“How are you doing, Mom?” Priyank asked, holding his mother’s hand.
As he settled things, Maya assured him she would handle Lucas and take care of whatever he had instructed him and Priya to manage.
It had been so many days since he last visited his mother, and with Aman’s issue still lingering, he couldn’t delay any longer.
The time Aman had given him-it had already passed.
He was trying to think things through, to make sense of it all. But before anything happened, he needed to see his mother.
“I’m doing great, son, but you look stressed.” Daisy smiled at him, warmth in her eyes.
Priyank didn’t know how to respond. Because it was true-he was stressed. More than that, he was anxious about what was coming and how he would handle it.
All because of that man-his father, yet as good as dead.
“Mom… do you know what happened to that man?” Priyank questioned, watching her closely. Did she even know about the death of her so-called husband?
Though he doubted it.
“Why are you asking?”
Priyank blinked, forcing himself to stay calm. “It’s been years… I just thought I’d ask.”
“Didn’t you always hate this topic?” Daisy looked at him intently, suspicion flickering in her eyes.
“Are you going to tell me or not?”
“I don’t know how he is. After he left us, I never saw him again.” Her face tightened, pain flickering in her eyes. “Not going to lie, I tried-many times-but I could never find him.”
Priyank saw all the pain-how could he not?
He had watched his mother suffer for years. That was why he chose this path-to become a Mafia boss, to be rich-so he could give her everything she ever wanted.
“How could you even try to find him?” His anger flared at the thought of her searching for the man who had abandoned them without a damn care.
Daisy sighed. “I just wanted answers-why did he left us for another woman when we loved each other so much.” Tears slipped down her cheeks.
Priyank immediately cupped her face. “Please don’t cry,” he said softly. “I’m sorry for getting angry.”
Why am I like this? He cursed himself. She’s not to blame.
Before, he never understood love.
But after meeting Priya-his angel-he did. And now, he completely understood where his mother’s emotions came from.
That didn’t change the fact that he hated that fucking man-not just for failing as a father or a husband, but for everything else.
Everything was already messed up. But after learning the real reason Priya had spent her whole life like an orphan, it felt even worse.
And now the bastard was dead. Could things get any shittier?
“Mom, I never meant to get angry. You know me,” he said, exhaling sharply. “I just hate talking about that man. To me, he’s nothing more than a sperm donor.”
Daisy sobbed. “That’s why I never talked about him. But this time, you’re the one who suddenly wanted to.” Her emotions began to settle.
Priyank nodded. “Mom, do you still love that man after everything he did? He cheated on you.”
He wanted to say more-a lot more-but he couldn’t. The truth about that man’s death, about Priya being a werewolf… there was too much he had to keep buried.
Daisy met his gaze, her eyes soft. “I don’t love or hate him. It’s been years already. I did want to find him at one point, but only to understand why he did what he did. Then I tried to hate him, but nothing worked. In the end, I reached a place where it just doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Then why do you cry or get sad every time he’s mentioned?”
“Because I spent so many years loving him,” she whispered. “And no matter what, I never wanted you to talk about him like that. In the end… he is your father.”
Priyank’s chest tightened at her words. *Father?* The word felt like poison on his tongue. That man didn’t deserve the title. He was nothing but a ghost of mistakes, haunting the people he left behind.
His mother might have let go of the hate, but Priyank couldn’t. Not after everything. Not after seeing his mother struggle. Not after knowing what Priya had been through.
He took a slow breath, forcing down the frustration clawing at his throat. “I don’t care if he was my father. He left us, and he never looked back. He doesn’t deserve your tears, Mom.”
Daisy gave a tired smile, one that didn’t reach her eyes. “Maybe not. But I spent years of my life loving him, Priyank. And you can’t erase the past, no matter how much you hate it.”
Priyank looked away, his jaw tightening. He hated that she was right. Hated that no matter how much he despised that man, his existence had still left scars.
Silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken pain.
Then, quietly, Daisy spoke again. “But you know what hurts me more?” She wiped the last of her tears away, her voice steady now. “Seeing you hold on to that anger. I let it go because I didn’t want it to control me anymore. But you, Priyank… you’re still letting him win.”
Her words hit harder than he expected. He swallowed, his throat dry, but he didn’t argue. Because deep down, he knew-she wasn’t wrong.
“Hating him will only make things worse for you. Holding on to it means the pain-and his memory-will never truly fade.”
‘He’s already dead.’ Priyank rolled his eyes, replying in his heart.
“So move on, Priyank.”
“I hate him because I want to remember,” he answered, his voice cold. “I want to keep reminding myself of the pain we suffered. There’s no such thing as forgetting. I want to keep the wounds open.”
The pain of being that abandoned child-maybe that was something he had learned to endure. But as a son, watching his mother suffer, he couldn’t just let it go. And now, just imagining losing Priya…
It was ten times worse.
Just because of that man’s greed, he was now losing his own happiness.
As if being a terrible father and a cheating husband wasn’t enough, he had to be a greedy murderer on top of it.
“Still, I really want you to move on with your life,” Daisy smoothed the crease on Priyank’s forehead. “And make things right with Priya.”