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Charlotte Crawford
He stood on our doorstep looking almost homeless. His clothes were dirty with stains and beard outgrown drenched by passing rain.
"What do you mean" I muttered taking my eyes off of him, I didn't want to see what my father looked like, who he'd become. I fiddled with the manila envelope in my hand
I could slam the door right now, but as I heard the light rumble of thunder in the distance. Seeing the condition he was in, I couldn't
"James is my father, I saw the birth certificate. Me and Belle are not your children-" he gestured to the envelope again
I hesitated opening it, but I needed this charade to end. Opening it there was a paternity test, along a crumpled aged piece of paper in her hand writing "this is-"
"Emma wrote me that letter, we had an affair for years Charlotte. It was fucked up, I was a fucked up man. We were both in love with each other and-" I raised my hand to end his words as he spoke while my eyes stared at the letter
The tears pooled in my eyes seeing her handwriting. The words that she'd written on here were all what he'd said, he was telling the truth. My world of continued lies, was all solved in my hand
"she cheated on her fiancé with me, she despised your mother because I stayed with her. She wanted me to leave your mother Amara for her" my eyes shifted to Nate who I handed the letter to along with the documents
"When she got pregnant again, I was sure Belle wasn't my daughter. But once I saw her, I needed to know the truth" he looked to the ground ashamed of his past discretions
"Amara... couldn't have kids-"
"So that's why mom hated us so much, because we were you and Emma's children... so James-"
"James didn't know, not until you were born and I got you in custody" his matching dark brown eyes stared into mine as he pledged
I crossed my arms trying to replay the events that happened in my head matching them up like some jigsaw puzzle
"So then you killed emma" I croaked out "or attempted to kill her because of what?"
"I had her killed to protect you, I knew the people she was getting involved with.... the family she was marrying into, the Priamos family" he paused moving his gazed from his fidgeting fingers to me
"I couldn't put you in harms way. The way I treated you growing up could never be forgiven. But I always wanted what was best for you, you must understand" he looked to Nate
"So when Leonardo agreed to the arrangement after that meeting, I saw he didn't have an aggressive past. There was no signs of him having a relationship in the media, he admired you"
"And so you shipped your daughter off to the leader of the Italian mafia?" Nates voice boomed behind me taking me by surprise "your lucky I'm not crazy like the other leaders out there. I could've been insane, dangerous, I am dangerous and yet you put your daughter into my arms"
He went infront of me tucking my body behind him as my father stood still
"I knew you'd protect her, you'd protect her and any child you would produce together. Then when you were pregnant..." then it hit me
"Did you know?" I questioned pressing my hand against the dark oak door edging myself forward
"Did you know that me and Nate knew each other?" He gestured inside as the rain began to splash against us and he stepped inside the house nodding his head
"I knew your past relationship ended, you always had security in disguise around you. I would never truly let you go out alone. I knew about your clubbing with your friends, reported that you went to Mr.Crawford's"
"So you knew that we knew each other, and yet you made me feel so disgusted with myself" I scoffed
"I was following in persuit of your mother, you two married anyways. I wasn't married to Emma and what I did-"
"I don't want you to stand here infront of me and feel sorry for yourself"
"I'm not father of the year, I'm a terrible man. But I owed you and Belle the truth, I'm your father and always have been. I'd never let anyone touch you-"
"But yourself, left battered and bruised from my parents. My psychotic ex boyfriend who shot my husband and tried to kill me and Mary Caroline" I shut my eyes trying to compose myself
"Then Emma, coming here to kill my husband and endangering our baby"
Nate Crawford
Charlotte stood there staring at him, she looked like she could break with any sudden movements. They both looked terribly vulnerable
Before she could say another word Mary Caroline's cries broke out excusing Charlotte from the room as she rushed upstairs
"You had your child?" He spoke so low as I looked down to him
"I need you to leave your daughters life" I didn't want him near her, near them, near Belle our family
"Excuse me?"
"Your daughter moved on and grew up, she created a family of her own after such abuse. I don't want you around us, I don't want you near her or anybody else. I'll offer you what ever you want, but if you loved your daughter you would leave" his shaky eyes stared back at me
The crease in his forehead settled as he sighed lightly "i dont want anything from you, I'll go" he turned for the door "thank you" he mumbled
"Why are you thanking me" he opened the door not turning around
"You saved her" i closed the door infront of him startling him as he turned to face me
"Before you got one thing should be set straight, I didn't save her. She never needed my saving, she did it all on her own"
"I was just there to support her" stepping back I opened the door again as he didn't say another word
"Dad?" His head turned to Charlotte who stood at the edge of the staircase with MC in hand as she cooed lightly "shhh it's okay" she soothed
"Goodbye Charlotte, I shouldn't be here" he whispered looking to me "you've found your family, you don't need me" he turned away before she could say another word
The door shut leaving her wordless. She looked down to our daughter in her arms smiling softly as she began to sing a soft lullaby soothing her "shhh it's okay, I know"
Her eyes ran with tears as I placed the envelope to the side collecting her into my arms as Mary Caroline was left in the middle of us
"Daddy's the big bad wolf who chases the little pigs away" she spoke in a baby voice giggling softly "I'm going to put her back to rest"
She went back upstairs to the nursery as I walked into the kitchen stealing two wine glasses from the cupboard "oh Rosé please"
"You are speedy Gonzales" her cheeks flushed red as she went to the fridge pulling the bottle out.
I poured the two glasses setting them aside as she swiftly took my hand in hers pressing the speaker "play Lover" I looked at her making a face she recognized pulling my hand back.
"Nah ah ah, we are dancing away the stressfulness my beautiful husband" though she was the most beautiful woman that ever lived she gave me the title she deserved.
I pulled her against my chest intertwining our hands as we began to dance around the empty kitchen hardwood floors. She couldn't contain her beautiful laughter as i twirled her around.
I dipped her down and pulled her back up as she bursted into laughter pulling her back ti my chest as we began to slow dance "I love you" she voiced
As she stared back into my eyes I knew the truth.
She loved me, and I loved her and nothing else mattered "I love you more Tesoro"
"I love you most"
THE END
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Author:
I can't even explain how thankful
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I never imaged reaching 100k reads in a
lifetime. But it's not just reads, behind each reader is a person with their own story behind them. Who sat down and took their time to read these chapters. I can never thank you enough.
Thank you for everything <3
I felt you deserved a bonus chapter
& maybe another someday :)
Thank you
- em <3