[@NA's read of the month in October, 2021]
The servant's daughter and the aristocrats' son engage in a prohibited bond.
Melanie moves in with her mother to work in the Kingstons' household, who have just had their son, Kai, come back from a mysteri...
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You can do this, Mel.
I squeezed my fists at my sides, willing myself to breathe. The door in front of me looked unrecognisable, although I had been there before, only with different feelings and intentions. Ryan on my side held my hand and squeezed it. Mine felt sweaty and uncomfortable, so I was quick to withdraw.
I finally went there to guarantee their wish that was against my will. Or that was what I liked to believe—that I didn’t want to visit him.
Growing up, it was easy to pretend fathers never existed or weren’t necessary. It made my days roll by easier and made the family concept easier for my child’s brain. Bringing up the topic again when I was almost twenty was a shock to the child that still lived inside me with unanswered questions.
I’d dare say The Martinez mansion was beautiful and modern, better than the Kingstons’. Maybe if Mrs Kingston knew I descended from that household, she wouldn’t have disrespected me that day when she first knew I dated Kai. While Mum struggled to keep a roof over my head and food on the table, the Martinez household buzzed with the clatter of unnecessary silver utensils.
Possible images of Ryan’s luxurious childhood flashed in my head: how his parents played with him and took care of him, watched his firsts, helped him hit milestones, and such. I was jealous but tried to keep my resentment towards my father separated from my feelings to a guy who had nothing to do with the awful mistake.
“Thank you for doing this,” Ryan said through a hug once we were in.
If only he understood that was nothing sentimental for me; it was just to provide closure. Or not to make me feel guilty in case he passed away before me guaranteeing a wish as simple as meeting him. Anything but because I felt something towards Sebastian Martinez.
“Let’s get this done, Ryan,” I said curtly.
He nodded, leading me to a door I didn’t notice the last time I was there. Ryan looked nervous with his fidgety hands and occasional sighs. How wrong could it go? I would just talk to the older man and possibly leave to never see him again. Simple. Ryan opened it and stood aside for me to enter.
A thin man rested on a king-sized bed with a drip-feed latched on his hand. His hair was completely grey, missing at the beginning of the crown of his head. When my shaky steps echoed inside, he looked my way.
“Melanie?” he called my name, trying his best to crack a delighted smile.
The resemblance between us was impeccable. I had the man’s big blue eyes and a little of his features. I’d be sure he was my father even if I didn’t do that DNA test.
I nodded, gulping. “Hey.”
He patted the space beside him on the bed, gesturing for me to join him. Did I have to? Was it the right thing to do, to offer him myself that easily? Did I have to make him struggle further to get close? I contemplated again whether I should forgive him right at that second.
