Chapter 7: Father

Cara is looking down at her boots, clicking its outsoles with each other. She is seated next to her mother and her father is in front of them. It's still early so there are only a few customers and they decided to talk there. She felt Lillian's hand squeeze hers for comfort. More beats have passed and Cara decided to lift her gaze, she saw her mother with a calm expression and then she faced her father.

"Lillian, Cara. I'm so sorry." Her father looked each of them in the eyes as he said their names. His eyes were full of sincerity.

"I know that 'sorry' is not enough to compensate for all the things I've done to you in the past and I know even if I say it a hundred times, it will never be enough. God knows how much I regret every single bad thing I've done to you." Cara's father closed his eyes for a moment, wanting to eradicate all his wrongdoings, before opening them again and continued "All these years that have passed, there was not a single day that you were not on my mind. I was so foolish. I don't think that word is even enough to describe what I am. It took me this long to fix myself and come here in front of you. I know things will never get back to the way it was but if it's not too much, I only ask for forgiveness." He reached for their hands as he finished.

"Brian-" Lillian softly said.

Cara pulled her hand away from Brian and then she turned to Lillian "I'm sorry, mom, I just need some air and some time to think." Her voice was shaking, struggling to not let her tears fall, and then she rushed to the door letting neither of her parents speak.

Cara ran.

She ran with no definite destination. The tears that she was fighting a while ago are now streaming down her face. Cara was angry at her father for everything he did. That day when she almost lost her will to live, she was forced to see her crying mother. Lillian, who was always happy and strong, cried in the arms of her daughter. At that moment, Cara decided to be strong for both of them and she'll not let anything or anyone hurt them again.

It was the turning point of her life.

Given now that she saw the person who made her mother like that, it made her heart heavy and it's hard to soften it for his father again.