couldn't stop thinking about him so I began to chase him but Lucas wanted nothing to do with me, he even told me time and again that I was just a child but I was persistent and refused to give up.

I told him what my mum had just said; that age was nothing but a number. Gradually, I made Lucas like me and fall for me. If this drama with Nova and Aiden did not come up, Lucas would never have hurt me, even now I am the one who has hurt Lucas because I wasn't honest with him. Dad, Lucas was so good to me, he treated me like a Princess."

"He's bad for you." My dad said, "And too old if you ask me. Listen, I'm sorry about how you're feeling my dear but it's a good thing that this relationship is over, it's for the best.

I do not approve of Lucas and I do not want him anywhere near my daughter."

LUCAS

I couldn't forget Ella. Yes, alcohol had become my best friend, but it did not help with the pain and longing. Perhaps it was because I had stayed celibate for so long, after being with Ella, my body kept craving her, longing for her touch.

Now, after she called me, her voice only caused me more pain because I knew that all I could do was listen. There was nothing else I could do, not when my daughter was in pain.

After hanging up, she sent me a text. I didn't want to read it because I didn't want to soften my heart, but then I could not ignore it, so I opened the text. It was long, really long, and apparently, her own side of the story.

I read the first few lines, but then I deleted them. I was afraid that if I read the text to the end, I would end up running after her.

Despite everything, I couldn't believe that Ella's feelings for me were fake. I wasn't a child, I was a grown-up man, and I knew when a woman was into me. Ella was all in; her love for me wasn't in doubt.

However, she had hurt my daughter and me. As I had told her, a relationship without Nova's consent wasn't what I had planned in my life. It was important for her to get along with my daughter, but now Nova hated her so much. It was so sad, very sad, but there was nothing else I could do.

Nova came into my room and noticed my expression. "Dad, I'm sorry," she said.

"What are you sorry for?" I asked. "Stop doing this, Nova. You're the one going through pain, and yet you're saying sorry."

She shook her head. "I guess if I didn't date Aiden or if you didn't have me, you'd not be..."

"Do not say such things." I cut her off. "What do you mean by 'If I didn't have you'?

Nova, I would not exchange you for anything in the world. Having you was the best thing that ever happened to me, so please don't say such things.

Yes, I am in pain. I'll be honest with you. I feel like I lost your Mom again. That's how much Ella meant to me. In just a short time, I fell. I fell really hard, head over heels. And just when I began to enjoy, I had to let go.

Before even the relationship started, it turned sour. So yes, I'm in pain. But I'd get better. So do not mind me, just let me wallow in my grief for the next few days.

In no time, I will return back to the Lucas you know. But then your father will always be here, no matter how grief-stricken I am, no matter how I mourn the loss of my love. I'd still be here for you because you are the best thing in my life."

Nova smiled and hugged me. "Thanks, Dad. I love you so much."