Marrying my high school bully

Melissa

My fingers trembled as I planted a knock on Mr Rogers’ door. It felt weird to regard him by his last name when I’d taken him to be my father, but what could I do?

If Dexter hadn’t convinced me to come and see him, I wouldn’t have bothered. My father-Mr Rogers had been calling me since yesterday, even till now.

I wondered how relieved he’d be when he saw me at his door. Speaking of his door, it moved open, with him behind it.

It took him some seconds to register the fact that I was standing before him. His eyes lit up and his lips stretched broadly into a smile.

My heart almost melted but I shoved off the fluttery feelings. I wasn’t here for reconciliation. I just needed to get some explanations that would help me get closure.

“Oh, Melissa, you finally came.” He tried to hug me, but I stiffened and subconsciously took a step backward.

The smile crashed when he realized that I didn’t want any form of closeness from him. “Can I come in?” I knew that I sounded rude, but he deserved it and more.

“Of course you can. My house is also your house.” He chuckled, trying to lighten the situation, but I wasn’t buying it. I just wanted to have the discussion and be out of here for good.

“I don’t think that’s true, but I’ll go straight to the point. I’m here because a certain someone wants me to give you a chance to explain yourself, and I also hope that you have something reasonable to say to me.”

“Is that someone, Dexter?”

He didn’t have to guess too hard because he knew that only one man wielded such strong influence over me. I didn’t know how it happened, but it did and I didn’t regret it.

“You don’t have to ask if you already have the answer.”

I was going too hard at him, but I couldn’t help the resentment that spiraled within me each time I tried to be diplomatic. The urge to punch something really hard or break things into pieces was slowly overcoming me.

“Melissa,” His voice turned shaky, “I’m so sorry for what happened-”

The chair suddenly became too hot under my ass so I sprang to my feet. “Why didn’t you come for me, huh? Mrs Gonzales told me that you came once to visit her at the office so you knew that my mother was pregnant. Why didn’t you accept it?”

His lips parted widely, his eyes gleaming with horror. “Is that what you were told, Melissa?” Surprise rang hard in his voice.

“Just answer the damn question!” I demanded impatiently.

“Your mother never told me that you were my child.”

Though I was raging, his response sounded daft and funny to me so I burst into an angry laughter. “I’m twenty-seven years old, Mr Rogers. Please, don’t take me for a fool.”

He shook his head and crossed over to me in slow strides. “I’m not taking you for a fool. I met your mother alone in a club. Though she tried to act happy by dancing carefreely to the song, I could see right through the fake smiles. I approached her and we connected immediately. One thing led to the other and we had a one-night stand.”

His eyes were becoming misty and my heart was softening, but I wanted to know where he was going with the story.

“I wanted to commit to her, but she told me that she wanted to take things slow. I agreed and we got into the talking stage. I wasn’t living around since I was running my late father’s business in Mexico, and the meeting at the club was because I came to visit a friend. Gradually, our conversations became monotonous. She wasn’t eager to speak with me anymore and every time I called her, she always came up with an excuse to keep us from talking.” He paused and took a deep breath.

The scales were slowly falling off from my eyes and his situation became understandable.

“So what happened?”

“I flew back to California to see her and talk things over with her, but I met the shock of my life. She was pregnant and I was so elated because I felt I’d finally found a reason to be closer to her, but she dashed my hopes and told me that the pregnancy didn’t belong to me.

“I didn’t believe it, but she said that she had reconciled with her ex who was responsible for her pregnancy, and that was why she distanced herself from me. I was broken and I had to take a flight back to Mexico the next day and I buried our memories. A few years later, a friend of mine confessed that she had told your mother that she was my girlfriend because she was in love with me and she didn’t like that I didn’t give her any attention. Then I got to understand your mother’s attitude, and why she might have denied me of being your father.”

I sank onto the floor, clutching my chest as I broke into tears. All the while I thought my father hated me, it was because my mother misled him out of jealousy.

And the bitch that claimed to be his girlfriend cost me a lot. She cost me the beautiful relationship I would have had with my father.

She took away parental love from me. Her stupid act caused me a lot of pain, including being abused by Leonardo and losing Victoria.

If she hadn’t stepped in, my mother and Mr Rogers would have probably been together.

He continued. “I returned to find your mother, but my heart was shattered when I was informed of her demise. I asked after you and they said that they didn’t know where you were presently.” He lowered himself beside me and squeezed my palms with pain and remorse in his eyes. I couldn’t even shake him off because he wasn’t at fault. “God, Melissa! I searched for you everywhere, but it seemed like you were gone with the wind. Then I saw you again at the cafe and it felt like I’d regained a lost treasure.”

The pain I’d been feeling since yesterday vanished as I threw myself at him

He loved me. I was the one who got it all twisted.

“I’m so sorry for how I spoke to you. I thought you abandoned me intentionally,” I rasped, holding him tightly as I cried my eyes out. “I’ve been through a lot, and if you were with me I’m sure my life would have been a lot better.”

He tucked my hair behind my ears and gently cleaned my cheeks with his handkerchief.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Honey. I’d have done the same if I were in your shoes, but this isn’t the time to cry for what is gone. The universe has brought us back together and we are going to celebrate our reunion. I’ve always seen you as my daughter and being my real daughter is a plus.”

“I’m so sorry, father. I love you.” I stated, breaking into a smile.NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

“I love you too, my precious daughter. I will never allow anything to come in between us again.” Behind the softness of his smile, I could see the firmness that followed his words.

I’d never be alone again.