Oh, I Don't Love You; I'm In Love With Your Car. Or Is It The Other Way Round?

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

I blinked at the man, twice. He claimed to be my father…who my mother left when I was young…who never bothered to contact me or my family…

“Taylor?”

Mum could’ve known about him, and brought him here. But what was the use now? He didn’t help me before- so why should he now?

“Taylor, listen to me…?” it sounded more like a question than a request. 

I realised I had sunk into my thoughts for a minute or so, and snapped my head back up to look at him. He looked a bit frightened of what my reaction would be, but I was simply confused. 

“You’re not lying?” I checked with him, studying his anxious expression for any hint of deceit.

“No, why would I?” he sighed as he took in my face.

“Care to explain what is going on?” I demanded, rather than asked, coldly.

“Your mother was blackmailed, just after you were born, to leave me. She had no choice- they held your uncle hostage.” Seeing my hopeful face, he shook his head sadly. “They killed him eventually, but she left me, and it was too late. I didn’t know why she’d left me until a few years ago. When I found out, I made her promise that she’d send you to this boarding school, where I was teaching, so I could meet you.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “Wait…you work there?”

“Yes,” he nodded slowly. “I teach Chemistry.”

“Oh, I’ve never seen you around before.” I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, but he seemed pretty truthful. “So, who were these people who blackmailed Mum?”

He inhaled sharply. “My cousin and his gang.”

I gasped. “Why…?”

“My parents died when I was young, so I lived with my aunt and uncle, and cousin until I was eighteen. Then I moved out, and six or seven years later, I met your mother. We fell in love quickly and I asked her to marry me a year after we began dating. Three years after that, you were a lovely one year old girl, and we were really happy.

‘Here’s the thing, though. My aunt and uncle never wanted me to marry her, they tried to get me to marry so many other girls. To this day, I don’t know what they have against your mother. When they found out that we’d gotten married, they sent out my cousin and his gang after us. Somehow, they kidnapped Julia’s brother and held him hostage until Julia divorced me and moved away. I was heartbroken, and tried to carry on with life. They killed Julia’s brother anyway, but I don’t think she ever found out, because she lost contact with him, I think.”

Tears sprung to my eyes as I realised how tough this was on my so-called father. “I didn’t know how hard this was for you! Do you…still…you know, love her?”

There was a minute’s awkward silence. “I will always love her, and there’s always a place for her in my heart…but I’ve moved on. She’s found Kevin, and has Kristina, and she’s happy. That’s all I want.”

“So why did you decide to see me now? Didn’t you recognise  me at school?”

“I did. Julia sent me pictures, and you’ve grown up to be more beautiful than your mother!” he looked away from me. “Actually, I work here when I’m not teaching at school to earn some more money.”

“As a doctor?” I asked him, bewildered.

“Yes, as a doctor. Now, you have to let me give you this medicine. It will put you to sleep for a few hours, but you’ll feel so much better after.”