onger.

When I finally decided to go back, I forced myself to take a deep breath and step outside.

But the moment I reached my office, my body tensed.

An unpleasant surprise was waiting for me—a surprise that sent me spiraling into panic and rage all over again.

My father stood at the entrance of my workplace. His hands were shoved into his pockets, his shoulders slightly hunched.

His eyes scanned the sidewalk, nervous, restless. He was waiting.

For someone. For me.

I had no desire to stop. No desire to talk.

My heart pounded, but I forced myself to keep walking. If I ignored him, maybe he would leave.

“Alice!” He reached out, his fingers closing around my arm.

“Don’t touch me!” I yanked my arm back and stepped away. My chest burned with anger.

He lifted his hands in surrender.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

I clenched my fists. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you,” he said.

“We have nothing to talk about,” I snapped. “Your chance to ‘talk’ expired years ago.”

His eyes darkened.

“You need to know the truth about your mother.”

I felt the heat rise to my face. My whole body tensed. “Don’t you dare talk about her!” My voice shook, but I didn’t care.

“Do you have any idea how much pain you caused her?! She was miserable her entire life because of you!”

He inhaled deeply. His shoulders sagged.

“I’m afraid there’s a lot you don’t know.”

I scoffed. “What don’t I know? That you abandoned my mom?

That you abandoned me? Your own daughter?”

His jaw tightened. “Alice… you are not my real daughter.”

“You bastard!” I shouted.

“That’s what you wanted to tell me after all these years?! That you never saw me as your real daughter?!”

“No, no, that’s not what I’m saying.” His voice cracked. “I always saw you as my daughter.

I believed you were mine. But one day, I decided to do DNA tests for all of us, just for fun. And that’s when I found out… you weren’t my biological child.”

“What?” I whispered, unable to process his words.

“Your mother cheated on me with a wealthy man, ” he continued.

“She was seeing both of us at the same time. But when she got pregnant, he left her. She was afraid of being alone, so she told me you were mine.”

I shook my head.

“I… I don’t understand.” My voice came out broken.

“I’m sorry, Alice. I never wanted to hurt you,” he said.

Something clicked in my mind. A thought that made my stomach twist.

“Wait. Jeremy isn’t your biological son either, but you accepted him as your own. What makes me different?

What’s wrong with me?”

His face softened. “Alice, there’s nothing wrong with you. I never wanted to lose you.

But I couldn’t stay with your mother anymore. I wanted to be in your life, but she wouldn’t let me. She told me you didn’t want to see me.

That you hated me.”

Tears burned my eyes. “But I did want to see you!” My voice cracked.

He took a shaky breath. “I’m so sorry.

I should have tried harder. But I believed her when she said you despised me. I thought I was sparing you more pain.”

I wiped my face, my hands trembling.

“What do you want from me now?”

He swallowed. “I want to know you. I want to be in your life.”

I took a step back.

My chest felt heavy. “I need time.” Without waiting for his response, I turned and walked into my office.

That day, I spoke to Jeremy and told him everything. Jeremy listened without interrupting, his face full of concern.

When I finished, he nodded, his voice calm.

“I understand,” he said. “Take all the time you need. I’m here for you.”

His support meant more than I could say.

I deeply appreciated it.

When my shift ended, I went straight to my mother. My chest tightened with every step. I needed to know if what my father had said was true.

I walked into the house without knocking.

My mother was in the kitchen, standing by the stove, completely unaware of the storm inside me.

I stood in the doorway, my hands clenched into fists. My chest felt tight, my throat dry. My mother turned to face me, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Is it true that you stopped my father from seeing me?” My voice was sharp.

“Alice!

You scared me!” she said, pressing a hand to her chest.

I didn’t flinch. “So is it true?” I demanded.

She frowned. “Where did you get that idea?”

I took a deep breath.

My body was trembling. “He told me. He said you cheated on him, and that’s why he left.”

Her expression darkened.

“And you believe him?”

“I don’t know!” My voice broke. “That’s why I’m asking you!”

She turned away, stirring something on the stove. “Alice, it’s complicated.”

I stepped closer.

“So it’s true?!” I shouted.

She slammed the spoon down. “He left us! I didn’t want him in our lives!”

“He left you!

Not me! You pushed him away because of your mistake!”

Her face twisted with anger. “And I was right!”

“No,” I said, my voice shaking.

“You made me miserable.” I turned and walked out.

I texted Jeremy and asked him to pick me up. The seconds dragged as I waited, my body tense.

He was outside my mother’s house within ten minutes. I stepped out, feeling drained.

Jeremy leaned toward the passenger side, unlocking the door.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice quiet.

“I need you to take me to Peter,” I said, my tone firm.

Jeremy didn’t question it. He simply nodded and started the car. It seemed I was finally ready to talk.

I had spent my whole life hating men.

But as it turned out, that hatred had never been mine—it had been hers.

It had shaped my thoughts, my fears, my choices. Now, I had to learn how to build my own life and feel my own emotions. I had to understand who I really was without her anger guiding me.

Source: amomama