Chapter 150
Veronica’s POV
Apartment – The next day
I sat in the bed with Fredrick’s letter still on the bedside table.
Jonathan knew when I’m not in my mind, I prefer being alone.
So, he quietly left my breakfast and went to drop the kids off.
Jonathan quietly walked over and sat beside me.
“So,” he asked me. “Made a decision p>
After a long silence p>
I nodded.
“I’ll meet him p>
“Not because I want answers p>
“Because I don’t want unanswered questions running in my mind p>
“If I get an answer, fine p>
“If not, I’ll never think of that question again p>
I exhaled as I knew I wasn’t going to meet him as his abandoned daughter,
But as Veronica Harmon.
Jonathan quietly agreed as he told me there are some conversations that can’t be avoided forever.
Not because the other person deserves to, but because she deserves peace in her mind.
“Nicky,” he said.
“If you have to walk away from him after meeting him and that meant moving forward p>
“Then the meeting is worth it p>
“Don’t worry p>
“I’ll be nearby all time p>
“If you want, we’ll leave any moment p>
“If he troubles you, one call, that’s all p>
I nodded as we locked the apartment and headed over to meet him.
Along the way, my gaze fell on Jonathan as he was driving.
I smiled as I knew he wasn’t encouraging me to reconcile, but protecting me towards healing myself.
I smiled as I quietly thanked him in my mind.
Since Fredrick was running from the police,
Vance arranged two rooms at a small motel, connected by a door.
Jonathan and Vance waited in the next room while I entered the other room.
As I walked inside, Fredrick was already seated on the sofa.
He slowly stood up on seeing me.
Neither of us spoke a word on seeing one another.
Years of silence fell between us.
For the first time since I knew him, we were facing one another as father-daughter.
Not strangers,
Not rich ceo-server girl.
But two people who’s life changed forever over a tarot reader’s words.
“Veronica,” Fredrick said with a soft smile.
A first for me.
“Thanks for coming p>
“I guess I should first apologize to you for the tarot readers p>
“Believing his predictions p>
“His warnings p>
“Following the instructions he gave p>
“I truly believed his words p>
He trailed off a bit.
“That you would be the end of my empire p>
“Your empire p>
“End of Harmon Designs,” I said, looking at him.
“I thought whatever I was doing, was for Harmon Designs p>
“Yet he exhaled.
“Here we are,” he said.
“Everything still is finished p>
“My business, my reputation, my family, my entire life p>
“Today, for the first time p>
“I don’t know where I went wrong p>
He looked down after that.
I exhaled as I began to answer his questions, never once raising my voice.
“Father p>
I trailed off as he raised his head with glowing eyes.
“How I longed to call someone father, mother p>
“But all I could call was ms, ma’am, sir to the teachers and staff at the orphanage p>
“After marrying Jonathan p>
“Dear was the first word I used to call someone affectionately p>
“You made your choice p>
“You got what you sowed p>
“I made my choice choosing Jonathan p>
“I got mine p>
“Everyday p>
Silence fell between us.
“I would wait for my parents, saying they came to get me p>
“Or parents who wanted to adopt me p>
“Later I found out the person who left me there said he would donate generously as long as I stay at the orphanage, the reason my profile was never given for adoption p>
“I always wondered why I was so detested p>
“I didn’t even deserve adoptive parents p>
“Until I reached college p>
“I always believed I wasn’t good enough p>
Fredrick was clenching his fists as I spoke.
Probably in guilt on hearing what I went through because of him.
“I was so desperate to find the cause of me being left like that p>
“I even cut myself once to see if my blood was red or black p>
“They would call me the fallen child, a cursed child p>
My voice was laced with pain.
“They said I ate my parents, that’s why I have been banned from being adopted p>
I leaned forward.
“God knows she might eat her adoptive parents as well p>
I leaned back.
