by Richa Resa
"Why did you call Aiden an asshole?" Ira asked, confusingly.
"Because he is the other guy who broke her heart." He was angry. There was some movement beside me and before I could stop it, Travis's fists touched my face in full force and all hell broke loose.
Chapter 25
Aiden
"Travis!" Laura and Ira screamed, but it wasn't of any use. The first fist came right under my right eye. It hurt so badly, more than anything I had ever felt. Travis' fists didn't stop. There was no use of stopping them. They were coming straight from a father, whose daughter I had hurt the most.
"Goddammit. Stop it Travis!" Ira roared, making his fist stop mid-way. There was no way I would have survived this. Travis backed away from me and Laura surrounded me, helping me stand on my own feet. I couldn't think of touching my face. My body hurt. His fist had connected with not just my face, but also my ribs.
We all heard a chuckle not far away. With painful eyes, I looked up and found that it was Drew who chuckled, but soon his eyes widened. Travis was rushing towards him and Drew stood glued to the floor.
When Travis’ rage fell upon Drew, he screamed like a girl and no one intervened. Laura just stopped looking at him and turned herself towards me. Ira didn't care but Laura's father cringed at the sounds of bones breaking and the sound of his painful cry.
As Laura looked right into my eyes, it felt as though she was asking me, how could I do it? How could I have hurt Val so badly? How could I have been so cruel to her? My eyes couldn't hold back the tears anymore. I was ashamed of myself.
"Enough!" Laura's father yelled for Travis to stop but words didn't reach his ears.
"I said stop, Travis. Stop it! You want to beat the shit out of the others but before that, you should first make yourself bleed. You had left your little girl and her mother!" His words snapped him out of beating Drew back and blue. Drew must have felt fucking worse than me. Ira looked at him and then at Travis.
"You should look at yourself first, Travis. This all could have been avoided if you could have just manned up and taken upon your responsibility but you didn't, you ran away! You just didn’t and now you want to beat the shit out both of them. I hate them for what they did, more like loathe them, but what should I feel for you, Travis? You are a monster, bigger than them. This all happened because of you and you have got no fucking right to hit them." Her words were harsh, leaving Travis in pain. His eyes couldn't look into anyone's. He was angry, I could see it, and at the same time he was on the verge of crying.
"And you," She said pointing her fingers towards her husband.
"How could you have kept this hidden from me? If you would have told me this all could have been prevented you fool! I can't even understand how you could have not believed her. How could you not for even one fucking second? Were you so much fucking blind?" She demanded.
"Ira, I just-," He was lost of words. "I didn't believe her okay and I deeply regret it. Don't you think I’m hurt too? God, my daughter is hurting and the man whom I had thought to be my son, betrayed my trust. I don't enjoy seeing my daughter cry! She is my blood too and I know right now that she is the one hurting the most. I'm fucking guilty of the fact that I had threatened, Val, that I would ruin her life if she were to spread the lies. Goddamnit she was my niece and I had hurt her very much. I had even fed her lies about her own father so that she would hate him." He rubbed his temples.
The only words that managed to catch my attention were that he had threatened Val. No one could see the punch coming his way. Travis's fists landed on his cheek so hard that he dropped on the floor immediately upon impact. He was fucking shocked, but he didn't do anything. He just sat there, staring blankly at the ground, his eyes weighing down with guilt.
"Travis, please stop this now!" Ira screamed at him, but he didn't stop.
"I deserve it," Laura's father mumbled.
"How could you threaten her, Davis?" Travis roared. "How could you? Have I ever been cruel to Laura? I have always treated her like my own and had always made sure that she was happy even when I wasn't happy with her choices. How could you threaten my little girl like that after knowing that she was my flesh and blood? How could you be so cruel to her and to me? How could you ruin this for me, Davis?" Travis demanded with tears streamed down his cheeks.
