[///ON HOLD///] Animal House (Rendezvous #2)

Chapter 26

All her life, Nora had known her father to be a humble man. Though he was stoic and rarely showed anything on his face, he conveyed his emotions just enough for her to know he loved their family with all his heart. His poor and unfortunate background never stopped him from working hard to provide for them.

But to be called a thief?

"My dad is not a thief."

"Grandpa always called him that," Keely retorted. "Even with his dying breath, he hated your father."

Nora turned to Gloria. "Is that true?"

Her aunt hesitated, and she felt the pit of her stomach crumble. Her whole life, she thought she knew why her family had been abandoned by the O'Goods. Had she been wrong? Had something more dire occurred?

"Your grandfather loathed your father. That much is true," Gloria spoke. "But to be called a thief is an...over-exaggeration."

Nora sighed in relief before asking, "Then why call him that?"

"Because he took your mother away." Gloria paused before softly murmuring, "Sofia was his greatest treasure. Of his three daughters, she was the most beloved."

She was taken aback by the way her aunt so bluntly made that statement, but when she glanced at her other aunt, she realized Rachel also accepted the harsh words as fact.

"Why is that?" Nora couldn't resist asking.

To her surprise, it was Rachel who answered. "Because she was the last remnant our mother gave our father before passing away."

Throughout the years, she recalled how her mom often brought up vague memories of her family, but she rarely, if ever, talked about her own mother. Now she knew why.

"When Sofia ran away with your father...with Chris...she broke our father's heart," Gloria spoke. "He didn't know what to do with his emotions, so he blamed Chris for everything. He said your father tricked her. That he only wanted her money and eventually, she would come crawling back. But as you can see, none of that happened."

Because they had truly loved each other.

Nora's romantic relationships had all been shallow and some even toxic beyond belief. In any other case, she could've easily concluded true love didn't exist. But whenever she recalled her parents, she knew it did. Never had she seen two people so in love with each other. Even if they didn't have the support of those around them, the love they shared had been enough.

"If he never forgave them, then why did he give me the Animal House?"

A somber smile stretched Gloria's lips. "Because no matter how much resentment he held, he was still Sofia's father. He still loved her. And you were one of the last remaining keepsakes she left in the world."

So Nora held sentiment to her mother as her mother had held sentiment to her grandmother.

Part of her started to feel empathy for her grandfather, who she had always seen as nothing more than a villain in their lives. Maybe giving her the Animal House was his last attempt at redemption for everything that had happened.

Did she forgive him? It was too early to tell. However...

"And do you feel the same way?" she questioned her aunt.

Gloria's gaze pierced her. "When Sofia left, she told no one. Of course I felt betrayed. But we all knew if she had mentioned anything to any of us, we would've stopped her. She did what she thought was necessary to be with Chris. If I could redo everything that had happened..."

She didn't finish, but Nora knew what she wanted to say. And yet, it was too late for what-ifs.

"Why didn't you reach out sooner?"