His three rules

Chapter 27

Taking a moment to compose myself, I return with a glass of water. My voice slightly trembles as I apologize, "I needed a moment. I'm sorry." The weight of the news still lingers, but I'm determined to navigate this emotional revelation with as much composure as I can muster.

Dante, sensing the gravity of the situation, nods understandingly. "Take all the time you need. I know this is a lot to process," he says gently, acknowledging the emotional weight of the revelation about my parents.

"I'm ready," I said, placing my glass down on the table as I listened to Dante continue.

"Your dad tried to find you, for years. But all he had to go on was the name he knew your mother as, Claire Langston. He never stopped looking for you Sophia, I knew him all my life and I've never seen him give up on trying to find you. "

"Then, what happened to him?"

"He got sick, about a year ago. Some sort of tropical disease he contracted while he travelled for business. It was such a rare disease that they hardly even detected it, and when they did, there was no cure. He spent his last breath trying to find you, from hiring private investigators to even trying to use his DNA to find possible matches. He really tried Sophia, he wanted you to know that." Dante said, reaching his hand out towards mine.

"And then?" I prodded, having so many more unanswered questions.

"The day that he died, the P.I. had found 2 possible people that were born on the same day, in the same hospital that you were. You were one of them. He promised me to go and try and find you, and to keep you away from my father if I did find you. I kept my promise, and I still do."

"I don't understand...why do you need to keep me away from your father, if they were best friends?"

"My father became a very greedy man, loving money more than anything, always craving more. When your father reminded him why they started this company, they got into this big fight and it ruined their friendship. Your father didn't want you to be roped into my father's lies and distort your image of him. That's why he told me everything, so that you knew the truth about him, and your life. He wanted me to tell you that he loved you Sophia, and that he died trying to find you. "

The news about my father's tragic fate echoes in my mind, leaving me grappling with a profound mix of emotions. Guilt for being the reason he embarked on a search, sorrow for his untimely demise, and an overwhelming sense of loss converge within me. Questions about what could have been and the weight of the newfound knowledge settle into a heavy ache, shaping a poignant chapter in the story of my life that I never knew existed.

I looked at Dante with tear-filled eyes, I still had so many questions, but no heart to hear the rest right now. He pulled me into his chest, hugging me as the tears started to stream down my face, staining his shirt.

"Is this okay?" He asked as I nodded my head.

I found comfort in Dante's embrace after that conversation. It was strange how I've wanted answers my whole life and yet, when I finally got it, all I wanted to do was forget.

Sometimes it really is better never to know the truth about something. It keeps that hope alive, that, imaginary family I have created in my head over the years.

That's all gone now.

Like it never even existed.

Like I never existed.