Colourise

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Louis tapped his fingers impatiently on the surface of the mocha brown leather chair. Sweeping his hair back, he opened his phone to find zero messages from his daughter.

Tammie was supposed to message him an hour ago that she was returning home after arriving to Anders from San Trinidad. It was almost noon and there was no reply.

He became increasingly worried. What if the ferry she was in had capsized? What if the bus was caught in a highway collision? He was surprised how much he really cared for his daughter.

And then he thought of Gaia, and how she had left so quickly after telling him the truth about the twins Esther and Ryan Wythe. They were his children too, and a new kind of fear filled him. What would they think of him?

Then again, they were also Gaia's children. If Ryan and Tammie were starting to develop feelings for each other, he had to cut it off immediately.

The doorbell rang, and he braced himself for the worst. Squaring his shoulder, Louis opened the door to see Tammie in her school shirt and shorts. Beside her, Ryan was wearing a simple white shirt and jeans.

Ryan. Louis held his breath. His son was standing before him, holding the hand of his half-sibling in a romantic grasp.

And he knew what he had to do, even if it meant the consequences will hurt.

Louis cleared his throat and crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes.

'What is he doing here?' He scoffed.

'Dad,' Tammie stepped forward, letting go of Ryan's hand. 'Ryan is asking for your permission to have him as my—'

'Boyfriend?' Louis bellowed. He looked at Ryan, giving him a cold stare even when his heart was aching to reconcile with him.

'I'm sorry, but I don't want to see you with my daughter again.' He pulled Tammie inside the house, and Ryan stepped back.

'Uncle Louis, you don't understand—' Ryan protested, grabbing his arm. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and Louis saw the care and protective concern in his eyes.

His heart broke as the words spilled out of his mouth.

'You're not allowed to be with Tammie. I'm sorry.' He pulled his hand away from Ryan and dragged Tammie's luggage with him, closing the door before he could let his composure burst.

Breathing heavily, Louis turned to face Tammie, her face turning red with shock and anger.

'Dad, what was that?!' Her voice was wavering, like she was about to cry.

Immediately, he walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. 'Shh, calm down.'

'How am I supposed to calm down when you just drove him away?' She lashed out at him, shoving him backwards.

'Tammie, please, you don't understand,' he regained his balance and squeeze her hands tightly, his expression desperate. 'You need to forget about him, he's not the right one for you.'

'Who are you to tell me who's the right one for me or not?' Tammie shrieked, trying to struggle free from his grasp, but Louis held on.

'Tammie, you can't fall in love with your brother!' Louis found himself shouting.

Tammie stopped fidgeting, staring at her father in utter bewilderment.

'He's your brother, Tammie, your brother.' He said over and over, taking deeps breaths. He paused, realising that the words came out of his mouth. Quickly, he looked up.