Chapter 57 Chapter 57

Chapter 57 Chapter 57


Carter

"Hey, love," I opened my arms wide, welcoming Mila into my body frame; my hands snaked around her waist while I kissed her on the cheek and her forehead. "How are you doing today?" I questioned releasing her to search her face.

"Well, I can't say if I am happy or excited, but I am good; everything is good." Mila flashed me a smile, I needed no one to tell me something sweet happened. I am not saying she doesn't smile but she looks super excited.

"Is there something I need to know that you are hiding from me?" I took a glass from the rack, poured myself some content from the bottle, and then gulped the whole content.

"I am not hiding anything," she chuckled collecting the glass and bottle from my hands, she set it herself. "Tessa came in earlier today, but she is not feeling well; she looks sick and pale; all the color on her skin had drained, but she is fine." She announced.

My expression faltered down at her. The last piece of news I was expecting to hear was that Mila saw Tessa, and to crown it all, she was sick. I would not believe that. "How do you know? How do you know Tessa is sick?" I blurted out. "The last time I checked, it has been a long time since you set your eyes on her, and you are telling me she is pale and the colors on her skin drained," I added without waiting for her to respond.

She turned her attention back to me after she rinsed the cup, filled the bottle with water, and placed it back in the fridge to cool; she leaned on the wall while smiling at me; her face radiated and beamed with joy; she looked so happy which got me hooked up. 

"You didn't let me land before you buried me," she laughed jokingly and I scoffed inwardly. "Well, like I said earlier, except you were not listening, Tessa came in earlier, we had a long talk, spoke at length about lots of issues between us, and we straightened it out. So I saw her, how she talked and behaved, I needed no one to tell me my daughter is sick before she said it with her mouth." She explained sighing outwardly.

I smiled and filled the remaining gaps between us, I placed my hands on her shoulder and stared at her. "Mila, I have never been so proud of you as I am now; I am proud of you as a mother, very proud of you." I grinned whilst nodding to the words with my head.

"Are you serious right now?" Mila asked raising an eyebrow at me.

"I am so damn serious; every mother would understand. She is young and bound to behave anyhow, positive and negative, and accepting her back instead of chiding and chasing her away is proud to do. I am happy to hear you guys sat down and talked it, and settled it out. I am proud of you as a mother; you are every daughter's choice as a mother." I explained.

"I don't know why I feel so heavy-headed about these words you said. Thank you for the compliment, I feel so praised." Mila smiled.

"It was not a compliment. I stated the fact, and you have to believe it." I answered. "Uhm! I think I would check on Tessa to see how she is faring and if she is okay," I added after a while of thought.

"Yeah, you should do so, she is in her room." She beckoned to the way that led to her room.

I knew Tessa was not sick; she could be mad and worked up because of our previous argument, but I need to see her; we have a lot of scores to settle. I dropped my bag on the chair in the sitting room before heading down to her room.

On getting there, I tried the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge. I did so again, and it wouldn't still open; it was then realization dawned on me that she had locked the room.

I flexed my knuckles and knocked on the door but there was no response. If I had not known the truth that she was in her room and If I didn't have the idea of what she was capable of doing, I would have said Mila lied to me about Tessa being in and stepping feet into the house, the silence that responded my knocks was deafening snd unbearable.

I knew she was in there but decided not to respond to me. I knocked again and again and again and again until the tenth time, but she refused to open up; my patience ran out, and I decided to use the next measure, threatening her.

"Tessa, I know you are in there, maybe probably covering your ears with the pillow or staring at the door until I feel tired to walk away and leave you alone to have your peace but believe me sincerely if not faithfully that I won't leave this place till you open the door, and if you refuse to do so, I would have no other choice than to break this door open and see you by force," I assured, my voice carried the threat lightly but mixed with a little touch of plea and understanding.

After a few seconds, I heard a little grumbling, more like she was funnily repeating my threats, but I didn't care. I raised a knock to remind her of my presence, and soon there was a shuffling of feet, and she opened the door reluctantly.

Her expression greeted me; she frowned so deeply that I couldn't help but control myself from laughing and teasing her about how she looked.

"I know you don't want to open the door, Tessa, and you don't want to see me nor have anything to do with me, but please give me a few minutes to explain myself to you." I pleaded staring at her.

She gave me a long stare; I was beginning to think it wouldn't break and she wouldn't step aside from the door. I was forming words already that could move her to understand me, but she sighed, a long, heavy one, and then stepped aside, ushering me in. I closed the door as soon as I entered and turned to her; she folded her hands underneath her breast and stood akimbo.

"Tessa, I do love you and the last thing I want is for our relationship to end in this manner, I don't know why you can't understand everything I am trying to do here, I am crazy about you and I am ready to prove my love for you in so many ways but Tessa I want things to be low-key, that is what I am trying to do and you misunderstood me and my intentions."

"And you expect me to believe all you have said now? What if you are just saying it to win my heart back and then behave the way you want after I forgive you?" Tessa's gaze bore into mine.

"When your mom told me you were sick, I knew you were fine but it was our argument that made you so worked up like this, I won't be telling a lie just to win your heart back, Tessa, I would never do that, I love you and I will say it a million times, but I need us to take things slowly and let them be low-key. You just misunderstood me," My hands caressed her cheeks, and my finger brushed the strands of hair on her face to tug it on the back of her ear.

"I believe you, Daddy; I know you love and care for me, and I understand what you have been trying to do, to keep things low-key between us; I was just...I don't know what came over me; I am sorry for the way I behaved and the way I have been behaving to you, it is not right to act that way, but I just don't know what came over me; I am sorry," she paused, her eyes become watery from guilt. "Would you please forgive me?" She begged.

"Ohh! Come on Tessa, I am not mad at you, if I am, I wouldn't come to see you when your mom informed me of your presence in the house, I would have gone to my room and ignored you until you feel like talking and apologizing for your behavior," I held her hands and kissed her each of her hands and palms. "It is Okay, uhh?" I beamed a smile at her and she returned it with a hug. "I came to check on you, we would talk later on." I hurriedly planted a kiss on her head and made my way to the door.

As I opened the door to her room, I ran into Mila who was standing at the door.