𝐁eyond the Lens - b.e

51 -

The man stood awkwardly at the door, clearly uncomfortable. Kate, unsure of how to react, broke the silence. "Do you... maybe want to come in?" she asked timidly.

Ellie, her gaze fixed and cold, immediately interrupted. "No," she said firmly, placing a hand on Kate's shoulder. "I'll take him outside. We'll go grab a coffee somewhere." Her voice was distant and cold. She didn't want this encounter to happen here, in the privacy of their hotel room, especially not in front of Kate, who was already fragile.

Kate, still concerned, gave Ellie one last look. "Be careful, okay?"

Ellie forced a smile. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." She gently closed the door behind her, then turned to face her father. He hadn't changed much since all those years ago. His face still bore the marks of time.

The silence between them was heavy, almost suffocating, as they made their way to a nearby café. Every step seemed to distance them further from each other, despite their physical closeness. Ellie hadn't seen her father in years, not since he had abandoned her, alone in Portland, after her mother died. She wondered what he could possibly have to say now, after all this time.

They finally arrived at a small café. The place was quiet, only a few people sitting at the tables. After ordering, they sat across from each other, the oppressive silence lingering. Ellie couldn't stand the waiting anymore. She finally broke the silence, her voice sharp.

"How did you find me?" she asked bluntly. "I'm literally on the other side of the world, and you just show up?"

Her father took a deep breath, hesitating for a moment. "Chloe helped me find you." He avoided her gaze, as if anticipating her reaction.

Ellie sighed in exasperation, her face contorted with anger. "Chloe?" She let out a bitter laugh. "Of course, it had to be her, still ruining my life..."

Ellie's father looked down, clearly uncomfortable. "She thought that... maybe you might need me."

"Need you?" Ellie repeated, incredulous. "Since when do you care about what I need, Dad? Because I remember the last time I really needed you." She leaned forward, her gaze hard and piercing. "It was when Mom died, and you left me. You walked away without looking back."

Her father finally looked up at her, his face devastated. "I know what I did was unforgivable. I made mistakes, Ellie... mistakes I regret every day." His voice trembled, but Ellie felt no pity for him. "Your mother's death destroyed me. I knew she didn't love me as much as I loved her, but I was crazy about her. When she left... I lost myself."

Ellie felt a lump form in her throat. His words touched her, though she refused to admit it. She knew how much her father had adored her mother, even if her mother had never seemed fully invested in their relationship. But that pain, however real, didn't justify what he had done.

"That doesn't change anything," she said, her voice breaking. "You abandoned everything. Not just me, but our life, our home, even Livai."

Her father nodded slowly, overwhelmed with guilt. "I know, Ellie. And I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. But I moved here... to Australia because I couldn't bear to stay there, in that house, without her." He paused, his trembling hands gripping his coffee cup. "I got remarried. I have a new life here in Australia, a new family."

At those words, Ellie felt a knot form in her stomach. "A new family?" Her voice shook with anger. "So while I was struggling to survive, you were busy starting a new family?"

She stared at her father, eyes wide, shocked by the revelation. "You built a life somewhere else, as if I never existed. And you're telling me this now? You're completely out of your mind!"