He looked so broken and sad that it made me want to cry. I was ashamed of myself. I couldn't even think of meeting his eyes again. I couldn't meet anyone’s eyes right now, not even my own. I had hurt Val so badly that she had been on the verge of madness. I had pushed her towards it. I had scarred her with the truth. I was far crueler than Davis.
"I'm sorry," Davis spoke with his eyes glued to the floor. There was this blanket of sadness that surrounded us.
"You just ruined our brotherhood, Davis. I will never believe you again nor will I ever call you my brother. I just hate you," he cried out.
"But I hate myself more than I hate you because Ira is fucking right! None of this would have happened if I had taken responsibilities of my own actions. She was my daughter, my little girl, and everything I could have ever wanted. She could have had a beautiful life and childhood but I stole that away from her. I left her mother when she told me not to. I broke that woman's family. I should have manned up and taken my daughter. I could have given her everything, but I didn't. I left her and my own daughter. I destroyed her family and I fucking hate myself for it. I wish so many times that I could have gone back in time and change that day when I left her mother. I wish to have given my daughter her own happy childhood but I can't do that right now. I just destroyed everything. I just ruined her and her family and even my fucking self. It was the biggest mistake in my life that I had ever made." He fell to his knees and sobbed in front of all to see. Everyone was in tears.
Ira and Laura moved towards him, tears rolling down their eyes. Laura embraced him in a hug while Ira sat beside them. He sobbed in Laura's arms. He was a broken man and it broke me that I was one of the reasons behind his sad state.
It fucking hurt so much to see him like this that it tore me apart. He was the man who I had looked up to as my own father. I had betrayed him and hurt him in such a brutal way that even the god couldn't have forgiven me. No one could have forgiven me for the sins I had made, for the people I had hurt. I wish I could go back in time and change the things myself, stop myself from going at Val with the intention of just using her. I could only wish things could have been the same as they were now.
"Let's go inside, Uncle Travis," Laura's voice trembled as she forced him on his feet and took him inside. Ira helped in getting him up and let Laura take him away. Wiping away her own tears she looked at the rest of us left in the room.
"Get out of my house Drew and don’t you dare to ever come back! You have done enough harm to this family and I can't bear to be with you for another second inside this house. Stay the fuck away from my family and that includes Val too. Don't you dare go anywhere near her! If you did I will skin you alive, Drew, I will really do it. I'm not afraid to protect my family and I will go to any level to keep them happy. Go fucking do something useful in your life and stop hurting others and destroying their lives." Drew's eyes grew wide with fear prevalent in them. Ira's voice boomed inside the hall.
"Never even think about my family and never dare to even look at them. I will fucking destroy you if so much as think my family Drew. I will fucking destroy you." Ira's words and eyes held a promise that she would really do it if she had to. This wasn't an empty threat.
Fear seemed to seep inside every part of Drew. His colour gone pale. On wobbly legs, he stood up and walked out of there. Never once did his eyes meet with Ira, Davis or me but Ira's eyes were on him like a hawk until he could be seen no more. Her eyes met mine and I couldn't look at her.
"I don't know what to say to you, Aiden. Your mother would be very much disappointed in you, more disappointed in you than I’m. I wasn’t expecting this from you.” She sighed. “I have always thought of you as an int
elligent and kind one but clearly, you aren't that. I just don't know what to do with you or say to you right now." Ira's disappointment in me was evident in her eyes.
I had just not disappointed her, but my mother too. When this news reaches her ears, I was sure that she would disown me. I would not be able to show my face in front of her anymore.
"Get the hell up from the floor Davis!" She screamed jolting him from his position on the floor. "You are not fucking allowed in the bedroom until I fucking feel like you deserve it and it is not going to be anytime soon. Enjoy your fucking stay in the house on the couch and don't you dare try to talk to me, Laura or Travis. You have done enough damage to your own family that I think you deserve it." Her words stung, even to me. They were cold and harsh.
She walked out of there without saying anything else. Tears rolled out on Davis's cheeks as he sat there. No one to console him or stop him. It was really hard to see him like this. I walked away from their unable to see this condition of his.
