I was kneading the dough for tonight's dinner at Andrei's. It was evening that same day and I still hadn't forgiven Andrei. I didn't talk to him all the way home despite his constant pleas. The only reason I was here was because I had promised both mum and Alex a sleepover tonight. They had already made plans for my coming and I didn't want to disappoint them.
"If you continue venting your anger on the dough, you might hurt yourself," mum said when she entered the kitchen, then wheeled herself towards me.
"Mum, don't worry, in just a few minutes, dinner would be ready and you'd get to taste what I prepared myself," I said trying to change the subject.
"Cherry, I know you and Andrei had a fight. Can you tell me about it? As a mother and not as a mother in-law?"
"Mum, don't worry about us."
"Is it because of Stephanie? What did she say?"
"Mum, you really don't have to worry."
"I know Stephanie is obsessed over Andrei. At first, I supported her but then, I realized her true self, her true personality. Cherry, you'd feel better if you let out what is bothering you."
I looked at mum, she was sincerely concerned, then spoke.
"Mum, Andrei invited Stephanie over, had lunch with her and even shared his problems with her. Andrei knows how much I do not like Stephanie but still chose to invite her over and that too, without telling me. You needed to see how victorious she looked and worse was that Andrei couldn't give any explanation."
"And who told you?"
"Stephanie did."
"Cherry, Andrei might have invited her over but there must be some reasons, a valid reason at that and if he refused to tell you, he must also have his reasons. I'm not just saying this as his mother but truthfully.
Andrei loves only you, he never had feelings for Stephanie even when we tried to force him to. And Stephanie's plan to destroy your relationship will work if you and Andrei don't talk things out. So, make up with Andrei and don't let her win," mum said and I felt less angry.
"Can you guys just make up already?" Alex said after dinner and I gave her a scorn.
I pretended to be angry after mum spoke to me, I wanted to teach him a lesson and make him promise never to make me feel so foolish in front of Stephanie again like today. But then, this Alex was compelling us to make up against my plan of making him beg.
"Alex, let's excuse them," mum said to her.
"Please, forgive me already, don't stay angry like this it's hurting," he said when they left.
"Weren't you the one who started it? You made me clueless in the front of Stephanie... And which girlfriend would be happy when after preparing to have a romantic lunch at her boyfriend's office, realised he already had lunch with his female friend who used to have a crush on him?" I said with a pout and he couldn't answer.
"But the very good girlfriend still chose to forgive him," I said when I saw how tensed he was and he smiled.
"You are the best Cherry, I'm really sorry, trust me, I sincerely didn't want to call her."
"I trust you. I know you must have a good reason and I would not ask for that reason, because you would have said it if you wanted to... I know you have a reason for not telling me," I said and he hugged me tightly.
"You're right. I promise I'ld never break your trust."
Andrei's POV
Cherry was such a darling, she forgave and understood my situation with Stephanie. I didn't tell her why I invited Stephanie over but still she believed I must have my reasons.
Stephanie was really something. I already knew how desperate she was but for what she did this time, I will get back at her.
When I invited her over that day, she said I must have lunch with her to get a tip about about them and that was all. We only had lunch and didn't talk about anything else except Brandon and Dad.
She only gave me one piece of information, and that was, Brandon and Dad were involved in a syndicate involved in arms and ammunition, the rest she refused to say.
"I'ld miss lunch today. I am currently trailing Daisy," Cherry said over the phone that day. She was trailing Daisy?
"You're trailing Daisy? why?" I asked.
"I want to find out where she has been going to every now and then, haven't you noticed she always leaves during noon?" she said.
Cherry was indeed clever, she suspected without I even telling her. It was high time she knew about her dad.
"Tell me where you are, I'ld come to you," I said.
"Cherry, he is really sick. He sincerely regrets what he has done, he has no one now. Aunt Lucille and her daughter abandoned him," I listened to Cherry's and Daisy's conversation pryly.
They were at the hospital's waiting room and from Cherry's expression, she had found out.
"How could you say such a thing Daisy? How could you just forget all he did to us? How could you forget how he tortured mum? And when were you planning to tell me? You've been visiting him for over two weeks now, if I hadn't followed you, would you have told me about it?" Cherry replied angrily.
I moved towards them seeing how confused Daisy was. I was the one at fault, I didn't know how to tell Cherry. I was the one who asked Daisy not to let her know yet.
She just recently found happiness, finally she had started opening up to people, she had finally seen the world from a better point of view and now the major one who caused her unhappiness was back.
"Cherry, please don't blame her, I told her not," I said to them.
"You? Andrei, you knew about it?" she said and Daisy excused us.
"This was the reason I didn't tell you, your reaction. I didn't want to see you this way."
"Andrei, you don't know that man. My problem now is not about his coming back. I have completely moved on from the pain he caused me, if that's what you feared.
But Andrei, that man is a beast, my problem now is that Daisy believes him," she said and I could see her fears.
"Cherry, I completely understand you."
"That man is a traitor, he's very good at deceiving others. I don't know why he's back but I'm sure there's another reason to it and I doubt he's really sick, Andrei, I can't forgive that man, even if I did, I can't forget what he did and let him into my life."
"Don't you think he deserves a second chance just like you gave me, you always claim everyone deserves it."
"No Andrei, not everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, I know everyone deserves to be forgiven but not given a second chance. A man like dad does not deserve a second chance, he would never change. My mother gave him many chances but he didn't change, he came to us because he has issues with his wife and daughter but he would show his colours sooner or later.
"Not everyone indeed deserves a second chance, someone like my own father, he would never change. The most painful part is that you'd only become a victim, their fool if you give them one," I agreed with her, she must have confirmed before concluding that her dad was bad just like I did with with Dad and Brandon.
"I've always been trying to ask you, you never talk about your father, I was starting to think otherwise," she said seriously.
"He did something very bad, something very very bad, he is more than a demon," I said.
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about him now, she held my hands and said, she must have felt I was tensed.
"Thank you and I promise I'ld tell you everything about it one day."
"You don't have to tell me now if it would only make you sad," she said.
"Andrei, how can I convince Daisy not to believe what dad is saying
"That would be hard, really hard."
"She believes him, she said he deserved a second chance just like I gave her to prove herself. She readily forgave him because she too was forgiven. But what she doesn't realise is that, dad is not like her.
Yes, she did wrong things, but she had her reasons, it wasn't intentional but dad-," she strongly said.
"I'm with you in this, we'd find out more about your dad, his true motives and the reason he came back. Only then can we expose him, if he really has a motive and only then can we prevent Daisy from going through his betrayal," I told her because I believed her.
"But how?"
"We'd have to play along for the time being, pretend you believe him."