Brush Strokes ✓

30.

Aera's hand tightened around her purse strap. She looked up at the formidable building. Well, it wasn't really that formidable, just had big walls. The outer colour of the building was a quite cheerful orange for a detention center. But it didn't calm the storm in the woman's heart.

"You can do it, Aera," she heard Sehee say, squeezing her shoulder. She looked at the older woman with a grateful smile. If she wasn't standing beside her at this moment, she wouldn't have even gotten the courage to leave her house.

She could have brought Taehyung with her but even if they forgot his image for a while, he would have caved in to her requests to stay at home. That's how Sehee ended up beside her, pressing a firm hand between her shoulder blades, urging her forward. She was her strongest pillar and she certainly wouldn't have gotten through the tough life if it hadn't been for Sehee.

Nodding in self encouragement, Aera took a deep breath. "Let's see what he has to say."

Her father had always been a scary man in Aera's dreams. The ultimate boogeyman. But sitting behind the glass, he looked like a tired man, devoid of energy and life. The image didn't lessen the fear, anger and tears.

"Thank you for coming, Aera," the old man said in a weak voice, meeting her eyes, flowing with guilty tears. The young woman squeezed her sister's hand, looking for strength. "I came just so you would stop bugging me on my birthday every year. So spit it out and let me free."

He nodded, wiping away his tears with shaking hands. "I understand. I'm sorry but I didn't want to ruin your birthday. I just wanted to wish you and talk to you. Father to daughter."

Aera scoffed, "My father died when I was five, the first time he hit my mother."

The withering man chuckled bitterly, staring her square in the eyes. "You are wrong. You father died when you were in your mother's womb."

"What?" The women sat staring at the convict with shock. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the short desk.

"That's right. There are things you don't know about my and your mother's past. I'm not your biological father," he said, looking sad as he stared at his hands. "She had a boyfriend and they were going to get married. Your real father was in the military and he...he died serving the country. I was your mother's neighbour, liked her a lot and offered to marry her. She couldn't say no with no way to earn for her unborn baby. I thought she'd fall in love with me over time but it was impossible. But I was desparate and I ran out of patience, especially when people started to notice you didn't look much like me."

"So you hit her?" Aera burst out, slamming her hand against the glass separation. The man behind it flinched, the guard alert. "Calm down," Sehee pulled her back, trying to keep her tears at bay.

"How could you? How could you do that to my mother and claim you loved her? What kind of sick love is that?"

The man couldn't help his cries now. He let his head fall on the desk, his frail shoulders shaking. Aera put a hand on her mouth, trying to muffle her broken sobs.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," the man wailed. "There hasn't been a day when I haven't regretted everything I did. I'm so sorry. She was a very good woman, very beautiful. She had magic in her hands with the way she painted and sculpted statues and she was so kind. I wish everyday to reverse back time and just cherish what she was willing to give me. But I was lost in the peak of my youth and I can't blame anyone but myself for what happened, what I did. I'm paying for my sins in more ways than you know and I'm not complaining. This is what I deserve but this is not what you or your mother deserved. I'm so sorry, please forgive me, Aera."

The young woman shook her head, looking away from the crying old man. There was a time when they had been happy, a time when Mr. Lee had cherished and taken care of her like a real father. But those memories were forever tainted by screams for mercy and blood.

"I can't forgive you. I won't be able to in this lifetime. You have no idea what I've been through and what I've had to listen to. For the pain you have put me through, I can't," she said finally, glaring at him. The prisoner nodded in understanding.

"I didn't expect you to really forgive me, I wouldn't forgive myself either. I just wanted you to know how regretful I am. Also about some of your mother's things."

"What about them?"

"She had a locked trunk. I don't know what is in there but I'm assuming it must be your real father's things. It should be still in our old house, in Jeju. You remember it, right? I took you there for your birthday every year. Ah, sweet old days," he said, a nostalgic smile painting his quivering lips as he looked at her softly.

"I may not be your real father, Aera but I love you like my own daughter. I'm so happy to see you all grown up. For a moment I thought, I'd never be able to see you again when I was arrested before I could hang myself but you have no idea how relieved I was to know you didn't die, to know I didn't kill you too."

"You are sick, you know that?" Aera sneered, standing up. "I'll get going now. I have no wish to talk to a man who killed my mother and almost killed me too, ruining my perspective of the world."

"I didn't mean to do that," he said, getting up as well. "I was going to kill myself too when I realised the sin I had committed. You have to believe me. I really love you as a daughter."

Aera gulped, squaring her shoulders as she looked at him emotionlessly. "For what's it worth, you were always my favourite before things turned bad but everything has changed. You changed and so did I. Don't call me and don't expect me to visit you in the future."

The young woman left the room, followed by her sister. The old man crumpled in his seat, regret and pain eating him away for everything wrong he did. If only he had been more patient and controlled himself, he'd have a happy family, a caring wife, a talented, lovely daughter. But one impulsive act and he lost everything.

The moment Aera got out of the gate of the building, her knees gave up. She fell down on the road, the gravel scraping her knees going unnoticed as she started sobbing in earnest. All the things the old man had said started slowly registering in head, making her head spin. So much, too much.

Sehee wrapped her arms around the short haired woman, letting her use her shoulder to cry on. Her soothing touch on her back and hair calmed the raging storm in Aera's mind. She slowly started realising the truth of her reality.

All this time she kept looking at her actions, thinking hundred times before acting upon on her thought. Though it is good to think things through, she had been doing it for the wrong reasons. She let people get into her head and believed she would turn out to be a murderer but she was wrong. People were wrong. It was his choice, his mistake and his mistakes didn't affect her personality. She was her own person.

He wasn't even her real father. That was the biggest shock ever and a lot of things related to her mother's behaviour all made sense now. The way she talked about love so dreamily, as if it was the best feeling in the word but losing the shine in her eyes when her dad was mentioned. It all made sense.

The fact about her real father strangely made her feel relieved. All this time, she had to pretend she was an orphan but now, she was truly one. She wasn't the daughter of the murderer though. She was just Aera.

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A/N:

Surprised? Well, for those who didn't read my announcement, my exams have all ended and now I'm only attending a few classes, so I have more time. I've decided to update Brush Strokes at least twice a week to complete it quickly and start working on other books.

I hope you liked this chapter. Do let me know what you think about the twist.

Thank you for reading ❤️❤️