Why Not Me (why can't it be me?) [Vini & Dalilah]

Kabanata 27

I did not know where Ellis was getting the nerve to do this, to accuse Vini of something horrible that only he had the capability to do.

And really?

Kidnapping?

Restraining order?

Against the real father of my daughter?

If anyone should be served with that order, it should have been him! He was the real threat to my daughter’s well-being!

I worriedly looked up at Vini after reading the piece of paper with his name as the respondent, stating there that he should stay at least one hundred yards away from Dahlia, her home, and any other specified location, effective immediately. The order would remain in effect until the expiration date, and violating it might result in his arrest, prosecution, and civil or criminal charges.

“Vini,” natatakot na pagtawag ko sabay hawak sa braso niya.

I watched as he painfully closed his eyes while fisting the paper in his hands. Nang muli siyang magmulat ng mga mata ay hinawakan niya ako sa mga braso at saka masuyong tiningnan sa mga mata.

“Stay here with our daughter. I’ll talk to them and deal with this,” he said to which I aggressively shook my head in protest.

“No, Vini. Dahlia and I will go with you. I’ll help explain that you didn’t kidnap your own daughter. If there is someone Dahlia is scared of, it’s Ellis, not you,” I determinedly said.

“This will be too much for her. She is too young for this,” he worried.

“Dahlia is a strong girl. She will understand. And maybe this is the right time for her to know that you are her real father and to show Ellis that he cannot ruin the three of us. You don’t deserve a restraining order from your own daughter,” I said with desperation, holding his arm more tightly and pleading with him to agree with me. “Please, Vini, we’ve already suffered too long, and I’m tired of all this, of Ellis manipulating our lives. Let’s not deny ourselves the chance to be happy.”

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes like he was in pain, and finally nodded in agreement when he opened them again.

“Are you really sure about this?” he asked to which I nodded my head resolutely.

Ilang sandali pa ay nakasakay na kaming tatlo sa elevator pababa sa lobby kung saan naghihintay ‘yong mga pulis, isang pamilyar na mukha ng abogado, at si Ellis na nakangising nakahalukipkip na tila ba nagsasabi na nasa kaniya pa rin ‘yong huling halakhak. The immediate second I saw him, I never wanted anything but to jump on him, scratch his face, and hurt him as how he was hurting me and Dahlia.

Vini squeezed my hand, silently reassuring me that as long as he was here, nothing would happen to Dahlia and me. I did the same to our daughter’s hand, gripping it tightly when I saw fear in her eyes upon seeing Ellis.