I followed the way that Laura had taken with Travis. I wanted to apologise to him. I couldn't leave without apologising. I didn't care about him beating me again but I couldn't leave him like this. He was hurting for his daughter, the daughter whom I had brutally used for my own selfish purposes but I couldn't deny the fact that I loved her and always will. She was the only thing that was true and real in my heart. Her love for me was true and I was the one who had tarnished it.
"She is very beautiful, you now Uncle Travis? She is a bit hardened up but when she smiles, she looks so beautiful and innocent. She used to be really fun to hang out with and whenever we met, she would make work look so easy and carefree. Maybe she will forgive you after listening how deeply you regret things. Don't lose hope because if you do, I will hate myself too. I already hate myself so much right now."
Laura and Travis sat on a bench in the inner garden. There were no more tears in Travis's eyes but fresh tears flowed from Laura's.
"If I was Val, I really would have hated Laura so much. I don't know how she could keep on going after so much had happened. I mean, I just destroyed her life for her. I fell in love with a man who was a cheater and hurt my best friend badly,” her voice thick with sorrow.
“I think she will never forgive me, Uncle Travis. I don't know how she could even see my face when I had ripped her life away from her and made it all about me. How hard it must have it been on her. I think can never make up to the pain she had suffered. I have had everything in my life and yet I played a big part in destroying hers. How fucked up had my life become?" She sobbed out. It was so hard to see her like this. It was my and Drew's fucking mistake. I couldn't stop anyone, I couldn't save anyone from pain neither Val nor Laura.
"No Laura, your life isn't fucked up. It is this whole family." He laughed sadly and Laura did too. I wanted to turn away and walk away from them. I should not hurt them anymore but my heart didn't listen. I walked towards them and when I was in close distance only then did I let my presence known.
"Travis" I called. His eyes snapped to mine but they were not anymore filled with anger, but disappointment and sadness.
"What the hell--" Laura started to yell but Travis stopped her and asked her to go inside and find her mum. She tried to fight but the pleading look that Travis gave her made her follow what he had said. Laura gave me a hard glare before going inside. I stood where I was with my head hung low in shame.
"Sit down boy," he ordered.
"I could have never seen this day turn out like this. I had called you to support Laura but look how it ended up. Laura hates you, I hate you and I hate myself more than I ever did."
"I'm sorry, Travis. I am sorry for what I did to her." He gave me a weak nod and looked up at the sky.
"She was the girl you talked about in the restaurant, isn’t she?" He asked and I nodded. I still loved her more than Laura. I would always love her.
"What kind of a girl is she?" He asked me with his eyes closed and leaned back.
"She is a good one. The one who stands up for herself and doesn't back down easily. She is a great person and soul. Hard on the exterior but soft from the inside. When she is inside a room, her presence commands your attention. She is drop dead gorgeous. She knows how to fight her battles even when she is the one in the wrong." I smiled at that one remembering when Val and I had that fight on our first anniversary.
"But she also knows how to make up. When she is mad, you can't do anything but agree with her. She will make you agree with her. She is too stubborn at times, usually when she is in the fight mode. She is lovely from the inside and bold from the outside. She has only one best friend, her name is Shay. She is like her partner in crime. They both are very close. When she is happy, her eyes will always be big and shining. She loves her baths, she can't stay without them. There is also the fact that she is a moody sleeper. She can be an early bird and a late riser. You can't wake her up when she doesn't want too. She is not an animal person, scared of rats and cockroaches but she would stand on a chair and try to shoo them away with her pillows like that ever works. She is funny at times and freaky sexy. She makes this meow sound when she is in bed and in the mood." I just got lost too deep in things.
"I really don't need images of my daughter as sexy and with you like that Aiden." He growled lowly.
"Sorry," I breathed and we sat their silence surrounding us.
"Will she forgive me?" He asked.
