Chapter 36

36 36- Treat His Daughter

36 36- Treat His Daughter

Rafael and Joseph started walking to the man when they heard a loud, familiar voice behind them.

“Where do you think you are taking my girls?”

This voice made Rafael stop in his tracks. He took his

sweet time to turn and face the woman whose face haunted him for the last four years.

Marissa walked up to him and the way she was clutching her fists, it was evident that all she wanted to do at that moment was to punch his face.

She pulled the girls behind her a little protectively before looking into his emerald–green eyes.

“Y… you… I thought… we had a … silent… decent agreement that… you won’t… oh, God. I guess I was wrong…” She muttered the last part under her breath, not able to control her tears.

Rafael didn’t try to offer her any explanations. What explanation could he give except to assure her of his intentions?

In this frame of mind, she would never hear him and

20:14

1/8

36 36- Treat His Daughter

would never be convinced. No matter how much he tried to prove his innocence.

“I was taking them to the security desk,” he at last spoke, but his intuition was right. She shook her head and held the girls‘ hands.

That was when he watched a small replica of himself standing behind her at some distance.

His son!

He tried to gulp but seemed to choke on his tears.

The fate.

He couldn’t hug any of his kids due to his own

mistakes. He didn’t trust the woman and made

decision.

She was looking down and was weeping silently.

a

rash

Damn! He released those salaries so that he could

make her happy. Tonight, again he made her cry.

He looked at the kids and Marissa with longing and then didn’t take time to spin around and leave the place in a rush.

How could he talk to her when his own emotions were

20:15

2/8

36 36–Treat His Daughter

all over the place?

Joseph almost ran after him.

“Mar. You alright?” Sophia who had gotten extremely panicked because she couldn’t find the girls, and came down to report the security head.

She took a sigh of relief when saw the girls standing there but Marissa was crying.

She then got down to kiss the girls‘ foreheads.

“Where did you go, sweeties? We were getting worried,” Abi who was getting nervous due to her crying mother tried to explain in a teary voice.

“I’m sorry, Aunt Sophie. I saw this man who looked exactly like Alex and went to him but then Mom came

after us.”

The little girl was now curving down her lips in a pout.

Ariel hugged her mother’s legs, “Please don’t cry, Mommy. I know we shouldn’t talk to strangers but

we…”

“But?” Sophie raised her brows.

“Aunt Sophie… I thought … maybe he was… our

20:15

3/8

36 36–Treat His Daughter

father…”

This time, Marissa’s tears started flowing more freely.

There was a small crowd forming around them. A woman came closer and pointed towards Marissa, “Thank God, you came on time. He might have kidnapped the girls. He was wearing an office attire and I found him so handsome at the first glance…”

Marissa didn’t respond to that woman and whispered to Sophie, “Let’s get out of here and go home.”

None of her kids tried to convince their mother to

stay. They all were too upset, and the incident had taken a toll on everyone’s mind.

***

“Have they gone to sleep?” Marissa asked Sophie when she came and plopped beside her on the couch.

After coming back home, Sophie ordered pizza for everyone and then bathed them. Later she tucked

them in their beds telling them that their mom was not well.

“Were they asking questions?” she asked wiping her face with the back of her hand.

20:15

4/8

36 36- Treat His Daughter

+67

“No, they didn’t. But Marissa. They are very small. Can you please get a grip on your emotions for their sake?”

“I don’t know, Sophie. There is so much going on. It’s like a constant battle is going on inside my head where I have to fight Nina and Valerie for my kids‘ lives. I need to keep Rafael at arm’s length and not let him come near me. He … he is trying hard to get to me… he … he wants nothing… he says… he says… he just wants my time…”

“Time?” Sophie thought she heard wrong, “he just wants your time?”

“Yes. He said that he wanted to talk to me only when

I’ll allow him. Not before that.”

“Then allow him. Marissa,” Marissa didn’t know when Flint got there but his suggestion made her face turn

to look at him.

“Flint…”

He ignored her red–brimmed eyes and sat on the opposite couch, “Take your time, Marissa. You might not need him in your life. That will be solely your decision and I’ll respect your decision, love. But they will always be his kids. He is their father. You brought

20:15

5/8

36 36- Treat His Daughter

them here because their lives were in danger. You would have stopped there if he had trusted you. He never believed you. Now he does. Now he knows that it was you who married him. He is ready to

acknowledge it.”

Marissa just closed her eyes and rested her cheek on the backrest of the couch.

How can Flint be so sure that he was ready to acknowledge everything? He hasn’t got any kids from Valerie. That might be the reason that he was here.

“Do you think, Marissa if he wanted to take those kids out of there, anyone could stop him?” Marissa’s eyes snapped to his face.

He was bobbing his head, “Nah … No one could have stopped him. Not even you.”

Marissa had stopped crying by now. Flint’s words did carry weight.

“The thing is… Marissa Aaron… he knows who stayed with him during his blindness. He knows he is the father of these kids and…” Flint looked into her eyes, “and the fact is you will be needing him in your life. There should be a cordial relationship between you

20:15

8/8

36 36- Treat His Daughter

two for the sake of your kids. Nobody will try to lay a finger on them if he will stay nearby.”

“Do you think I can’t protect my kids, Flint?” Flint slapped his hand on his lap and chuckled.

“I’m not saying any such thing, Mar,” Flint pursed his lips, “You can keep them safe. But let’s accept it. He is a loaded guy, and he can do whatever it takes to keep YOU ALL safe! Do you get that?”

When Marissa didn’t respond, Flint spoke again, “You might need him for Abigail’s surgery too, Marissa,”

She opened her mouth to say something maybe to negate it, but he raised his index finger to make her silent, “It’s not only about money, Marissa. As the president of MSin Industries, he has got contacts. He can bring any competitive surgeon from across the globe and make him treat his daughter. Have you ever thought of that?”

This was something she never

36 36- Treat His Daughter

two for the sake of your kids. Nobody will try to lay a finger on them if he will stay nearby.”

“Do you think I can’t protect my kids, Flint?” Flint slapped his hand on his lap and chuckled.

“I’m not saying any such thing, Mar,” Flint pursed his lips, “You can keep them safe. But let’s accept it. He is a loaded guy, and he can do whatever it takes to keep YOU ALL safe! Do you get that?”

When Marissa didn’t respond, Flint spoke again, “You might need him for Abigail’s surgery too, Marissa,”

She opened her mouth to say something maybe to negate it, but he raised his index finger to make her silent, “It’s not only about money, Marissa. As the president of MSin Industries, he has got contacts. He can bring any competitive surgeon from across the globe and make him treat his daughter. Have you ever thought of that?”

This was something she never thought about.

37 37–Rafael is Here!

in their nightgowns.

“I should let the kids meet him,” she didn’t take his name, but Sophie knew who she was talking about.

“Take your time, Mar. There is no haste,” Sophie covered her hand that was placed on the counter.

“The earlier, the better, Sophie. You and Flint keep telling me that he can’t snatch the kids. The thing is…” she started scratching the surface of the counter with her chipped nail, “I have seen people around me who suffered. Last year my two employees decided to let their exes meet the kids. After so many promises they were included in kids‘ lives. Do you know what happened later?”

Marissa raised her face to eye her friend who didn’t say anything in response.

“One ex tried to kidnap the two–year–old baby. Can you believe that Sophie?” tears started sliding down her face.

“Another one started brainwashing the child against her mother. It got so out of hand that, in the end, the little one spoke against her mother in court and the mom lost custody,” She sniffled.