My Angel of Mercy

Ch.24: Now you know the truth

Father? Just that word felt like a punch to the stomach. Despite the cold chill running down my spine and my heart sinking to the bottom of my stomach. I choose to put my feelings aside and stay calm. The last thing I wanted was to make things worse.
"..Oh...Were you married some time ago?"
Frollo sighed, "It's not like that, I've never been with another woman. Yes I had my chances here and there when I was much younger, but I chose to devote my life to our savior and become the public official I am today."
"Then how can you be a father if you've never been with another woman?" I asked feeling very confused.
"..As you know Liliana, the gypsy population in this city is out of control. ...Some time ago...I  was at the cathedral when I heard the sound of an infant crying. When I went to investigate..there was a baby in a basket at the door step of the church."
I gasped,"Why would someone abandon a baby?" I asked.
"... Because this was no ordinary infant...when I took it out of the basket, I unwrapped it from it's blankets and noticed...it was disfigured."
"Disfigured?..How?" I asked.
"He was born with a lump over one of his eyes and a nose much different from you and I."
"Oh... So you took him in?"
Frollo nodded, "Yes and I convinced the archdeacon to let the child live on the hell tower of the church. He's grown now, and is more disfigured. He must stay away from others, for they will mistreat him and be cruel to him. I later discovered that the mother that abandoned him was indeed a gypsy. That's when I realized that gypsies were not capable of real love. Not even for their own children."
My heart broke with every word he spoke. If it weren't for Frollo who knows where that poor boy would have ended up.
Walking over to him slowly, I reached over and held his hand.
"Thank you for telling me, I admire you for taking the poor boy in despite his flaws."
Frollo looked over at me, "You're not upset?" He asked.
"Not at all, I'm shocked more than anything but at least now I know the truth.You could have turned the boy over to an orphanage or just left him on another doorstep when you found out he was part gypsy, yet you raised him as your own. Now I know why you go to the church everyday. You're there to see your boy. You must take great care of him" I said with a smile.
"Well someone has to" he explained.
"What's his name?" I asked.
"Quasimodo" Frollo said, almost as if he was ashamed of the name.
"Interesting, do you think..maybe I could meet him?" I asked.
Frollo looked at me confused, but eventually answered.
"I will think about it dear. For now I just want to enjoy your company" he said before wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer.
I blushed and looked away to stare at the flames. I could hardly believe any of this was real, but the heat from the flames assured me that this was indeed real.
Pulling me back to reality, Frollo places a finger under my chin and made me look up at him.
"Stay with me" he whispered.
"I..I just have to know one last thing.." I said.
"And what might that be dearest Liliana?" He asked stroking my cheek.
"As you know... I'm only 21 years old...are you sure my age doesn't bother you?..What if I'm to young for you..." I said feeling stupid for even asking.
Frollo shushed me and held me close to him.
"No more doubts my dear. Yes I understand there is an age gap between us. I'm not as young as I used to be. But I can assure you that I can still make you happy. And it's not that uncommon for a woman of your age to be with an older man. Many of them are married to older men nowadays. So please, stay with me tonight, just this once" he said in an almost pleading voice.
I happily agreed and followed him out of the room.
This night was just getting more and more interesting.

(A/N: Hey everyone!! Thought I'd leave Quasimodo out of the story? Nah! He's cool. Plus it gives more to the story line. Now just so there's no confusion, I used the plot of the book and not the Disney film. Because I'm the book Frollo actually adopts Quasi and cares for him. Glad Lily took the news so well. Thanks for the votes and reviews so far. Can't wait to add more chapters.)