Blaire.
Everyone moved on with their lives despite the controversial attachments to my family. I now live in a big mansion, one of the new things I was forced to adapt in my new life with my father – my real father.
The house could be compared to a palatial building. It was large, seated on a 6,000-square-foot, similar to what many people wished for right from their childhood to their adult years.
I fell in love mainly with the adorned balconies, a gazebo, a wide porch, and a well-mowed garden. I’ve turned the sparkling swimming pool at the back of the garden to my safe harbor whenever I wanted to relax my nerves.
In a blink of an eye, one year has passed since I regained consciousness at the hospital after my staircase accident at the Stewarts’ home. How I went through each day for the past twelve months without my normal life was a miracle. A big piece of me has been missing since then and nobody knows his whereabouts yet, or they chose to keep it away from me for as long as I lived. Zach never showed up and I wasn’t getting any information regarding his new location. I have a lot of questions to ask him.
I’ve learned to live without him and after some months, engrossed in Ewan’s fatherly care, I gradually disciplined myself to forge ahead in his absence.
Although my strength grew tremendously with each passing day, my heart was still broken. Zach left an irreplaceable void in my life that nobody could fill. They could only try but not succeed. He had invested so much love, energy, and affection into my life for me to bury easily.
No! I couldn’t forget him.
To conquer the depression that threatened to ensue in my life because of his disappearance, I engaged in many things. I tried to involve myself in some of Ewan’s businesses, started some hobbies of my own, and began keeping a journal where I recorded my feelings. These activities have helped me greatly to pass through daily sadness, but they failed to eliminate Zach completely from my heart.
Sweet memories of him flooded my thoughts. The Red Festival concert that brought us together, his intimidating tallness, deep-set blue eyes, the dark blond hair that crowned his handsome head, and his sturdy jaw, captured my heart like a clamp.
How could I forget our sizzling night of make-out session inside one of the buildings at the concert venue, before we ended it in a hotel room – his hotel room!
My cherry was still intact then, but I had lost my determination to keep it forever because of him, and as if reading my mind, he'd promised to be my first cherry eater that same night of our first meeting.
The flashback tugged at my heart and a tear dropped from my eyes. Zach’s craziness drew me to him. Then, the scary discovery of our relationship as the long-lost siblings the next day further complicated our matter, yet we held on for months until his promise to be my first became reality inside our childhood shed.
I could continue ticking off countless memories of Zach for years and still not come close to the end, but he’s gone into hiding now like a coward. Nevertheless, I knew he was not one. I could only blame Ewan whose dictatorial nature has ripped us apart by force.
I believed that we would meet again one day. I have plans of my own to look for him when the time is right. But now, I decided to lie low in order to cover my tracks before Ewan found out.
I’ve turned to one of my hobbies for comfort: jewelry making. I ‘m designing a piece of jewelry to keep the flames of my love for Zach alive. It’s an intricate swirl shaped with the letter ‘Z’. I used a sterling silver chain and 14 karat gold for the pendant carved as Z. I wanted to start wearing it around my neck as a necklace, in addition to the locket Zach had given me when we were children. I couldn’t wait to see how it would turn out.
My daydreaming was cut short by the ringing of my phone. I picked it up from the table in front of me and saw Magdalene as the caller. She works as my secretary. I love her diligence and efficiency, but sometimes, she could be a pain in my butt.
I picked up her call and said slowly, “What’s up, Maggie?”
“Hello, Miss Blaire,” she replied on the other end with excitement in her voice. “Your latest pieces of jewelry have arrived and they're ready for your inspection.”
I grinned to myself. “Great. I’ll be down soon,” I said and hung up.
I got up from my chair and checked my appearance in the mirror hanging on the wall of my room. When what stared back at me looked fabulous enough, I walked out of the room.
I sauntered down the stairs carefully. As I reached the bottom, my eyes caught my father, Ewan, who was already standing before long white tables filled with different kinds of jewelry. The room was well-lit with chandeliers illuminating everywhere. I smiled proudly to myself when I saw the extravagant display of beautiful works of art.
My father turned to me and smiled. He approached me with open arms and without waiting for my approval, he hugged me. “Welcome, my beautiful princess,” he mumbled to my ears. I hugged him back.
“Thanks, Dad,” I muttered.
“I am so proud of you,” he said with emotions, and I could tell that he meant every word.
I continued to smile. “Thank you, Dad,” I responded, still locked in his embrace.
