FATHER ALWAYS SMILING

Chapter 18 ~~~~~~~

Elain's head snapped to look right at the still smiling man. "She did what?!" she nearly yelled out. "I... but... why...?" she couldn't understand that, Amalie was a sweet little girl, a little quite sure, but whatever the woman thought didn't justify trying to kill a child.

Alastor, on the other hand, didn't seem at all shocked at her outburst as he continued calmly. "At the time I wasn't too sure myself, but now, I don't think she liked being married to me, though, in retrospect, marrying me was only a means to an end for her."

"I don't understand, if she didn't want to marry you, why did she?"

"To gain access to her inheritance. She went to find a man who was the most suitable, someone with the best in looks, and class, to her, that was me. Now, I didn't mind. I never thought of myself as the romantic type, but if a person is interested in me, I had no issues in returning their feelings, even if they are a bit muted on my end. However, it wasn't just marriage. She also wanted to have a child, that was another cavoite to her inheritance."

"That seems over the top."

"I know, but given her family's history, it wasn't that much of a surprise. Though there was a problem with that..."

"What kind of problem?"

"She wanted children, and I did not."

Elain became silent, her thoughts churning over and over in her head, her first thought that Alastor's wife might have cheated on him, but retracted that thought given how alike Amalie looked like her father, which led to one other conclusion, something that was far worse than cheating on a significant other, which was cemented in what Alastor said next.

"She needed a child, and her parents would have had the child's DNA tested with mine to make sure the baby was related to me. Sadly, I was not a willing participant in this act in what my wife decided to do to make it happen."

But before Elain could even respond, Alastor continued.

"But that's been a far longer time than your wounds that are still healing from what you went through. After all this time what I went through feels as though it was a mere penance in comparison."

"No, it's not." Was all that Elain could say to that, Elain felt sick with regret, for something so awful to happen to someone she had gotten to know, of just hearing that a man who had been so kind to her, had been raped by his wife cast an even greater regret in opening Pandora's box. This wasn't like what she had dealt with, but it didn't make what he went through any less valid with such trauma. "I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"Don't apologize for something you knew nothing about; besides, it was my choice to share what happened to me. Much like how you shared what happened with you. Our trauma may be different, but it does not change the pain we have been put through at the hands of others."

"Still, I mean, I don't know how you could stay married to such a monster after what she did to you..."

His smile twitched. "A monster indeed, but it was part of her inheritance, even I had no real say in the matter. Nor could I take this to court since, as my wife said when I confronted her, no one would believe me. Though I had a prenup before marriage, and I could come out completely unscathed. But her parents, my wife's parents, pleaded not to do that, that having parents that were separated would be bad for the child."

"Now that's bullshit."

He chuckled, he seemed to agree to it. "Well, they did change their tune rather quickly when they learned that their daughter whom they let get away with rape tried to kill their grandchild."

"And she ran away after that?"

"Yes, I don't know what happened to her, and in truth, I don't care. She has no inheritance, no money to continue her high-cost living, and is known throughout the country as a bitter woman who tried to end her own child's life over money. No one would give someone like her any sympathy for her crimes."