Sparks Reignited

31 | An Orphan

I watch as he fumbles with the papers tucked until his arm. He pulls out a sheet and shows it to me—a photocopy of my birth certificate. I see my name printed on the paper.

Riley Wade. Daughter to Marcus Wade and Ava Perez.

That's how he used it to get past my school's verification.

"That looks wrong," I tell him. "I'm not a Wade on my ID card."

He sees the questioning look on my face. "It's an old certificate. Your mother tried to convince me to take up the role of your father, but I didn't. She probably removed my name afterwards and had you take her family name."

"Good." Because he doesn't deserve that title.

Marcus winces. "I'm sorry. I know I wasn't there for you the entire time. Not when you were born or during your childhood. I wasn't there when Ava died or when you woke up. I–"

How he knows about my coma bothers me. He has been stalking me for who knows how long, which only intensifies the creepiness I feel around him. "What's the point of bringing them up? Why are you even here?"

"I–" Flustered, he removes his cap and runs his hand through his tousled hair. "This is going to take a while. Can we talk elsewhere? Over a meal, Riley?"

"No." I plant my feet firmly on the ground. "We stay here."

When he sees that I'm not going anywhere with him, he sighs. "I'm sorry, Riley. I'm a terrible father. Running away when Ava first found out she was pregnant was a mistake on my part. I couldn't think straight then. My father had stage-three cancer, and it devastated my mother. It got worse when our hospital bills were piling. I knew I couldn't handle being a new dad, so I ran away." His voice is full of sorrow and his story sounds genuine, that my heart is slowly softening. "I know these are poor excuses, but right now, I wish to make amendments to you. Be a better father."

He steps towards me but I'm faster at moving away. I cross my arms in annoyance, but it's actually more of me trying to hold myself together. I don't feel at ease being alone with him, especially when I don't know this man and what he does for a living.

"But it took you seventeen years to come look for me?"

My question clearly catches him off guard. His expression is one of guilt. "I–I didn't know where you guys had gone."

"You obviously didn't try hard enough. Or probably never cared."

I know I've caught him when he doesn't even try to defend himself. "I know I'm a lousy parent, but I'm willing to make things right for us. You've probably heard from Abbie, but I want to take you home with me, Riley. Back to Philadelphia, where I'm currently staying with your grandma. I've a decent job and home now, with a stable income. I can take care of you."

He tries to close the distance between us, but I reflexively retreat and press my back against the wall. I watch him stop when he's two feet away from me and hands me a white envelope. "Here, take this."

My eyes narrow at it, but I accept it gingerly, taking my time to look into the content. It's a plane ticket to Philadelphia from the airport nearest to Lakeshore. The departure date is two weeks away. When I glance back up at Marcus in disbelief, his expression is hopeful.

"It's for you," he says. "Will you come home with me, Riley?"

Something stirs within me. I'm angry that he had abandoned Mom. Angry that he walks back into my life when he feels like it. Angry that he's here to ruin my life just when I'm starting to feel like I've regained normalcy like a regular high schooler.

From what I see, he's a psychotic stalker that doesn't understand or respect my wishes.

I never had a father, and I've lost my mother, which makes me an orphan. But I'm not leaving Kyle or my family here. After all, they are the ones who have helped me to get back onto my own feet and make me feel loved every day.

I crumple the plane ticket in my hands and drop it to the floor between our feet. "Do me a favor?" I raise a brow at Marcus. "Leave me alone."

"Riley–"

But I'm not listening. I turn and stomp out of the room, leaving him to stare after my back.