57. Betrayed By The One I Loved The Most

“M-My father?”

I muttered after him, dusting off my skirt.

“Yes, dear.” he remarked.

I remembered mum saying something about him.

Of how I was abandoned since I was an illegitimate child.

I tilted my mouth, pressing my lips in a firm frown.

“How charitable, Mr. Reyes. Why would you want me now, when you never did?”

I rolled my eyes, hissing loudly with an attempt to walk away. A nudged around my hands instantly. While I glared at him, he stated,

“I don’t know what you heard, child. But I never even knew you existed.”

I swallowed, with my eyes batting off tears.

Seemed like I was getting really emotional, these days.

“You’re lying,”

“You think I am? Then why don’t we ask Melanie?” he said, referring to my mum.

“Don’t you dare call her name like you cared in the first place. For all I know, she’s my only parent and you’re not involved in any way!”

I stated angrily, removing my hands from his grip.

I already began walking away when I heard a thud right behind me.

“Boss!”

Someone ran of his expensive looking car exclaiming.

It seemed that my pull had been too hard.

And he had fallen down, from the effect, unable to stand up.

I sighed.

Maybe I pushed too hard.

Someone once taught me to treat old people kindly. But… did he even deserve it?

“Screw this,”

I summoned up courage saying. I walked back towards the old man putting my purse strings, around my neck.

“Do you need help, sir?”

I said, stretching a hand for him to take.

He smiled at me, with a genuine look lit in his eyes.

“Don’t count this as anything,”

I scoffed, looking the other way.

Somehow, I was able to put his hands over my shoulder and with the support of his male assistant, we put him at the back seat of the car.

I was about to walk away, when he said something.

“It’s cancer,”

“The doctor said I have a few months to live,”

He revealed surprisingly.

My eyes froze in shock, while I swallowed, instantly stopping at my spot.

“Guess money isn’t everything, after all.”

He added, coughing instantly into a handkerchief.

I cringed when I saw blood right on it.

“You,”

“Why are you telling me this? To gain my sympathy?”

I asked him, glancing at that amount of blood that was in the confines of his handkerchief.

“I want a chance, Eleanor.”

“You see… I always watched you on the tv but never knew you were my daughter. I need to see your mum and ask why she never told me,”

He stated, straightly.

“Fine,”

I sighed off, while his chauffeur opened the door to the car for me to enter.

“Doesn’t still change anything, though.”

I remarked, as the car zoomed off, to our current rented apartment.

The minute we got there, I opened the door, taking my purse and walking hastily towards the house. I opened it with my keys, Mr. Reyes walking behind me.

“Mum?”

I called out.

“Yes dear?” she responded, coming out of her room.

The minute her eyes connected to Mr. Reyes, she looked at me startingly.

“W-What’s he doing here? Why would you bring this man here, Eleanor?!”

She yelled angrily.

I walked to her while she fumed, holding her hands while I looked into her eyes.

“Mum? Mum, look at me.” I said.

“Look at me, mum. I need to know the real truth, that’s why I did.”

She immediately begun to cry so hard.

“Please take him away, I’m not losing you to him dear…”

“Mum you’re not losing me, calm down. Please,” I literally begged her.

It’s being long since I’ve seen her like this.

I wondered what was triggering it all.

“She needs to know the truth Melanie. Tell her,”

Mr. Reyes called out from his spot.

“Oh, shut up. I could never let my daughter grow up in an environment like yours. You’re a bad influence!”

She yelled at him, gripping my hands.

“What are you talking about, mum?”

I gulped with her still in my hands.

“Eleanor…”

She trailed out, saying.

“I did it to protect you from him. I never want you to grow up to be selfish, covetous and heartless like him,”

“W-What are you talking about, mum? Can you be clearer on your words?”

I asked her, with my heart thudding in faster paces at everything that was currently happening. While my hands trembled softly.

“How could you?! How could you keep her existence from me, her father? Didn’t you ever think I deserved to know?”

Mr. Reyes angrily let out.

“What difference would it make? You’re a horrible narcissist who cares about himself. You…”

“Mum…”

It was almost like I could hear imaginary bells, ringing. Like I had zoned out in a trance about the lies she told me.

“I-It’s true isn’t it?”

I breathed out, in an unsure tone, asking her.

“Yes dear. I hid you from him, but…”

I didn’t focus on the rest of her words. Instead, a set of fresh tears spilled from my eyes.

All this while, she said my dad never wanted me. Because I was an illegitimate.

I remembered growing up thinking I was unwanted by him.

That he threw us out, therefore, I hated the rich. 

And…gosh, it affected my life.

“Why would you?! Didn’t you ever think I deserved to know?”

“Eleanor, dear…”

She reached out to my hands saying. But I instantly let her go, staring at her strangely.

It seemed like I had been with a stranger who lied to me, all these years.

“No, no…this wasn’t how I wanted things to go. I was going to tell you,”

“When?!”

I cried out, brokenly.

My chest trembled as I cried out, softly.

“To think this affected my own life, mum. My love life… school life… social life. I have always had a problem with the rich because of this and you knew that…”

My hands shakily reached for my purse with a disappointed look. To think I even looked up to this woman, and gave my all for her.

I even had to fake date someone I detested for her.

“Leanor…”

“I hate you forever mum, for this…I hate you.”