It's Just A Picture (BL)
Chapter 224: Is there anything I haven’t done for you, father?

Chapter 224: Is there anything I haven’t done for you, father?

"Allegra Barone," He called rather, softly, his hand on his cane slightly shaking.

Allegra watched her father’s expression melt. It was like this now but she was sure it wouldn’t have been like that if she had told him about it back then.

"Anyway, my brother came to my rescue which almost cost him his life." She cleaned up the tears from her cheeks. "He attacked her, tried to take her cane and they both struggled. Alejandro pushed her, taking the cane from her but he fell down the stairs while she fell off the bars and landed on her head. That was exactly how she died, Father, and I was there to witness the whole thing."

"Are... Are you serious right now, Allegra Barone?" He asked and she looked at him skeptically.

"I kept this in my heart, all that happened after you brought that woman into our home and ruined our lives for forty years. I never dared to speak up to you before, Father, but it suddenly hit me: if I don’t tell him, no one will, and I don’t want you to live in bliss anymore, Father. Because, as they say, oblivion is bliss." She explained.

Her father’s eyes were unfocused. It looked like he was thinking about his life up to this point and trying to point out at what point he did not notice any of this.

He was negligent. Or did he just not care after all?

"And that brings me to one more topic I have buried deep inside my heart for years, Father." She took a seat and crossed her legs. "Why did I run away? A question you failed to ask or think about. It hurt me a lot when you took my runaway as a rebellious phase I was going through. And it pained me even more when you asked me to give up the one thing I was comfortable doing."

"Don’t start with that, Allegra. I will not listen to you yapp about something as ridiculous as showbusiness." He said, and that, once again, pulled a string in her heart.

"Even if that ridiculous thing was the only thing that gave me happiness?" She asked. "The kind that you could never give to me?"

He went silent.

"Father, I ran away from home as soon as I was done with high school because my heart was in peril. Everything that happened took a toll on me, but you, of course, mistook it all as me grieving the death of my oh-so-loving and caring stepmother. You never asked questions, father. You came up with your conclusion and then, *snap*" she snapped her fingers. "That was the case. You never bothered to look in depth at what was going on. You never involved yourself with us, your children. You did nothing." She yelled painfully. "And that caused us far more grief than you could ever imagine."

Her father gritted his teeth. He felt like he was getting lectured by his own daughter.

"So, father, this daughter of yours, whose heart was in shambles and peril, ran away to find happiness and she did. But then you came back into the picture and snatched back that happiness."

She made sure to demonstrate by fiercely snatching the tie that was on the table.

"Did you know I was actually quite glad when I saw you for the first time in a long time? I thought you actually came to find me because you missed me but then, I hear you say, the words are quite fresh in my head, trust me. You said, ’I believe I have let you grieve enough and granted you enough playtime. Now, come home and do something right for once. Those words shattered me, father. That shattered me to my bones, and the worst part is, I could not refuse you, and like a doll," she shook her head. "No, like a dog with a collar around its neck, being led by a leech, I followed you obediently."

She got up and slammed her palms on the table.

"Is there anything I haven’t done for you, father? Are there any of your commands I haven’t listened to? You asked me to leave the only thing that gave me happiness and I did. You asked me to get married, and I did. You asked me to give up my children to that man, and I did. And when I finally got them back, I could not even look them in the eye because all I saw was hatred. The day I gave up my children, I lost everything, Father. I have never heard them call me mother, mami, mommy, or mum. I... I just wanted to love my kids and be loved by them but you took that away from me as well. You..."

The tears trickled down her cheeks again, more heavily this time. She cried. She cried because that was the loss she could not bear.

She had acted strong all along but no one knew that she locked herself in her room and cried herself to sleep most times. No one knew just how much it broke her heart, knowing her kids would never love her or recognize her as their mother.

But she wished them well. She wanted the best for them. Even if they did not recognize her as their mother, they were forever her boys, and she would do anything to protect them, even if it meant finally standing up to her father.

"So, is this what this is all about?" Her father asked. "Bringing up the past, crying pathetically in front of me, and acting rebellious. You’re doing all this because you want to keep your sons in the entertainment industry."

Allegra went silent with furrowed eyebrows. So, of all the things she said, the only thing he could say was that?

Ah, and to think she spent all her life listening to such a man. To think she considered him her father, and desperately and patiently hoped on the day he would shower her with love and warmth as he used to.

"If that is your plan then you’re better off spending that energy on the new project you signed recently." He said, coldly. "I will not stand to see my flesh and blood act as an entertainment piece for people to watch. It’s disgusting." He said and got up.

Allegra stood there, transfixed. She couldn’t believe it. How was he so cold? How was he so wicked?

"Father," she called and he paused. He was standing right beside her and she chose that as the perfect time to say the words in her heart. "...is your heart as black as the cane in your hand?" She asked and his eyes widened.

He was angered and almost hit her but stopped his hand mid air.

As if knowing that would happen, Allegra continued, her gaze fixed on his empty chair.

"You know, I always pitied those who were without a father. But when I look at it now, I am more pitiful than them, having a father whose heart is as cold as winter and as dark as night." She said and turned to make eye contact with him.

She gazed into his old and veiny eyes while he gazed into her firm and determined ones.

"It is my fault for wishing on a star that was falling from the sky rather than one that was soaring. Everything I did, all my efforts, and all my sacrifices were all thrown into the sea, never to be seen and never to be noticed. That... Is how I feel right now."

She turned and headed for the door. She opened it and paused, glancing back at him.

"Would things have been better if you had died in that accident instead of Mom?" She asked in a sad tone and bowed her head. "At least, I’m sure she would never stop me from dreaming and seeking freedom. Goodbye, Father."