Chapter 73
1106words
She reached for her phone on the bed stand, three missed calls and two texts, one from Natasha and the other from Mason. Aurora felt guilty for not responding to any of their calls or messages but she honestly didn't know what to say to either of them.
Besides, maybe they felt disgusted with her and wanted to keep their distance. It would make sense, everyone thought she was just like every other socialite who indulged in wine and debauchery. She was just lucky enough to still retain the title of being one of Chicago's princesses. The prima ballerina of the twenty-first century.
It was laughable really, that her mother believed her entire life to revolve around that title. She threw the device on the bed and flicked on the bedstand lights.
Aurora then proceeded to drop one leg from the bed and then the other, slipping on her bunny slippers and rising to her feet. It'd been two hours now and yet she couldn't find it in herself to sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes, she was tormented with the images of Evan's face and his malicious laughter.
She pushed open the door and trudged down the dimly lit hallway, her throat was dry and she hoped to get some milk or juice, something to ease the burning in her mouth. After she climbed down the stairs, she took the sharp corner that led into the kitchen and paused when she noticed that all the lights were flicked on and that there was a figure standing in front of the fridge,
"Dad?"
Harry swiveled instantly, his brows shooting up to his forehead, "Rory, what are you doing down here?"
She tugged the heavy robe around her tighter and strolled towards him, "I should ask you the same thing, it's two in the morning. Shouldn't you be asleep?"
He released a drained sigh, "Couldn't sleep, I guess you're struggling with the same thing," He passed a glass of chilled orange juice towards her, pouring another for himself.
"Yeah," She muttered, gratefully accepting the mug and leaning against the counter as she took her first sip.
Her father joined her, resting his back beside her. They stayed in silence, the sound of their quiet slurping filling the air.
"Your mother has gotten your wedding gown fixed already," Aurora froze halfway but didn't react, "Just thought to let you know."
She tried to hide the way her fingers lightly shook and pressed the rim of the cup against her lips and took another generous sip.
"Why have you been running from home?" She blurted out and from the corner of her eyes, she caught him looking at her, "I know you always sneak in late at night and then run out the next morning, I've barely seen you around ever since you agreed to marry me off and then Evan's imprisonment. Do you blame me for it?" She turned to face him then.
"What?" He looked genuinely shocked, dropping the mug on the counter and grabbing her elbows, "Jesus, why would you even think that?"
She shrugged weakly, "You've been avoiding me, you barely look me in the eyes anymore so I thought that you blamed me."
"No, I would never blame you for someone else's actions," He whispered, a strong emotion behind his words, "I actually blame myself for everything."
Her head snapped up and she frowned, "You do?"
He nodded, sighing as he dropped his hands from her shoulder, "I've been doing a lot of reflecting and I realized that I've never been a good father. Not to you and neither to Evan. Maybe that's why I didn't even notice when he began losing his mind."
Aurora listened intently as he shook his head, his face crumpled into an expression of deep pain.
"He was diagnosed with sociopathy, you know. My own son was a sociopath and I knew nothing about it," His voice trembled and he sucked in a sharp breath, "I'm not a good father, I let my son drift into madness and now, I'm allowing my daughter to wallow in misery."
He looked at her then, his emerald eyes shining with tears. Aurora was taken-aback, all her life she'd seen her father show a lot of emotions; happiness, pride and even anger but never sorrow, never to the point of tears.
"I regret every single day of my life, how I tricked Racheal into bed with me and up until the last moment I tried to make it up to her but your mother-" He broke off, shaking his head from side to side, "I should've fought harder but I didn't."
"Did you think she killed her?" Aurora dreaded asking the question but she knew she had to know.
Harry tipped his head backwards, staring blankly at the bright lights overhead, "I don't think so, Miriam can be many things but I know she's not a murderer."
Aurora nodded in agreement, following his line of sight. They fell silent again, listening to the silent humming of the refrigerator.
"I'm sorry," He finally said, returning his gaze to hers, "I'm sorry for not being a good father to you, Rory."
She closed her eyes when he gently placed his palm on the side of her face.
"I know that I'm too late and that I can't make up for lost time but I will try in my power to make sure that you have the life that you truly want," Aurora tried to hold back the tears from dropping, "Please, forgive me."
This was all she wanted to hear from him. All her life all those years of being ignored, those years of watching him allow her mother to do as she wished. She'd always prayed that one day he would truly look at her the way other dads did their daughters. And for the first time in her life, he was looking at her like that.
"Oh, dad," She moved instantly, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing into him.
He returned the gesture hugging her back as he cried, "I'm so sorry, Rory. I love you."
She sobbed, her shoulders racking, "I forgive you, dad and I love you. I always have."
They stayed like that enjoying the embrace of each other's arms and finally, Aurora understood the feeling of being cherished by a parent.
