𝙐𝙡𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚

Chapter 26

I reach the door and knock on it. I hear a him say come in very faintly as I walk in.

I notice the bags under his eyes and a half empty vodka bottle in his hand.

"Dad." I say quietly trying to get his attention. He looks up at me with a blank stare.

"I know I fucked up last night. I'm so sorry. I've had a lot on my mind and I just needed a break. With my arm and shoulder and ribs. I need it talk to you about. I know that I'm not wearing my cast right this minute bu-" I say in a desperate plea for forgiveness.

"Just stop Raquel." He says as he chugs the rest of the vodka in the bottle.

"You don't fucking get it, yesterday broke me. I've not been like that your mother left us and that was 2 years ago." He says while looking at his glass on the table in shame. I stretch out my hand to hold his and look at him in pity and guilt.

"Dad listen to me. I love you and I'm sorry for what I did. I was being stupid and inconsiderate. Please don't hate me." A tear rolls down my cheek.

I get up from the leather chair opposite him to hug him, he slowly hugs me back. It feels nice to know that I'm loved, when I'm with my dad. That's why I need to tell him everything.

"Look, I need to talk to you about something. I want to tell you about the your life before you were taken." He says in a mellow voice. I nod for him to continue. Taken? What does he mean taken? I thought to myself but I let him explain.

When you were born, you brought happiness in all of our lives. Kristen (your mother), your brothers and myself. I already could imagine walking you down the isle,(while giving your husband or wife a death glare), watch you go to prom. Me intimidating your lover. Dad stuff. The the closest person to you was your mother and Roman. He felt like it was his job to be a father to you while I was dealing with the mafia.

Kristen loved spending time with you. She would always sing you songs before she put you in your cot. She would talk about you none stop. She loved you. The rest of the family loved you. Especially my side as we saw you more often compared to Kristen's family in Nigeria. You were really close to your grandpa, he loved holding you and hogging you from Kristen. Which always caused them to bicker which was funny to watch.

Anyways let's go to 2 weeks before you were kidnapped. Things between us and the Mexican Mafia was getting heated, more deaths on both sides which increased tension. I was worried for the safety of my children so myself and Kristen made a plan that in three weeks she would move to Nigeria with the kids for awhile but that clearly didn't work out.

A few days before she was supposed to leave, Kristen put you into the cot and then she went to bed and said that you were fine until we heard a loud crash from your room, we went to room to see there was nobody there. We went to your brothers bedrooms to see if anyone had you but they didn't they were sound asleep we called security and rounded everyone up to find you. But we eventually found out that the Mexican mafia had you. Well Jose to be more specific, we kept looking for you for 5 years but eventually we thought you were dead because it was so long ago.

All the boys started to become distant with each other. It took a long time for us all to heal over your disappearance. Kristen started to change, she became depressed after a year or two, she was never the same again she lost the happiness in her eyes, that she once had eventually time went on and Kristen became to distance herself from the boys and myself.

Eventually her dad came and took her because the Mexican mafia was on us again as I didn't want to lose her or anyone else, so she decides to stay in Nigeria. We haven't been the same since then. I remember on your birthday Kristen made you a necklace which the kidnapper left in the cot. From then on, when your birthday came around she would not talk to anyone, she won't even sleep in our bed. She would lock herself in a room and cry. We all avoided each other. We didn't want to talk to one another so I drowned myself in work. I would try my best to be out of the country but something would always stop me.

That night when the doctor called me to tell me about you I got flashbacks of when you got kidnapped. I thought that Jose got to get away with, he touched you, hurt you. I felt like I failed you and I had the smallest feeling that it was Jose that caused the injury. When you avoided talking about it. I knew. I knew he did it but you didn't want to admit it.

I was so.... so disappointed in myself as I am supposed to be your protector but I sat there not knowing my daughter had been hurt. She's been fighting in all theses fights and getting injured.

That's why I was on my phone ignoring you all. I was in shock and I'm still in shock. I felt like I failed you, yet again that's why I couldn't even look you in the eye. I'm sorry Principessa.

As soon as he said that I sat in his lap and hugged him tightly. He hugged me back. I quietly cry in his embrace. I feel guilty, I caused all this pain. I ruined his marriage, I broke my brothers. I need to do right by all of them. I need to at least try to fix this shit.

I get up off him and sit back on my seat. I take a deep breath. I'm about to tell my father about Jose and the Mexican Mafia.

"Since you told me your story so I'm going to tell you mine." I say as I blankly stare at the whiskey bottle. I pick it up and take a quick swig.

"Well where do I begin......"

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