Too late

Too late
Cal felt like he was tumbling around in a nightmare. 

Not only did he have to deal with the pain of her betrayal, and the death of his baby, he also had to deal with the embarrassment of his union with Myra.

Thanks to Angelica, the world knew he had dated his ex-student and his supposed nanny. 

But now that she was campaigning all over for congresswoman, backed by the biggest names in politics, the whole world knew it was a hoax, that she had not really been a student or a nanny, and it was all a mission.

It was one thing to be known as the simple guy in your group, but when the whole world knew you as the biggest fool who had fallen for the seduction game of a twenty-five year-old, your masculinity card was gone.

The most infuriating thing of all was how difficult it was to forget her. 

He saw her on TV every damn day. On the internet, she was the favorite and slowly became the most searched personality. 

A twenty-five-year-old sensation who was a badass detective, and was running for congress at only twenty-five against her own father.

Worse still, when he switched off all devices, he could not get any peace in his own house. 

Myra was the only thing Nova talked about, asked about, cried about. 

He had had to change the nannies twice already, but she hated the nannies not because of any fault of theirs, but simply because they were not Myra. 

He did not know in what other language to make it clear to the child that Myra was gone for good, and would not return. 

He was getting increasingly impatient with his daughter, and he hated himself for feeling that way.

She was a child. Of course, she would not understand any of it. 

Speaking of the devil, he heard his study door opening now, and then the sound of little feet pattering.

He sighed in exhaustion even before he saw the top of her little head walking around his desk to him.

“How are you doing, pretty baby?” He tried his best to put on a smile as he picked her up and settled her on his lap.

“Daddy.”

“Yes baby.”

“Can’t you find Myra?”

“What?”

“Did you search like the prince? Did you check all the pwetty ladies' legs?” she said, 

Cal frowned in confusion, and then he finally understood what she was talking about.

“Nova. I have explained that Myra is not Cinderella.”

“But you said you will marry.”

Cal rolled his eyes, “Not everyone who gets married is Cinderella and her prince. Your own mommy was no Cinderella when I married her. Trust me.”

Nova was looking at him, and he could see she did not understand what he was saying, or she did not believe him. 

“Myra is like my Mommy. She is pwetty like my mommy.”

Cal looked away. 

That was a lie too. Myra was no fierce blonde. She was mostly a sweet brown-haired girl. You only see a flash of that fierceness in her eyes now when she talked about injustice.

Yes. 

He had watched clips from her campaigns and debates and interviews, to his everlasting shame. 

Not that it would have been easy to avoid it anyway. She was literally everywhere. 

Still..

He could have tried harder.

“Daddy.” His daughter called again, and he sighed and turned back to her.

“Yes baby,” he smoothed her baby curls back. Myra always did her hair better than these nannies did.

“Let’s go see grandpa Gib. Myra goes there.”

“No,” he said, simply. 

That was all the more reason why he would not go to his uncle’s house till this whole campaign season was over, and there was no chance of running into her. 

He had finally reconciled with Gib after a month. 

He understood the man’s reasons for not telling him. But he wanted to make sure he never ran into Myra by accident.

He really did not want to. 

When he turned to Nova, who had gone silent, he saw that her eyes were watering, and she looked on the verge of tears.

He frowned, feeling really irritated now. “You cannot cry every time you are told the word NO.” 

And she began to cry. 

He hissed lightly in frustration, and looked away.

Could he never get a break?

He really wished he had not listened to that useless therapist who was obviously a plant when she suggested Myra as a nanny. That was where all these problems started.

Nova pushed off him when he tried to hug him, and ran out the door, and he heard Cora’s voice, asking what was wrong and trying to console her.

Although he could never forgive Cora for what happened to his child, it was still a mistake.

She had not pushed Myra. And she was still his daughter’s aunt, the very image of her late mother. 

He walked out of his study now, and responded to Cora’s greeting with a grunt as he walked to his bedroom for a nap.

Although he no longer used a cane, his body was still in recovery, and he needed rest as much as the medication and exercise.

He must have overslept because when he opened his eyes, it was completely dark outside. 

His eyes were closing back sleepily in exhaustion when they snapped back open, and he realized he was not alone.

He felt a hand running up his thigh and grip his shaft between the fabric of his shorts, and it began to stiffen in response. 

For one absurd moment, he thought it was Myra, but he knew there was no way she could get up here.

He jumped off the bed and turned on the lights to see Cora in just a bra and panties. 

“What the hell?” He yelled in outrage, and he saw her body tremble. 

But determination got in her eyes again as she got on her knees and hands on the bed, crawling towards him, arched back and swinging hips like some mesmerizing tiger. 

“If I had known seduction was your thing I would have got to you before that bitch.” She reached for his shorts again, but he stepped back. 

Was the woman crazy?

Her hand fell as her face showed surprise. “You will fuck her, and not me? Do you really only prefer teenagers?

“Get the hell out of my room before I get violent with you.” His voice thundered, and she jumped off the bed, but she stopped again. 

The only good thing about discovering Myra’s real identity was realizing that he was actually not a weirdo. 

Myra was in truth twenty-five years old, and not his student.

Although for someone his age, twenty-five and twenty-one were more or less the same, there was still a slight difference. 

The slight difference was a big enough gap to separate a weirdo from a vain man who preferred younger women.

He did not like being either, but one was still more honorable than the other.

Cora was looking at him now, and he was already moving towards her, mad as a bull. 

She must have seen the danger she was in because she screamed and slipped past him, running out of the bedroom.

He slammed his door shut, and turned the lock.

He was still panting, trying to calm down, when his phone began to ring.

“Gib, it’s so late,” he said in a grudging tone as he placed the phone to his ear.

“Well. You are still awake, so I don’t see what the issue is, son.” His uncle returned.

Cal sighed heavily, and sat on the bed. “Could you not sleep, is that why you decided to wake me up too?”

“I am far from petty. I called you in sympathy. To see how you are doing after the news.”

Cal frowned, “What news?”

“You don’t know?” Gilbert said, “Myra is getting married.”