"Whatever you say, Mignonne, I won't believe you unless I see the man you've been talking about in person. Otherwise, I'll do everything to win you back." The truth was too harsh for Gerard to believe. Leena had liked him so much that it had devastated her when he broke up with her. How could she possibly have married someone else within a matter of months? She must have made it up to make him give up willingly. However, Gerard had lost her once and had decided not to make the same mistake again.
"I'm sorry, Gerard. Believe it or not, you and I are over. We will never be a couple again. Honestly, I should thank you for breaking up with me. I have found the one and learned what true love feels like. I am not the ignorant teenage girl chasing meaningless things anymore." Leena laughed. She wouldn't go back to someone who had dumped her even if Kevin hadn't come into her life.
That's impossible. You always loved me. I could feel it." Gerard shook his head. Leena's eyes were always affectionate when she looked at him. She might have acted indifferent to him but then her eyes wouldn't lie.
"You knew I loved you, so you thought I couldn't live without you and treated my feelings like dirt." Leena frowned with disgust. Worst was the best word she could think of when it came to Gerard. She hated his kind to the core, those who took others' love for granted, exploited it, and still thought that the other person's love would never fade no matter what they did. It was fortunate that no one could just keep on giving love that selflessly. People who had their hearts broken left. And once these loving people were gone, expect them to be gone forever. It was too bad that Gerard didn't see that.
"I am sorry for that. I really need you. Please come back to me." Not having seen Leena for months made him miss her a lot. He hadn't been able to find her since she had come back to her country.
"Gerard, I vowed to be faithful to my husband on our wedding day. I'll keep my words. I won't come back to you. There will be someone for you, but it won't be me." Much as Leena was young, she was maturer than her peers. She knew what she wanted.
"You are the one for me, Mignonne. Otherwise, how do you explain our reunion?" With fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes, Gerard was boyishly handsome with his mixed blood features. He had a face that was more delicate than Kevin's, but as an army man, Kevin definitely looked more manly than him.
"This is not a reunion. You came to my house. Stop deceiving yourself. Gerard, I think I have made my point. Please go. I'm busy." Coldness was on Leena's voice when she spoke. She had made up her mind that she didn't want to lead Gerard on or send him any misleading signals. She liked everything to be clear. Ambiguity only meant trouble.
"Okay then. I'll come again some other day. Trust me, you will fall in love with me again." Gerard sounded very confident. However, he had forgotten that the woman he was talking to was someone else's wife already.
"Whatever. Goodbye." It was a good thing to be confident, but it was a different thing to be conceited. Leena felt speechless towards Gerard's self-importance. Time will tell. She had told him the truth. She was not the one to decide if he would believe her or not. There was nothing she could do if he chose to persist. It was not in her hands anymore.
It took days of consideration before Justin decided to meet Leo. He did it not because he liked his so-called grandpa. Rather, he thought he should share his mom's burdens, including those his grandpa made.
"Are you Justin? You're so handsome, like your father." Having waited for days, Leo finally met his grandchild inside a restaurant's private dining room. He had almost lost all hope until he got Edward's call which thrilled him.
"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, mister." Justin looked cool and handsome in his casual suit. He had been acting naturally in front of Leo, who was a stranger to him.
"Good, good. Justin, come, come to grandpa." Leo's voice trembled as he invited his grandchild. For the first time since he found out Daisy was his biological daughter, he smiled.
On the other hand, Justin bit his lips and hesitated a bit. It took him a little while to slowly move towards Leo. It seemed hard for him but then, he remembered what his dad had told him. Edward advised that he should follow his heart and shouldn't avoid his grandpa. In addition, Justin didn't really have the heart to wipe that old man's smile off his face.
"Good boy." Tears of happiness started to blur Leo's eyes. He took Justin into his arms, which reminded him of the time over 20 years ago. He recalled how gently he had taken Daisy in his arms just like this. It felt like he had the whole world back then as long as he had his baby girl in his arms. Then afterward, his misjudgment had taken that feeling away from him. Wraping Justin inside his arms made guilt strike him bad. Involuntarily, he held Justin tighter as if he was afraid that someone might take him away from him. Mister, I can't breathe." The young boy struggled. It was given that he was willing to get close to Leo, but it was also evident that he had addressed him in a distant way. He hadn't called him grandpa yet. Instead, he treated him just like other men and called him mister formally.
"Oh. Sorry. I was too excited. Are you hurt?" Leo let go of Justin upon hearing his words and wiped his tearful eyes and face.
"It's okay. I understand. My mommy says that everyone gets excited sometimes. That's why we should be tolerant. It's just natural to express emotions," Justin said earnestly, tilted his head, and then sincerely smiled.
"That's right. I was so glad to see you and got carried away. Come. Let's sit down." Leo took Justin's hand and guided him to the table. The sadness on his face was gone as an amiable smile took over it as soon as he met his grandchild. "Mister, why did you want to see me?" Justin seemed well-behaved and innocent before Leo.
Because your mom is my daughter which makes you my grandson." The old man didn't know how to answer the question. The images of Daisy after she had been forced out of the house suddenly flashed back in his head. Whether she was in a dress or in military uniform, knowing that she was doing great even without his protection made him feel relieved each time he saw her.
But I remember you saying that your daughter isn't my mommy but someone named Mary. Don't you remember?" A menacing smile showed on Justin's face. He could pity Leo but this old man had broken his mom's heart. He wouldn't forget that.
"I remember. I was confused and made a terrible mistake. I treated my own daughter like an enemy. I can see that you hate me. I have brought it on myself. I didn't protect your mom and made her life miserable." Leo's face was full of remorse and regrets.
No, I don't hate you. My mommy says that hate consumes time and energy, so she hardly hates anyone." Justin often started his sentence with 'my mommy says'. He wanted to make a point that he was a good boy and it was all thanks to Daisy.
"So you are saying that your mom doesn't hate me? Then why doesn't she see me?" Justin's words made Leo feel worse about himself. How could he have been so heartless to such a sensible woman, his own child.