Eventually

23 | falling

2 3

F A L L I N G

I rang the doorbell to his house. I shifted the weight of my body from one foot to another. Trish's garden was growing beautifully and the flowers blossomed brightly.

I looked down at my sundress and smiled to myself. I felt pretty. The door opened and Luke's mother came into view. She held a shocked expression on her face as she saw me.

She finally spoke, "Elle, come in." I smiled and walked into the beautiful house as soon as she opened the door for me.

"Hello, Trish," I greeted her. She sat down on the sofa and gestured me to sit next to her.

"Hello, Elle. What're you doing here, unexpectedly? You do know Luke's at the university today," she explained and I smiled at her concerned questions.

"Oh, Trish. I know that Luke's at college. I came here to meet you."

"Meet me?" Trish was taken aback. "What for?"

"I, hmm," I started. I was hesitant to say a word further. Would she lash out on me for demanding exquisite information of which I had no part in? Would she feel offended? Beyond all that, would she be reminded of all the past moments and feel heartbroken all over again?

"Don't hesitate, honey," Trish comforted me. "Tell me. What do you want?"

"I'd like to know more about Luke's father."

And then there was a dead moment of silence; thick enough to shatter anything and sharply thin enough to cut through anything.

"Why?" Trish finally voiced out with a very bitter tone.

"I'm sorry if I'm being very rude and intruding in your personal life, but I would like to know everything I can get about your husband and Luke's father. I'm sorry," I apologised profusely but with a certain sternness in my voice that I couldn't help but feel.

"Why, darling? Why do you want information about Vincent?" She asked yet again. I could see hurt flash in her eyes and my heart clenched.

"Luke hates him. That's not how it's supposed to be," I tried reasoning.

"No," she raised her voice and I flinched. She looked at me and suddenly her eyes softened, "I didn't mean too, darling. He's just a sensitive topic." She placed her hand on top of mine and smiled at me.

"Could you tell me about him? I just don't want Luke to hate him. It's not how it's supposed to be. It's not how it's ever supposed to be. You should never be put into a situation where you want to hate your parent even if they were completely and absolutely wrong," I spoke up as my head jerked upwards and I looked at the chandelier that hang in the centre of the room.

"Vincent was nice to me. He always was. Gentle and caring. Taking me out to dates and what not. We really did love each other and I think for a moment then, I was certain I would have my happily ever after and I did. Just that it didn't last," Trish spoke in a very low voice.

I kept my focus on Patricia Fletcher as she spoke and narrated her story to me. If it meant spending time listening to a broken love story to get details about Luke's father, then, I was ready for it.

"We got married. We had a beautiful son and Luke meant the world to both of us," A smile made its way on my face as I heard that. Luke's father liked him. He wanted Luke, and so it wouldn't be much of a problem. The pursuit wouldn't be pretty difficult.

"Vincent was super successful then. Fletcher Incorporation flourished and wealth came knocking on his doors. Yet, his attitude didn't change till then. He was still the Vincent I had fallen for when I was sixteen. He was still the same Vincent I could help but have a crush on when I was a teenager," I gave her a small smile as a sign of comfort. Everyone deserves their happy ending. Every single one of us deserved one.