Chapter 71: Her father
"No! P mia, sono io." (No! My baby, it''s me.)
"Dad?"
At first, I thought I was just ying by my own ears or I was just imagining his voice, but when I heard
him speak again, I suddenly crumpled up the paper on my desk without realizing that it was the
attendance sheet that Craig given to me this morning.
"How are you, my Belle?"
"H-How did you know my number? Where did you get my number?" I asked him, clenching my teeth as
the memories and pain of the past rose slowly to my chest and made me struggle to catch my breath.
"I got it from your friend, I mean I ask him."
"Whose friend of mine are you talking about? Is it Bryan?"
"Belle---"
"Is it from Bryan?"
"Yes, but I told you I asked him to give me your number, so please, don''t be mad at him."
"Tss! Mad? Why would I be mad with him? Why would I be mad with the only person who believed in
me, trusted me and supported me, which was supposed to be your responsibilities as my father?"
"Belle..."
"What? What do you want? Why did you suddenly call after seven long years? Do you want to set me
up again into another engagement, into another agreement? Tell me, Mr. Del Mundo----" but I was
stopped by his next words.
"I''m sorry."
I could feel my breath suddenly stuck in my throat.
"I''m sorry, my baby, for everything that I''ve done. I have done wrong things in the past and I apologize
for all of it."
I couldn''t help butughed after hearing the words ''sorry'' and ''apologize'' from him for the very first time
in seven years. It''s a kind ofughter with pain, longing, confusion and mixed feelings I couldn''t exin
in words.
"Sorry? Apologize? Why? What prompted you to say those words?"
"I didn''t mean to hurt you, my baby"
"W-What did you say? You didn''t mean to hurt me?" I asked forming my fist.
"I love you, my baby----"
"Stop! Please stop saying those words!" I closed my eyes as I tried to stop the tears from flowing, but
they were like streams that no one can seem to stop.
"I''m sorry for hurting you. I know I was wrong, but believe me, I believed you when you said he
molested you. It''s just that----"
"It''s just that what, you''ve been bought by millions, billions that De La gave you just to stop me from
filling the case against his son? What kind of father are you? You chose them over me! You chose their
money over your own daughter?"
"It''s because I was afraid. I was scared----"
"You were scared, then what more of me? You were there, you saw me running down the stairs almost
naked but you didn''t support me, instead, you chose to be blind, you chose to be deaf and you chose
to be numb of what happened!"
"My Belle, please let me exin. Believe me, I regret all the things I have done in the past, especially
what I did to you----"
"I don''t need your sorry, I don''t need your apology and most of all, I don''t need your exnation!
Because for me, we''re no longer connected, we''re no longer a family! I already cut the ties that connect
us since I have left Italy!"
"No, don''t say that, Belle! I''m still your father."
"Father? You call yourself a father? Since when did you became a father to me? When mom left us,
you started to be cold, arrogant, a cunning businessman, a gambler who forgot his responsibilities
to be a father! So stop describing yourself as a father, because you''re not! You can''t even visit me at
school, you have never visited my dance programs andpetitions, you never asked me once if I am
okay if I was okay!"
I hardly wiped my tears and swallowed the knot that has been stuck in my throat.
"You never asked me how I felt after that incident! You didn''t find any way to look for me when I was
away! And instead of helping me, you helped that bastard to clean up his name and put the me on
me! So don''t call yourself a father, because a father means a guardian, a protector, someone who will
make his family a priority over everything else, does everything he can to love and protect his children,
unlike you!"
"I''m sorry."
"I''m sorry but I''m not." I took a long deep breath before I continue. "Don''t ever call again, I''m going to
block your number----"
"They threatened me to take thepany and demanded payment for the money I borrowed from
them." I heard him sighed.
"So this means that yourpany is more important than me, as you chose to help them over me!"
"No, Belle! If that was only the condition they gave me, I would have given up thepany, I would
have given up everything for you---"
"But you never did it, instead, you chose the opposite."
"Yes, because I have no other choice. You are my daughter and I''m willing to sacrifice everything for
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you."
"What are you talking about? You didn''t sacrifice anything for me because you just let them humiliate
me---"
"They threatened to kill you."
My mouth hung in shock and left me speechless for a few seconds.
"They threatened me that they will take you, they will use you against me. They will destroy the
but Nichs De La told me that he will take you and will kill you if I won''t stop you from filing the
case against Joseph. I was so scared that time, Belle, and I don''t know what to do. Your mother left me
and you''re the only one left in me, and I can''t take it to lose you-----"
"And you want me to believe you?"
"Belle?" Shock was evident in his voice, maybe he didn''t expect myeback.
"Why? It''s been seven years but why you just decided to call me now? What happened to those six
years and why didn''t you do something to find me? Why are you telling me all this?"
"I''m sorry."
"Sorry?" I repeated sarcastically. "Well, I''m sorry, but your ''sorry'' is not enough to fill your shorings
as a father to me! I have already forgotten the feeling of having a father."
I didn''t hear any words from him. A few seconds have passed and we both fell into silence. I was about
to end the call when his next words really shocked me into the core.
"I am dying, Belle."
He barely said a whisper but enough for me to hear those shocking words.
"I have a fourth-stage lung cancer, Belle, and my doctor told me that I only have four to five months to
live."
Yes, I was mad with him. I was disappointed and hurt but never in my dreams that I would want to hear
those words.
"W-What?"
I don''t know what to say. I couldn''t form any words. I wanted to cry and scream but my mouth remained
hanging in mid-air.
"It took me six years and five months to find out where you are. And from that day when I saw you
do? What would I tell you when I''m already in front of you? When I''m face to face with you? That I''m
sick and that I only have four months to live in this world?"