My eyes widened at their last statement. My father killed Mama? How? I looked at Gio, but he remained focused on my father as the police officers escorted him. Didn’t Mama die of an illness? Wasn’t that true? Did it mean my suspicion about my father was correct?
I covered my mouth as this realization registered in my mind.
“W-What? I didn’t kill Astrid! I didn’t kill my wife!”
I noticed my father’s resistance as the police led him out of Gio’s office. I watched in disbelief as he vehemently denied having anything to do with Mama’s death.
“I didn’t kill Astrid! I am the victim here! Why are you arresting me?” My father turned to Gio. “Locatelli, you’re a demon! You have no heart! You’re imprisoning me without any evidence! Let me go! I didn’t do anything-”
He didn’t finish his sentence because the office door had closed.
I sat there in shock even after my father had left the room. I couldn’t believe… he was the one who killed Mama.
“Gio!” I looked at Gio, stunned by everything that had happened. “How did you prove that my father was the one who killed Mama? What happened? What did you find?”
Gio took my hand and silenced me.
“Don’t stress yourself, Millie. I’ll take care of this case. Are you willing to testify against your father? We may need your statement soon. We will also hire the best lawyers to win this case. We know many of them.”
Gio hugged me. In the past, when he held me, all my anxieties vanished, but now… I didn’t know. Maybe it was because I kept thinking about what happened earlier. Why did it feel like I couldn’t settle down with all that had occurred? Perhaps it was due to the rapid sequence of events and… perhaps because I couldn’t believe my father was capable of doing this to Mama.
~*~
I visited Aunt Elsie, my stepmother, to share the news about what happened to Papa.
“I can’t believe it! I knew Enrique wasn’t a good person, but to be a murderer?” She covered her mouth with both hands, obviously shocked by what I said. “I’m having a hard time believing it myself.”
“I’m in the same boat; I can’t believe it either.” I’m still shaken by what happened earlier. The desperation in my father’s voice, constantly insisting he’s innocent and didn’t kill my mother. Part of me is telling me I should believe him, but there’s another part of me saying he deserves it.
“But how did your husband manage to get the evidence?” Aunt Elsie asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Gio said he would handle everything. I agreed to testify about what my father did to me. If it’s proven that my father did indeed kill Mom… he deserves to be in jail.” I clenched my fist as I said this. Now the pain is sinking in. All this time, I thought Mom had gotten sick, that’s why she left us early, but Papa killed her? I still can’t fully believe it, but my mind is slowly processing it.
Aunt Elsie and I talked for a while longer. Sienna wasn’t at home when I went because she said Sienna had something to attend to at the university. She said he’d be the one to inform Sienna.
I told Gio that I would start my new job as the CEO of our company next week. It’s been my dream for a long time. I even pursued a degree in Entrepreneurship just to prove to Dad my dedication to continue his company. I even studied at Harvard Business School. However, no matter what I accomplished and proved to him, he still looked down on me. I felt that if Gio hadn’t come into the picture, the entire company might have gone to Sienna.
Days passed quickly. Papa’s trial was approaching, and as I had told Gio, I testified against my own father. I recounted all the abuse he subjected me to and how he treated me. In my testimony, I noticed the intense anger in Gio’s eyes, probably due to what he was hearing.
In the end, we won the case, and Papa was sentenced for the murder of my mother and the abuse we suffered.
I could see that Papa wanted to protest, but he knew he couldn’t do anything as the court had made its decision. The police took him to his cell.
Sienna and the others smiled at me, but I kept my distance. I know they are sad about Papa’s fate, but they also know that there’s no falsehood in what I said.
“Are you sure, Millie?”
I spoke to Gio a few days after Papa’s conviction. I didn’t visit him immediately after the trial, but now… I’m gathering the courage to do so.
“Yes, I just have some questions for him. I’ll be fine. He can’t hurt me.”
Gio allowed me to meet with my father, although concern was evident in his expression. He eventually permitted me to talk to him. I was waiting for Papa to face me. I was in a separate room with a glass partition between us, so I felt safe, knowing that Dad couldn’t harm me.
“It’s a miracle you have the courage to visit me after having your own father imprisoned.”
“You had it coming, Pa. You’re the one to blame for being in jail,” I sighed. I knew I could protect myself due to the training I had received, but I also knew I didn’t have the strength to confront my father. It was a huge relief that there was a barrier between us. Even if he got angry, he couldn’t harm me, and there were police officers guarding us.
“Why did you kill Mom?” I didn’t want Papa to notice that I had no recollection of my past. I didn’t want to give him a chance to manipulate me.
Papa grinned, and I didn’t like that. Nevertheless, I remained emotionless in front of him. I would take what I could believe and disregard the rest.
“I didn’t kill her, Millie. In fact, I’m the victim here. You’re picking the wrong guy. I told the court I found your mother dead, and that’s the truth.”
My hand clenched. He was still denying everything. It was hard for me to believe him, even though he appeared sincere. Papa was skilled at lying and twisting the truth. I had tested that countless times.
“There’s evidence, Pa. Don’t bother arguing that you’re innocent of Mom’s murder! The evidence points to you.”
“And what do you think the evidence is, Millie? Can’t evidence be tampered with? If a person’s character can change, what about the evidence?”
He leaned closer to me. I gasped, but I remembered there was a barrier between us. “People who know the law can manipulate and play with it.”
Papa stood up while I remained silent.
“I don’t care if you want me to be imprisoned. You’ve already taken everything from me, haven’t you? My company is no longer mine.” Papa turned his back on me, but before he left, he said one more thing. “You don’t need to visit me again, Millie. You don’t need to pretend to be my child because we both know we’re not. But here’s a promise I’ll leave with you don’t ever let me leave this place, you and your husband will come back for me. You’ll all pay for this.” I felt a heavy heart as he left the precinct.