Tainted Redemption

Chapter twenty-three

We're sitting in a café that is near the shop, I have never felt this uncomfortable in my whole life.

Before we came here I was allowed to buy my groceries and put them in my car.

Now we're silent, an awkward beat follows.

I haven't said a thing yet, wanting to know what he endeavors with this.

He has ordered us coffee but I refuse to take a sip, glaring at him. He sighed after drinking some.

He's so alike with Zayn, tall, this aura of mystery and he's even thin like him. Both have lingering gazes and caramel eyes that can hide the world. They even hold the same posture, it's unnerving.

"Since Zayn will not be pleased to see me yet, I had to find a way to get to him." he begins, his accent is slightly there not as heavy as Zayn's. "Make no mistake, I'm not here to harm you. I'm only here to converse. Moreover I didn't know you'd be here." he continued, my shoulders sag in relief.

"You still should've either faced him or left. I'd pick the latter because he isn't looking forward to see you." I say without pity, "Do us a favor and leave without causing him any more pain." I bitterly state.

His eyebrows furrow, "If I hadn't had a family to return to, I'd see him, but at this time I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to kıll me." he replied, "I look after him through Vindhu."

"Would you blame him?" I sharply asked, "That's exactly why you shouldn't be here. If he finds out you moved on with a new family, are off good, it will be too much and he'll blame himself." I retort, "When it's not his fault you left. He doesn't deserve this." It's a calm conversation so far that I didn't see coming. I guess his resemblance to Zayn and their slight similar expressions makes me see he's sad and I can't be as harsh as I liked to be.

He nodded, "It's true, I'm a CEO now but I wasn't always wealthy. I could tell you I left because I wanted to be normal after Yasmin was brutally murdered in our own house..." His haunted face told me he's still hurting from this. "But that excuse hasn't lasted long after I began drinking." he shrugged, I vaguely remember Zayn saying his father was most likely an alcoholic... So he kept tabs on him...? "It wasn't until I met my now wife that I got back from being a useless scum on earth."

I couldn't help but flinch. His tendency to blame himself is alike with his son's as well.

Why didn't my hatred for this man last? I felt like betraying Zayn.

I don't have anything to say to that, he has seen his mistake. But it's irreparable now. It's too late.

"I have two daughters, twins." he informed, my lips part, "The one you saw is the younger one and she's attached to my hip, I can't go anywhere without her because she'd wail the whole day," he says with a tender voice, "They're only two years old and I would want for Zayn to meet them, be part of their lives, since I've done and took too much from him." he explained with nostalgic eyes, he's forgetting that Zayn feels things differently from a normal person, which means he's on defense mode to not seem vulnerable, so him knowing he has half sisters will crush him. "I couldn't stay... I couldn't watch my son grow up with someone mentally unstable. The three years I did were the worst, that's why I couldn't take him with me." he croaked, my eyes filled with tears, I didn't know if what I was feeling was because I'm hurting for Zayn or feeling sorry for Mr. Amrit. "But I couldn't remain away because now I'm not how I was, even if he will hate me to see what I've become, I have to fix it, I can't live longer with this, it has kept me up for nights. He has to forgive me." he stared at me pleadingly, "You have to talk with him about what I'm trying to do. It won't be easy but I want him to have the family he never had. You can help. I know you're important to him, very special from what I've heard and-"