Clara woke up in the hospital with her brother and father sitting next to her bed. Wait. Father was here too?

"We've been worried," Sante said the moment she woke up. "How are you feeling?"

"What the hell is wrong with my arm? I can't feel it?" She asked nervously.

"Local anesthesia. It's broken, you will have to wear a cast for a while" Sante said. "You also have a mild concussion. The doctor said you're gonna be good as new in a few weeks" he made an attempt to smile but it didn't go very well.

Clara nodded in understanding. Then every part of yesterday night came back to her memory and she had to ask "What happened to Desmond and his people?" Clara asked but she wasn't sure if she wants to know the answer.

Both men looked at each other as if they were having a silent debate whether to tell her or not.

"Exactly what they did or tried to do to you" Sante said casually.

That meant... no. Clara didn't want to think about it.

"Where is Lorenzo?"

"Outside. He agreed for me to talk to you first" another person in the room finally spoke. Sirio. Sirio was here.

"Are you going to yell at me or something for getting myself into this situation?" Clara asked dryly not in the mood to fight.

Sirio hasn't addressed her right away. Instead, he said to his son "Sante, leave us" Sirio ordered.

"But father-" Sante started with a gentle voice then paused "No." the unsure voice was replaced with sternness.

Clara turned her head to look at her always-obedient brother. Did he really just defy father in such an open manner?

"Excuse me?" Sirio wasn't having it, clearly.

"Because of you I couldn't see her for all these years and even now after she almost died I'm not allowed to make a decision if I want to leave or stay? No. I'm not leaving. You want to talk to her do it with me present" Sante said strictly looking at father with a clear challenge in his eyes.

"I should have your both hands broken," Sirio said coldly.

"Don't forget to break my legs too because if you're going to separate me from her again I will walk away from this family and you will not see me again. I'm no longer a confused teenager" Sante responded sharply and Clara's jaw fell open. Was she hearing all that correctly?

She must be suffering from hallucinations because the corner of

Sirio's lips lifted. However, it quickly went down and many emotions appeared on his face sadness mixed with regret. He sighed and started speaking.

"You've grown, I'd be lying if I said I'm not proud of you right now. Stay then if you want to witness it" Sirio sighed in defeat.

"Witness what?" Clara asked, confused.

"My apology to you, Clara"

"Apology. You want to apologize?"

"I failed you as a father and yet I expect you to act like a daughter. I shouldn't have"

Confirmed. She died and woke up in a parallel universe. Surely it wasn't her father

"What?" Clara repeated. She blinked twice.

"Did he say he was sorry?" Sante was shocked as well.

"You're not making it easier on me, both of you," Sirio said in a displeased voice but nevertheless he continued "I shouldn't have separated you from Sante. I should've been a part of your life all along. I can't fix it and I don't ask for your forgiveness. But I ask you to forgive Sante because he wasn't given much of a choice. As for your marriage, you can marry whoever you want. I don't feel like I have the right to choose for you, not now. I wrongly assumed that you would have a normal life with your mother and that you're better off without us. You've been in so much pain for all these years. If I knew your friend was killed I would do something but I was too blinded by my belief that I don't need to be a part of your life. I'm so sorry" Sirio finished his speech and Clara couldn't help but feel touched because before she didn't believe this man was capable of feelings but it was just because he was hiding them so well.

Clara was hiding her feelings as well, she realized. She was hiding her love for Lorenzo, she was rejecting him, pushing him away instead of just telling him... but she needed him to know now.

Before she talks to him she wanted to get over her family drama so she said: "Stop apologizing. It's creepy when you do it" she said bluntly because her bluntness was never about to go away. It was just part of her. "You both aren't perfect. If I could remake you into a perfect father and brother I would but since I can't I want to have a relationship with you guys. As an equal. I don't care about your stupid "no girls" rules or whatever justification you might have for not involving me in the business. If you want me to be a part of the family treat me seriously. If you can't do that for me I don't want to have anything to do with both of you. I will not be the family's equivalent of second-class citizen"

"Unless you'd like to abolish my position as a boss I'm afraid you will have to do as I say and hear what I want you to hear being the part of the structure will always mean being a second-class citizen"

"Then what are you proposing? I just don't want to feel less than you"

"You're not. I've made you feel that way because I was afraid Clara that my love for you is making me weak" Sirio admitted in a rare instance of vulnerability.

"And now you no longer believe that?" She asked skeptically.

"I can see now from the perspective of time how my fear has made me pathetic, not strong. At the end of the day, I abandoned you"

Clara looked at her father as if it was the first time she saw that man. Maybe she did. Maybe the things that happened changed him just like they changed her.

"Thank you for apologizing to me. It will take me a long time to forgive you but from today forward I will start trying" Clara said gently. Her relationship with her father wasn't perfect and perhaps never will be. And that's alright because I'm real life nothing is really perfect.

"We should go," Sante said, looking at the watch.

"So soon?" Clara asked? She really didn't want to be left alone for now.

Corners of Sante's lips lifted a bit. "Don't worry, you will be sick of us since we will be visiting you every day from now on but Lorenzo is waiting for you. He has some things she needs to discuss with you"

"Unless you don't want to talk to him," Sirio said darkly.

"No, it's fine," she said quickly scared of her father's expression.

Author's note:

I just wanted to let you know guys that we have probably 2 chapters left with this book. ❤️