Flashback:
"Papa!" Younger Lisa squeals out as she sprints towards her dad who was knelt down with opened arms and a kind smile. Lisa giggles and jumps into his arms as she buries her face in the crook of his neck. He chuckles and wraps his arms around his daughter tightly,
"Hey baby girl!" He puts her back down and ruffles her hair. Lisa giggles and pushes his hands away,
"Are you staying for my birthday this week?" She asks as she sticks out her bottom lip into a pout. He smiles and nods his head,
"Of course Priya. I would never miss your birthday."
.............
Hearing faint whispering outside her door, Lisa flutters her eyes open and yawns as she sat up and stretched her limbs. But she quickly furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as the faint voices started to increase its volume. She tilts her head as she reaches for her stuffed animal while crawling off her bed.
She slowly creeps towards her door and creaks it open and peeked through the ajar door. She frowns seeing her mother with tears pooling down her broken eyes with her father standing in front of her with a blank expression. An unfamiliar expression.
"You said it was a business trip and I believed you." She whispers as she roughly wiped her tears away. Lisas heart began to clench at the sight of her father plainly standing there and not consoling her mother like he usually does.
"When were you going to just up and leave us? After telling me you've been sleeping with another woman? Or when her child is born?" Lisa didn't understand what they were talking about but felt a weird sensation in her chest. Something she has never felt before and wasn't too fond of.
"You've lied to us for so many years. How do you think Lisa is going to feel if you don't show up again?"
.............
"Umm papa? Where are you going?" Lisa asks as she was seated on her parents bed while watching her father pack up his clothes. He looks up at her and smiles softly,
"Just going to drop off some of my clothes. I'll be back before you know it." He lightly says as he places a soft kiss on Lisa forehead. Lisa smiles excitedly and nods her head furiously.
"You promise?" She asks. He chuckles and nods his head,
"I promise."
................
"You can't just leave like this without telling your daughter!" Lisa jumps from her bed out of fear, hearing her mother's voice boom outside from her door. She quickly hops off her bed and runs out of her room. She hides behind the wall and begins to listen to her parents arguing. He sighs and continues to roll his suitcase towards the door.
"Please! We're your family! You can't do this to her! Especially when tomorrows her birthday!" She pleads as she chases after him and snatches his wrist. Lisa brings her hands to her mouth and widens her eyes with tears slowly threatening to escape them. He lets out a breath,
"The less she knows, the less she'll feel." He coldly says. The pain in Lisa's chest began to grow drastically at the tone of her fathers voice. Her mother feverishly shakes her head,
"This is wrong and you know it! Please, this isn't the man I loved and married." She trembles out with broken sobs escaping her throat. Tears started to cascade rapidly down her cheeks.
"Let go." He coldly says.
"No!" Her mother refused to let go and let the man that Lisa loves leave their lives so abruptly. The dad turns around and quickly and roughly removes his wrist from her grasp causing her mother to yelp and fall to the floor. Lisa quickly runs over causing her parents to widen their eyes in surprise and regret as Lisa wrapped her arms around her mothers frame.
"Stop! Why are you doing this to us?" Lisa cries out as she stares up at her father who's expression suddenly changed to something so unreadable and so cold.
Ignoring the girls he once took care of and loved, her father simply turned around and left the house. Lisa rapidly shakes her head,
"Papa!! Papa!!" She screams out and tries to go after him but her mother quickly grabs her and embraces her tightly, not wanting her to feel anymore pain than she already is.
"I'm sorry baby. I am so sorry." Her mother cries out as Lisa clenches her eyes tight and wraps her tiny arms around her mothers waist.
"Why doesn't he love me anymore?" Lisa exclaims loudly as her tears refused to stop. Her mother gulps down a lump in her throat as she pulls away and places her hands on Lisa cheeks and stares directly into her eyes,
"I need you to be strong Baby. It's just going to be us two and we're going have to stick together." Lisa shakes her head sobbing as the pain began to become unbearable. Her mother quickly embraces her into her chest once again.
'I'm not enough.' Lisa thought to herself as she clenched her fist around her mothers waist. And without knowing Lisa had heard, her mother lowly whispers to herself,
"I hope you'll never lie like your father."
Lisa heard it all.
End of flashback
..................
"Lisa?" I quickly shake my head, gritting my teeth as the memory appeared once again as I stared at Jennie standing in front of me with a sorrow expression.
I exhale before walking towards the edge of my bed. I sit myself down before looking back up at her. Jennie careful walks towards me until she stood in front of me.
"I'm sorry." She says in a small whisper. I remained quiet as I lower my head towards my clasped hands and began to fiddle with my thumbs. Jennie took my silence as a permission to continue,
"Please understand that I never meant what I said that night. I would never hurt you on purpose like that. I love you so much Lisa that I can't bare the thought of losing you." Her voice was starting to tremble, indicating that she was slowly going to break down. She swiftly kneels in front of me and grabs onto my trembling hands.
'She loves me but not the way I love her.'
'It's not like you're enough for anyone so why even bother?'
"I know that I'm making you help me lie to them but please believe me that I only have good intentions. I can't risk you girls getting attacked because of me. Not again." She sniffs and I bite my lip as I felt her tear drop onto my hand. The pain of her crying was causing my chest to tighten.
"Please Lisa I am so sorry. I didn't mean it! I never meant to cause you so much stress and pain an-" her breath had started to quicken and sobs were already escaping her that I swiftly lifted my head and wrapped my arms around, pulling her into my chest.
She gasps but quickly melts into my body and wraps her arms around me while holding onto the back of my shirt tightly as she buried her face into my neck, making her tears soak my shirt.
"I forgive you." I whisper. I began to rub her back soothingly as her body was trembling from her muffled cries. It broke my heart to see her at this state.
As much as I was hurt of her lying, I understood her reasoning. The main thing I was very much upset about was her relationship status. But I've accepted the fact that she was never going to feel the same way.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She repeats in a whisper. I nod my head and softly kissed the top of her head before pulling back and placing my hands on her cheeks with a small smile displayed on my lips.
My heart was swelling at the sight of her adorable little pout and her nose scrunching up as she began to sniffle lightly. I chuckle and began to wipe her tears with my thumb,
"I forgive you. Now stop crying you big baby and come cuddle with me. I missed my cuddle buddy you know?" I tease. She lifts her gaze up at me quickly and smiles as she excitedly nods. I laugh lightly as I began to pull her with me onto the bed and place her head on my chest as I secured her in my arms.
She sighs in content as she wrapped her arms around my waist. She lifts up her head and buries it into my neck and began to smile. I chuckle and look down at her in amusement,
"Why are you smiling like that?" She shrugs and places a soft kiss on my neck before placing her head back into my chest and closing her eyes as her body began to soften.
"I just missed you."