The Ocean Remembers | JJ Maybank

C H A P T E R 25

YOU DON'T KNOW ME

"𝐉𝐉, 𝐃𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐍?" I asked but I didn't really wait for an answer. "He's my father"

My boyfriend looked at me, then at the man a few meters away from us, and he held my hand tighter, giving me all his support."How can he be? didn't he leave when you were eight?" he asked me, as confused as I was.

My father was looking at the ocean but I could recognise his back and the way he was standing. He still looked so tall and confident.

"I don't know why he's here, come with me please," I asked him, scared of what would happen next.

"No, Sam I can't, it's your father you have to go alone, I don't want to interfere," he firmly contradicted.

"JJ please, don't leave me," I begged, looking right in his eyes as he kept looking at my father, his jaw clenched.

I held his hand tighter to let him know he had no other choice than follow me and he sighed. Maybe he didn't feel like coming but selfishly I needed him. We walked to my father and he turned around to the sound of our footsteps. His eyes filled up with tears when they laid on me and mine did too.

"Samarah," he voiced.

"Dad," I replied, my voice shaking.

JJ laid his eyes on me, and my father's eyes filled up with tears. "Oh, my baby grew up so much," he said, smiling wildly like he was relieved to finally see me.

He walked closer and looked at me, as I stayed quiet. He pulled me in a hug, which caused me to let go of JJ's hand. I frowned and I pushed him away, not wanting to be held, or not by him. Five minutes before, I didn't even know if he was still alive, and now he was holding me.

"Let go of me," I shouted.

He looked at me like I was the weirdest girl he had ever seen and frowned. "Darling, it's me, your father"

"It's been so long," I said as my voice cracked and tears fell on my cheeks. So many feelings were mixed, and so many questions popped up simultaneously. "Wh-where were you?"

"It's been complicated, but it's over now, i'm back and I won't leave you," he tried to convince me that everything was fine.

JJ got closer from me and placed his hand on my lower back so I wouldn't forget his presence and it made me feel better. A little, at least.

"Does mom know you're here?" I asked firmly.

"Of course, I visited her a few days ago already," he answered and my heart broke even more.

How was it possible? So she had lied to me all those days and pretended nothing was going on, but she was seeing my father? My brain couldn't proceed this information no matter how hard I tried to.

"And she's okay with you, here?" I asked, sure she wasn't and would understand me. It wasn't fair he was coming back. Not now.

"She's very happy about it, we're going to be a family again"

"Right," I said, smiling ironically as a sob cut me off. "A family"

I didn't want him to be there or part of my family. He had missed everything in my childhood and was the one who had decided to break apart the family, not otherwise.

He had chosen to never see me again, it wasn't like he had no choice. Back then, he had given up on me, willingly. So why would he come back now? "Who's this young man next to you?" my father asked me.

"Why do you even ask?" I said and I felt JJ getting more tense behind me. Like he was not so calm anymore.

"Well, as your father, I'd be glad to know who this man is, my love," he laughed like it was so obvious he couldn't wrap his mind around my reaction.