“Then I turned eighteen and joined college p>
“I thought it would be the same as school p>
“The taunts, blame, curses p>
“All I wanted to do was complete my degree so I could get a job and a home of my own p>
A warm smile spread across my face ear-to-ear.
“Jonathan joined during the second semester p>
“We became fast friends really soon p>
“He made me realize my self-worth p>
“He was the first to openly praise my paintings p>
“He was the first one who said I would be a famous painter one day p>
I spread my arms proudly.
“Look, just as he said p>
“I’m a world renowned painter with my own arts house p>
“Everyone at the college knew he had the hearts for someone p>
“Everyone went crazy trying to find out who she was p>
“Until p>
“One day he proposed to me in front of the entire college p>
“It was a dream come true p>
“We got married, and even though the apartment was rented, it was our home, and is till date p>
“Then that unfortunate party and night came in our life p>
“Imelda came into his life p>
“I p>
“I lived seven years as a widow, even though my husband was alive p>
“My daughter lived seven years without a father, even though she did p>
“For seven years my daughter couldn’t call her own father daddy as another boy called him dad openly p>
“Then I left him p>
“Those seven years…seven log years…without Jonathan p>
“Raising Janet alone p>
“A baby boy with a heart condition p>
“And me…after what Imelda made me go through p>
“The accidents, the kidnapping, the abuse p>
“Sixteen years p>
“I not only lost a childhood, I lost sixteen years of marriage p>
“A life that I can never get back p>
“And all of this goes back to the time I was two days old p>
“If you hadn’t taken that decision at the time p>
“None of this suffering would have bestowed on me p>
Fredrick lowered his head by the time I stopped.
I continued quietly.
“Your one decision p>
“Made mother live like a nobody living in fear her one wrong could be the end of her daughter p>
“Imelda spent her entire life pleasing you, and got nothing in return p>
“Adrian is the birth of your consequences on his mother p>
“Jonathan spent seven years living a fake life, seven years without a family p>
“Daniel lived sixteen years not knowing he had a son p>
“And I p>
“I lived a life suffering that now is nothing but a joke p>
“To be abandoned becasue of a human being’s words p>
“One prediction, and you destroyed so many lives p>
Silence fell in the room.
“Veronica,” Fredrick said in a low voice.
“I never hated you p>
“It’s just p>
“It wasn’t easy for me p>
“I dragged myself from the low life all the way to be worthy of Jane p>
“I married her and she gave me the shares of Harmon Designs p>
“We lived a blissful two years as a couple p>
“Then she became pregnant, and things began to go downhill p>
“I met the tarot reader and all of his predictions came true p>
“With his guiding, I managed to bring Harmon Designs back p>
“Then he told me the coming baby is bad for Harmon Designs p>
“The baby would drain the funds p>
“I was glued to money at the time and believed what he said p>
I quietly listened.
No emotion, no reaction.
He opened the locket in his neck.
It was a photo of two days old.
“There’s not a day I don’t look at your photo and wonder if the prophecy was wrong, how I would have raised you like a princess p>
“It’s also the reason I could never truly take Imelda as my daughter, as I could never get over you p>
Tears filled his eyes as he tried to apologize.
“I’m…truly…truly…sorry p>
He bowed his head.
I exhaled as some apologizes even if they come, they carry no value.
I slowly stood up.
I slowly turned around.
“You left me because I believed I was unlucky p>
“Now p>
“I’ll show you if I’m lucky or not p>
“I’ll also show you what luck is p>
“Business p>
“Predictions p>
“Or having people who genuinely love you, standing beside you p>
Just then the door opened and Jonathan walked in along with Vance.
He stood beside me wrapping his arm around my waist.
“You??” Fredrick said shocked.
“Like I said, people who genuinely care for you, will always be by your side p>
“Dear,” I said in an affectionate voice.
“Let’s go home, the kids are waiting p>
As I walked out,
I wanted him to know he was with nobody, while I had a family waiting for me.
I wanted him to know what he lost and see how this unlucky daughter shows him what luck really is.