"Maybe? She is not a saint Travis. She is stubborn, adamant and bitchy at times. If you tell her the truth and show how deeply you regret the past maybe she would give you some of her time. However, if she had her mind set on the fact that you are not a good man, she won't even look at you, let alone let you speak." I told him honestly. I couldn't give him false hope. He sighed and looked at me.
"Do you have a picture of her?" I nodded. Taking out my phone I scrolled the photos until I could find one when we weren't in bed. I really did not want to aggravate the situation anymore. I don't want him to be angry at me. Having found one with her face close I gave the phone to him. With teary eyes, he looked at it and smiled.
"She has my eyes and nose. I remember her mother, she has her lips and jaw line. She was beautiful and so is her daughter. She is really my daughter and that too so beautiful. I wish I had seen her growing up." He wished. We sat there in silence, looking at her photo.
I love you, Val. Please give me one more chance. I wished for her to hear the plea of my soul.
Chapter 26
Valerie
My phone hadn't rung for the past three hours. Suddenly, my boss gave me an off and conveyed it through a text message. I had just got out of the house to go to the office when I got it. We were going to have a celebratory lunch. Carmen was invited too but she said that we weren’t eating out. She wanted to make the day special and memorable. So, she decided to cook and throw a party at my house that evening. An hour later, my dad and Carmen were out to buy groceries and other things but I think, in other words, it meant that they were trying to spend some time alone. In the morning, no one called me besides Shay. I was expecting someone to call, more like Drew to blast me but that didn't happen. It was shocking. Even Laura's father hadn’t called. He had threatened me. I was waiting for them to come for me. It was actually six hours since the article had gotten out. Twitter was trending with the tag #KillDrew, #HateDrew, #BastardDrew and what not. There was one tag #HateLaura too. I felt that I gave a lot of traffic to Twitter.
The sharp and urgent knocking at my door made my heartbeat spike. Was it Drew or Laura's father or Aiden? Who was it? Dad and Carmen weren't due yet. The doorbell rang but that person wasn't taking their hands off the switch. The incessant ringing was scaring me.
The ringing of the bell stopped but the knock turned into banging, making my heart jump. My feet felt heavy. I didn't know what to expect or whom to expect. I couldn't get up. I felt as though my butt was glued to the couch and my feet were stuck in concrete.
"Open up the door you bitch!!
" The loud shrieking voice calmed my heart down. Taking a deep breath I relaxed. My legs moved and butt got unglued. I reached the door quickly and urgently. I couldn't take the fucking banging.
"Calm the hell down Shay," I whisper- yelled at her after opening the door. She stood there calmly leaning against the door frame with an innocent smile on her lips. Did I say innocent? Okay, that wasn't possible. I knew my friend well, she and innocent were opposites.
"You are going to get me kicked out of the building," I told grabbing her inside the house and shutting the door.
"Yeah, like that would happen. I mean who would complain. The only people who live on this floor are Carmen and you. I know very well that Carmen isn't here and neither is your dad. They have gone out to buy groceries." She told blowing me a kiss and settling herself down on the couch.
"But still you shouldn't have done that. I mean I was scared to shit thinking it was Drew, Aiden or Laura's father. I could have got a heartache. How the hell did you know where my dad and Carmen are at? Are you keeping tabs on them?"
"Well, I didn't think about that, Val. Next time I will call you and let you know that I'm at the door before banging the door and yelling," she said, smiling sweetly. "I called your dad before I came here and that is why I know where they are and before you get on asking why I called them. The reason is here!" She took out the bottle of champagne from the bag she had brought with her. Dangling it she smiled happily and I couldn't stay mad at her.
"It's time for celebration!!" She yelled before getting a knife from the kitchen and popping the bottle open. She didn't bother for glasses and took a swig directly from the bottle before giving it to me. I looked at the bottle and then at Shay. We were the same. I didn't mind taking swigs directly. It was fun. It felt like old Shay and Val was back, drinking directly from the bottles without bothering about the world.
