Diabolus: The Lethal Hunt

Chapter Twenty

BEVERLY WOODS

"So, Kai's and Brent's escape..."

"Yes, that was me."

Ben slides off the plush bar stool and makes his way to the window, his eyes scanning the world outside as if it held the answer to some unspoken question. For a moment, he stands there in stoic silence, as if carved from stone by some ancient sculptor.

"But why hide, for all this time? Why didn't you come to see us, to tell us about yourself?"

At the sound of Avery's voice, Ben turns on his heels, his expression an unreadable mask. But as their eyes meet, a small grin begins to waltz across his lips, and a chuckle bubbles up from within him.

"You have no idea how much time I spent thinking about what should I do. If I should come to see you first or leave you the hell alone."

With a few slow, measured footsteps, Ben makes his way toward us, his eyes locked on the breathtaking view of the lake beyond the window. But just as he takes another glance outside, his gaze freezes, and he turns back to Avery. I follow his gaze outside, scanning the freshly mowed grass and the serene, shimmering waters of the lake. But I can't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Then I came to a decision..." As he lets out a slow and heavy sigh, Ben's eyes fill up with a warmth that seems to radiate from within. "To do nothing. To be a ghost, a guardian ghost, to help you when needed. Because I figured, the truth will come out sooner or later. You will find out about me. And the decision has to be made by my adult daughters, either they want to have me in their lives or they don't."

Ben brushes away the tear that had suddenly started running down his cheek, the warmth in his eyes giving way to a deeper, more complex emotion. He lets out another chuckle, but this time it's heavy as if with that innocent sound, all of his secrets had been laid bare.

"I wasn't the perfect father, I had to try harder for both of you. I had to save you, Avery. I had to take you away from that cruel man, Beverly. But I failed to protect you. That's why I left the decision for you to make."

"You had no other option."

Tears start streaming down my cheeks as I look at his face. It's a moment of vulnerability that is both beautiful and heartbreaking as if we are glimpsing a side of him that he rarely showed to anyone. For a moment, the weight of his secrets hangs heavy in the air, and we can feel the raw emotion that he had been carrying with him all this time.

"There's always an option, dear. You just need to look closer."

For a short moment, he smiles while looking at me, before scrubbing his eyes with his fingers once more, to get rid of the tears. He straightens himself up and fixes his tie before he puts the mask back on, with the serious facial expression of some businessman.

"I have an option, now. I know it will take some time for you to trust me, but I'm living to wait and do all it takes for you to let me in. All I can ask for is for you to give me a chance."

Startling me a little, Ben turns on his heel and storms out of the kitchen, his steps echoing through the house. Avery and I exchange surprised looks before jumping off our barstools and following him, our curiosity piqued.

We caught up with him just as he reached the front door, pushing the seven feet high dark glass doors open and stepping outside into the warm, fresh air. His hands are held high in the air, his fingers splayed wide as if he was reaching for something just out of reach.

"Kai!"

I stop in my tracks as I hear Ben call my husband's name out of nowhere. It's as if the air had been sucked out of the place, and for a moment, I can't even breathe.