We finally pulled back from each other, and he led me to the jewelry table, hand-in-hand.
The event at HavenStar Hotel was still fresh in my head, like yesterday.
The event that reconciled us about one year earlier replayed in my mind at that moment.
A Year Ago…
The four of us−me, Ewan, Mom, and Mr. Stewart, whom I thought was my real father all my life −had engaged in battles of words, emotions, rivalry, and competition. I stood at the center of the movie. I remembered how I almost went mad at the way the three adults, who claimed to be my parents, displayed their selfishness.
“I have made my decision,” I announced to them all, compelling them to pay full attention to me.
When I was certain that they were listening and watching me, I continued. “All my life, a big part of me was missing. I always felt that something was not right. You both, as my parents, never loved me.”
Then, I turned to Mr. Stewart and Mom with the saddest expression that could convey my misery. “You both hated me for crimes I didn’t commit. You both treated me like dog shit because of Mom’s indiscretions! You made me feel rejected, unloved, and unwanted! I questioned my legitimacy so many times, maybe I was the adopted one and not Zach.”
My voice kept gathering momentum with each word coming out of my mouth. Tears flowed down freely from my eyes, and I didn’t bother to clean them this time around.
“I was deeply hurt, hurt by you both because I was suffering for what I didn’t understand!” I sank to the chair nearest to me. “I now understand my dad. Maybe he has a right not to love me.” I sniffed. “But I'm more hurt by you, Mom. No matter what, we are related by blood, and it was you who made a mistake, not me.”
Everyone remained silent, giving me the room to pour out my heart. I covered my face with my palms and sobbed into them for a few seconds, then I raised my head and looked at Ewan. He looked distraught and disoriented. I touched his shoulder gently and he turned to look into my eyes. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for what I was about to say, but I must do what I got to do anyway, and as soon as possible. I was exhausted and wanted this depressing meeting to end.
“I am your daughter…but I'm already an adult and can decide for myself. I want to get to know you and try to build a father-daughter relationship with you. But I want to make one thing clear,” I said sternly, making sure that he wouldn’t exercise more authority over me in this matter.
He took my hands eagerly and adjusted his seat.
I continued. “You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do, including who I can date and who I can have sex with, and definitely not who I can love,” I retorted, my eyes cold.
He raised his eyebrows in surprise, and I thought I saw a glimmer of disappointment in them, but I didn’t care. “Is that all?” he asked.
I nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Deal,” he said coolly. “I agree to your terms.”
Present Day…
“Are you ready for the grand launching of your jewelry brand?” His cheerful voice jolted me back to the present environment. I was momentarily taken aback by the sudden interruption because my mind had traveled far.
I stared at him in confusion. “Excuse me?” I asked with raised eyebrows. I didn’t quite hear him.
He beamed and repeated himself. “I asked if you are ready for the grand launching of your jewelry.” Then he quickly added, “And that will come up on your birthday.”
My mouth formed an “O” when I finally understood his statement. I laughed. “Oooh! Sure, I am,” I replied to him, feeling elated at the prospect of owning my brand at last – one of my life-long dreams.
He pulled back the strands of hair from my face, admiring my looks. “Darling, I'm proud of you,” he said sincerely. “You haven’t even graduated and you're already launching your own brand.”
I was proud of myself too. After all the tribulations in my life, I still strived, thrived, and triumphed. I had quit the business course that I was enrolled in by my former dad, Mr. Stewart. He wanted me to finish it and start my business but since I’ve departed to Ewan’s house, he and Mom lost all control over me. I found favor in Ewan’s sight, and he allowed me to continue my studies on designing.
Determined to redeem himself in my good books and to fully show me how serious he was about being my father, he funded my business. I was very grateful for that.
Since we have been together from about one year ago, I’ve grown fond of him. He wasn’t that bad after all. Although his exhibition of love and care for me wasn’t as impressive as how much Zach had loved me, I still appreciated his effort in trying.
“You are the best dad in the world,” I complimented him and flew into his arms. We stayed in that position for minutes, relishing our father-daughter moments.
“I love you, Blaire,” he murmured in my left ear and kissed my hair. I giggled in happiness. It was a dramatic time for both of us.
Then, he locked his fingers with mine. “I never thought that I would have children,” he said, looking straight into my eyes. “I was too busy before. I didn’t think I would need an heir or heiress. But the past year taught me what I’ve been missing. I can no longer imagine what life would be like without you, my angel.” He sighed. “I will do anything to make you happy.”
