Chapter 95

95 Cut Off

“D-dad?”

Fred didn’t speak at all, his gaze was intense and hateful. He walked closer to Kalea, and just as she was about to run away from him, Fred grabbed her by the arm and pushed her hard enough against the car door.

“W-what do you want, Dad? Le-let me go!” Kalea shouted, struggling to get away from her biological father.

“You, what’s your relationship with Arthur Jefferson? Because of you, I was fired from my job! What did you say to him, huh?” Fred growled and pointed at Kalea’s face, still trying to hold back his anger because they were in a public room even though it was quiet, but no one knew if someone suddenly saw Fred treating the young girl rudely.

Kalea frowned, not understanding what her father was talking about. Did his sugar daddy do anything without talking about it first? “I don’t understand what you mean, Dad,” Kalea answered honestly, shaking her head.

“Don’t lie. As long as I worked there, my life was comfortable without you or your mom around. And after meeting you, everything fell apart! You’re an unlucky woman, Kalea,” Fred hissed, still insisting on blaming the brunette-haired girl. He continued to berate his own daughter, blaming her for everything that had happened even though Kalea didn’t know anything about it.

Kalea stared sadly at the father she had always been looking for and waited for the man to come and then apologized for leaving eleven years ago. However, it turned out to be all just Kalea’s imagination. It will never happen, her mother now has to be treated for prolonged mental damage, while the culprit only thinks about himself.

“I don’t know at all, Dad. Don’t blame other people, have you never introspected? Why did all of this happen-maybe because you’ve been mean to us?” Kalea replied, annoyed, and dared to fight the man despite the fact that both her hands were shaking with fear.

Instead of self-introspection, Fred’s anger only increased. “Lea, why do you think I cheated on your mom?” Fred asked, bringing his face closer to Kalea, a slight smirk etched on the man’s face. Kalea held tightness in her chest, this person in front of her, who was very close to Kalea, was really her father. Hazel eyes, the same eye shape, Fred’s signature smile just like him. It’s just that because of his age, the wrinkles on his face are increasingly visible.

.....

Kalea remained silent, waiting for Fred’s response to the man leaving the house.

“Well, because a man can’t survive with just one woman. Also, your grandparents didn’t agree with my relationship with your mom from the start. They prefer my current wife, and she’s much better than your mom,” Fred said, relax with no burden at all. “And I was already planning to leave you guys. Lea, I purposely let Freya know that I was cheating on her. That bitch trusted me too much,” he continued annoyed, his tone very curt.

Kalea clenched her fists tightly, her jaw clenching, holding back the roar of emotion that was building up in her chest. So all this time, her mother was completely innocent. Only her father doesn’t know how to be grateful and is a total jerk.

Fred held Kalea’s face with both hands, his expression changed drastically to a sad and sincere look. “Lea, actually I still love you. I’ve always wanted to take you to a new family, but my wife doesn’t want that to happen. I’m sorry for everything, you still love me too, right?” Fred asked, caressing his daughter’s cheek.

“But Mom was very tormented by being abandoned by you. Every day she was daydreaming, she continued to torture me and hate my face because it resembled yours, Dad,” Kalea whispered, her tears finally falling along with the disappointed words she spoke.

“I’m sorry. Nothing will happen again if you are with me, leave your mom, and live with me. Even if you don’t live with your stepmother, I will prepare a house for-”

Kalea shook her head slowly, rejecting the offer from her father. “I’m not leaving Mom like Dad did to her.”

Fred’s expression returned to annoyance, then he said, “If you continue to be with her, you will suffer even more, Lea! I don’t want that to happen because I love you!”

Kalea gritted her teeth, she brushed Fred’s hand away from her face. “Dad should have come and said this a long time ago! Who do you think caused this whole mess? It all started with Dad cheating on Mom!”

“I told you there was a reason for all of this! Your grandparents didn’t approve of our relationship!”

“But it still doesn’t justify the affair, Dad!” Kalea shouted, releasing all the emotions and disappointments that she had been holding back for so long. “After all, Mom and Dad insisted on continuing the marriage, right? Until I was born. Everything seemed fine, until dad suddenly left us.”

“You keep bringing up the past! Haah ... even though I apologized and wanted to help you from Freya,” Fred said, shaking his head with his hands on his hips.

Kalea lowered her head, wiping her tears. “Do you know? After that accidental meeting, what happened to me and Mom?”

Fred glanced at Kalea lazily. “I don’t care.”

“Mom almost killed herself, she always thought that no one cared about her, who understood her condition. Mom’s mentality was very broken because of you, Dad. And you can live happily with your mistress,” Kalea said while smiling sadly at Fred, even though the heart hurts like it’s being torn apart.

Fred’s face immediately changed, although it looked vague but Kalea knew that her father was starting to feel guilty.

“You’re blaming all of your meager misfortunes on us. Maybe this is karma for you, Dad. Don’t worry, Mom is fine. She has to undergo treatment for mental healing,” Kalea continued, smiling bitterly. “And I did the same.”

Fred held both of Kalea’s hands tightly, his eyes welled with tears. “I’m sorry, I really admit my mistake, and I promise this will never happen again. So I beg you to make up, okay?” Fred begged desperately.

“Make up? That easy?” Kalea asked with a straight face and blank stare.

“Lea, Arthur said that I wouldn’t be able to work anywhere after being fired by him. Please tell him to withdraw that statement. I can’t live like this, your two younger siblings still have to go to school, and the cost of living is quite large. Lea, I beg you very much.” Fred kissed the back of Kalea’s hand, even his tears were dripping, making the atmosphere even more dramatic.

It felt like Kalea wanted to laugh at herself out loud. Because she was almost lulled by her father’s apology, which turned out to have another purpose.

“So it’s all fake? Until the end, Dad still only thought about Dad’s new family. My two younger siblings? I’m an only child, Dad. So far I’ve been working hard alone without Mom or Dad’s help,” Kalea replied as she removed her hand from the man’s grasp.

“Please don’t be like this, Lea. After this, our relationship will be good, and I will make my wife apologize to you, your grandparents too.”

“I don’t need it. If Dad really can’t work anywhere else, maybe it’s time to retire. Let your two favorite children take the place of looking for money,” Kalea suggested with a sweet smile.

“They’re still small, Lea! How could you have the heart to say something like that?!” Fred snapped emotionally.

“Huh? The one who has no conscience is you! How old do you think I was when you left home? Nine years old! I had to quit school and work hard to stay alive!” Kalea replied, not wanting to lose. Fred was silent and couldn’t argue with it anymore. “From this moment on, I don’t want to know you anymore,” Kalea broke up making Fred widen in disbelief.

“D-don’t be like that, Lea! I didn’t-”

“I don’t care! If you’re still bothering me, I’ll call the police! It was the right decision. After all, you don’t want anything to do with me or Mom either, right? Why have you changed your mind now? Because you were suddenly fired and couldn’t support your beloved family?” Kalea taunted, Fred was silent, he couldn’t dodge anything anymore because Kalea’s statement was so precise.

Now, Kalea seemed to be a very different person. She didn’t want to be treated like her father. Especially after realizing that Fred was a jerk and had bad intentions. The man had never thought of Kalea and Freya in the slightest.

And Kalea will no longer beg like a fool. She didn’t care about Fred anymore, and would assume she didn’t have a father anymore. Kalea’s priorities from the past until now have never changed. Only her mother, nothing else.

Kalea left leaving Fred, who kept shouting for her. She felt relieved after letting go of all the emotions she had been holding back all this time and releasing them to the right person. Maybe this is the best way. Kalea has to cut herself off from people who have malicious intent toward her.