Chapter 2

• I didn’t care that I would hurt myself with the way my back had hit the bed painfully as I dropped to the floor from shock.
• My legs seemed to have given up on the ability to hold me up as I tried to process Duke’s statement.
• Denial set in. “What do you mean by Dad is sick? He is healthy. He sounded okay when he called me.” I didn’t believe Duke. My old man was fine.
• Duke sighed. “It pains me to say it, young miss, but your father is sick and at the end of his life.”
• Duke’s voice had become so small, as though he was afraid of how I would react, and he was right to be.
• If he were in front of me, maybe I would have attacked him for spewing such nonsense.
• “Don’t be ridiculous, Duke. Dad is not on his deathbed. That’s an expensive joke to play just to get me to come home early.”
• I tried to laugh it off, but my laughter had doubts edged onto it like thorns on roses. It was painful.
• “He has a brain tumour, and it can’t be operated on. We’ve been managing it with medications, but he relapsed suddenly. The doctor gave him two weeks at most to live.”
• Duke continued speaking like I hadn’t said a word. I gripped the edge of the bed as I shook my head furiously, refusing to believe the words he was forcefully feeding me.
• “I don’t believe you,” I said again. “You just want me to come home,” I croaked weakly.
• “When was the last time you spoke to your father, young mistress?”
• Duke’s question was like a hard blow struck against my heart. I had not spoken to Dad in almost a month.
• Anytime Duke called, I heard him talking in the background, but he never spoke directly to me. I had assumed he was busy and didn’t want to argue with me about coming back home.
• “Duke, please tell me it’s a lie,” I cried out as fear finally crumpled me.
• My hand that had been gripping the sheets for support fell to the ground. I shook my head furiously as tears cascaded down my cheeks.
• “You need to come home immediately. Spend time with your father as much as you can,” Duke spoke softly, and it reminded me of the times he comforted me as a child when I would get hurt or scared.
• “Your father’s plane should be at the airport already. I sent the pilot early this morning.”
• “Okay,” I said as I dried my tears and jumped up.
• Duke disconnected the call, and I snatched my suitcase, dumping anything my hands could take.
• I managed to change out of my nightwear and put on a simple sweatpants and hoodie before dashing out of the room and into the elevator.
• When I was in the elevator, Duke also sent me a message that a car was waiting for me outside the hotel, so I didn’t need to bother with booking a cab.
• I thanked the heavens for bringing Duke into our lives as I rushed to the front desk to check out.
• The receptionist eyed me with worry because I looked like a mess, but she didn’t pry.
• The driver took my luggage as I jumped into the back of the car.
• “Please hurry, we need to get to the airport as soon as possible.”
• The driver nodded, and we were off to the airport. He drove at the highest speed while my thoughts wandered back to Dad.
• Was he in pain? How did he look? Could he eat well? Was he pale?
• My mind was a puzzle of questions, and none of them had answers. Answers I would only find when I was at home.
• Even though I didn’t need to, I made sure to tip the driver for getting me to the airport on time.
• I didn’t wait to hear any words of thanks before I was off towards check-ins to get my document cleared.
• As soon as I was seated in the plane, the waterworks began. I would be able to cry myself into a stupor without caring if anyone was watching, as the case may be in a public airline.
• I had crazed my way to the airport to board my plane, and now I felt like jumping off and flying home like Superman because the plane seemed too slow for me.
• I found myself checking my phone very often, and I could not sleep for the entire flight, even when my eyes were begging me to. All I could do was worry and cry.
• My eyes were glued to my phone screen as I waited for a message to tell me it was all a prank for me to come home. A message I knew would never come.
• I don’t know how I fell asleep, but someone shook me awake, and when I opened my eyes, I saw it was the air hostess.
• “We’ve arrived, Miss Hazel,” She spoke with a small smile. She must have heard about Dad.
• “Thank you,” I told her before getting my things and exiting the plane.
• I was finally home. A place I didn’t think I would be for another three months, but here I was, shamefully returning all because my sick father was at the end of his life.
• When I finished customs, I was about to start another marathon race to get a cab home when I saw David standing outside the airport.
• David didn’t need to hold a hand sign because he could recognise me even with his eyes closed since he had worked for us since before I was born.
• Usually, when David picked me up from the airport, he had a smile on his face, but today was different.
• He looked tired and worn out and would not be able to hold a smile even if he tried. His expression was a staggering confirmation of the terrible news I had been given a few hours ago.
• When I reached David, he pulled me into a hug that I didn’t know I needed. As soon as his arms were wrapped around me, I burst into another wave of tears. I had thought the tears had run out because I had cried enough to make an ocean during the flight.
• I could feel people’s gaze at us as they watched and wondered why I was bawling my eyes out in front of the airport. I also didn’t know why I was crying terribly when I had yet to see my dad.
• What then would I do when I finally saw him?
• David didn’t mind or protest as my loud cries surrounded us, and neither did he make any attempt to stop me or pull me towards the waiting car as I soaked his uniform with tears and disgusting snot.
• Instead, he patted my back carefully with much understanding, as if he were silently telling me that it was okay and I would be fine. But was I really going to be fine?
• Ever since Mom died, Dad had been my whole world. He became my father, mother, sister, brother, and best friend, so who would I become if he decided to leave me alone in this world?
• He had promised that he would never leave me, but now, he was breaking his promise, and he was never one to break his promises.
• By the time I had collected myself and was no longer bawling my eyes, I could not even lift my eyes to look up because I knew that some nosy people would not go about their business and were lingering so they could find out the cause of my troubles.
• Just like he always knew what I wanted, David took charge of the situation. He steered me in the direction of the car, making sure to shield me from nosy eyes.
• “Let’s go and see your father, young mistress. He has been waiting for you,” was all David said as he opened the back seat of the car. A car I was all too familiar with as it was my dad’s favourite.