I felt tears rising again from the back of my eyes, but I fought them back. His words made my heart swell with joy. If only the Stewarts had shown half of this loving gesture to me in the past, wouldn’t I have been a happier child? Maybe I wouldn’t even have fallen into the love snare with my former adopted brother who took their role in my life.
Ewan wasn’t done yet. “I was wrong before. People will talk no matter what. I have a lot of money to make the talk go away.” He paused, stared at his feet, breathed, then continued. “I realized that I should not have sacrificed your happiness.” He looked up at me again. “I'm no longer going to stand in the way of your happiness.”
I needed to hear that so badly. The excitement within me increased with astounding speed. I still hated how he forcefully separated me and Zach, but I’ve forgiven because he has gone out of his way since I became his legal daughter, to make it up to me. For that, I was impressed.
He let go of my hands and turned away from me, sadness filling his melancholic voice. “I remember the day Zach came to my office. It’s funny how time flies.” A distant look overtook his expression.
At the mention of Zach, my heart jumped.
“He told me about what happened to you and how you needed my blood for transfusion badly,” he continued, still evading my gaze. “He said it was a matter of life and death. I understood better the gravity of his pleas when he fell on his knees and begged me to save your life.”
I lost the willpower to hold back my tears at that point. My body started to tremble. I allowed the tears to stream down my cheeks, unhindered.
Zach did that. So, he went to that extent to save my life?
That was the first time that Ewan would divulge this information to me. I knew it! I’ve always known that my love would stop at nothing to keep me safe.
“He promised to do everything just to get me to the hospital and give my blood for you,” Ewan added. I could tell that he was struggling not to cry too. “Making him promise not to show himself to you again really broke me.” His voice began to shake with emotions. “But…I'm a man of my word. If there is anyone to blame, it’s me. I realized that I should not have meddled in your relationship. I'm not going to do that now.” He finally faced me again, determination in his eyes. “Do whatever makes you happy.”
I bowed my head and cried my heart out. This was too much for me to bear. He moved closer to me and held my head gently. He kissed me on the forehead. “It’s all right, love. I promise…” He paused, sniffed, wiped my face with Kleenex that I didn’t know where he got from, and said, “…everything is gonna be all right.”
I was still crying when he placed more Kleenex in my palms and left the room. His action surprised me, but I was too much in the heat of grief to digest his motive. Maybe he wanted to be alone like I do.
I took my time to cry all by myself inside the room. I remained like that for close to ten minutes, then I recovered. I dried my face and nose with the Kleenex he’d given me earlier. I straightened my dress and smoothened my hair. With renewed energy, I pushed my sorrow behind me and decided to handle the business at hand. The jewelry collections in the room wouldn’t inspect themselves.
I inspected the pieces of jewelry one after the other, admiring their unique allures.
The letter “Z” kept staring back at me on every table and the thought of what Ewan told me continued to spring in my mind. Zach was a guy with superpowers. He was more than a man, a brother, a father, a tutor, and most importantly, a lover like no other.
He was ready to sacrifice anything for my comfort. Nothing was too much for him to do just to make me happy. If the story about him begging Ewan to save my life was true, then I shouldn’t have judged him when I heard about his sudden exit.
It must have broken him to leave me the way he did, but he made the decision to save my life. Now, I knew better.
I wonder where he could be at the moment. Still here in the states? Or has he left for Europe, Asia, or Africa? How was he coping? What is he doing to survive? I was deeply worried for him.
I’ve tried so hard in the last year to forget about him and move on but how stupid I’ve been to think that my love for him could ever fade? I realized that despite the distance and zero communication between us since I woke up from the hospital bed, I was still in love with him. I wished things could go back to the way they were before.
Ewan’s words flooded back to my head.
“I'm not going to do that now.”
That meant one thing – he was already giving me his blessing to have a relationship with whoever pleased me. In that case, I must seize the golden opportunity to do what makes me happy.
The stubborn tears busted through my eyes again. I didn’t clean them, instead, I resolved in my heart to look for my Zach. I would not wait for him or Ewan to help me do that. It's my cross and I must carry it. The time is ripe for the mission.
Still blinded by tears, I dropped the necklace that I was holding on the table and turned toward the door.
Then I froze.
My eyes widened in shock, and I thought my heart would rip off through my chest. Blood drained from my face. I stood rigid in one spot, losing consciousness of time.
He had been right there behind me–all along!
Zach… my former brother… the love of my life stood right before my eyes.