CHAPTER 95
Leo and Rachel had made significant progress in their investigation of Rachel’s father’s death. They had just finished talking to a man who used to work for the CIA when Leo’s demeanor changed. He became quiet and still, lost in thought after he had mentioned something about “Dante assets” en passant.
Rachel asked him what was wrong, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he quickly walked out of the office and made his way to the car. She was very lucky to have entered because he was ready to drive off without her. After a few minutes he arrived at the mansion where he found his father waiting for him with Rebecca.
“I always suspected it was you!” Leo cursed, storing off the car and walking towards his father angrily, his teeth clenched and his eyes set in a fierce determination. Anybody could tell that his father was in big trouble.
“Leo, we need to talk,” Antonio said, standing up to greet him.
Leo was seething with anger, and he didn’t waste any time getting to the point. “How could you do something like that, Father?” he demanded, grabbing Antonio by the neck.
Rebecca and Rachel tried to intervene and pull Leo away, but he was too strong. “Leo, stop it!” Rebecca cried out.
Rachel pleaded with Leo to let go of his father, afraid he might hurt him. “Leo, please, don’t do this. You’ll kill him!” she shouted.
But Leo was in no mood to show mercy towards his father’s killer. “I’ll kill him if I have to,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Leo, we don’t even know if he’s the one!”
The man began to speak in laboured breathing, which caused Leo to leave him immediately. He stood over his father, breathing heavily and angrily.
“I’m sorry, Rachel. I can’t keep the truth from you anymore. The accident that killed your father, it was my doing. We were both working for the CIA at the time and I was responsible for driving the car. We had a contract marriage as a joke, but I was a coward and a betrayer. I caused the accident and left your father to die.
I never wanted you to find out like this. My police friends and CIA agents did the cover-up to protect me. I couldn’t live with myself after what I had done, so I ran away. But I know that doesn’t excuse what I did.
Leo, you should know that leaving was the best thing that happened to both of you. I’m sorry for what I’ve done and I beg for your forgiveness. Rachel, please, I beg for your forgiveness too. Leo, Rachel, I will do anything to make things right.”
Leo was still in shock and struggling to process the revelation that his own fatger was responsible for Kevin’s accident. He looked at his father with anger and disgust, feeling betrayed and hurt by the man he once looked up to. Rachel, on the other hand, feels a mix of emotions, including sadness, anger, and a sense of closure.
“Why, Antonio? Why did you do it?” Rachel asks, her voice shaking with emotion.
Antonio hangs his head low, ashamed of his actions. “I was scared. I thought Kevin was going to expose me and ruin my career. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did, and I couldn’t live with myself.”
Rachel stares at him with a mix of pity and contempt. “You took away the love of my life, the father of my child, and you never thought about the pain and suffering you caused. How could you live with yourself?”
Antonio doesn’t have an answer, and Leo can see the shame and remorse written all over his face. He walks over to his father, his fists clenched at his sides.
“You coward! You killed an innocent man and then ran away like a rat. You don’t deserve forgiveness, let alone mercy,” Leo says, his voice low and threatening.
Rachel stepped between them, trying to diffuse the tension. “Leo, please, let’s just go. We need to tell my mother what happened.”
Leo took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
They got into Leo’s car, and he started driving towards Rachel’s mother’s house. The atmosphere inside the car was tense and quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. Rachel couldn’t help but think about the life she could have had with her father, the moments they’ll never get to share.
As they pull up to the house, Rachel took a deep breath and prepared herself to tell her mother the truth. She turned to Leo and Antonio and said, “I need you both to be there for me. I can’t do this alone.”
Leo took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “We’re here for you, Rachel. Always.”
Together, they walked up to the front door and Rachel rang the bell. When her mother answered, she could see the worry etched on her face.
“Mom, we need to talk. It’s about Dad,” Rachel says, her voice trembling.
Her mother looks at her with concern, sensing that something is wrong. “What is it, dear? What happened?”
Rachel’s tired expression and heavy eyes made her mother open the door without questioning. Everyone filed in, looking quite distraught and she couldn’t help but ask what was going on.
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1 WEEK LATER
It has been a week since the truth about Rachel’s father’s accident came out, and Rachel had stayed at her mom’s place the whole time to console her mother whose anguish was renewed as soon as the news was broken. This evening, she and her mother had dressed up to attend the birthday dinner of Leo’s mother. Leo came to pick them up, and they made their way to the dinner surrounded by family and friends.
As they sat down to eat, Rebecca asked them how they were doing. Rachel smiled and responded, “We’re doing well, thank you for asking. How are you feeling on your special day?”
The small group kicked off into a long discussion, laughing and cackling at intervals until something happened.
Just as the dinner is in full swing, Antonio walks in, bearing a gift for Rebecca. Leo calls security to take him away, but Madeline stops them. “Wait, Leo. Let him stay. It’s Rebecca’s birthday, and we should all be able to celebrate together.”
Rebecca was surprised to see Antonio but accepted his gift. She then turned to Rachel and said, “I know it’s been a difficult time for you, Rachel. But I hope we can all move forward and put the past behind us.”
Celine, who was sitting beside Rachel on her other side, squeezed her hand in encouragement. Rachel felt a tear roll down her cheek but managed to compose herself. “Thank you, Rebecca. That meant a lot.”
Rachel and Madeline forgave Leo’s father amid tears, and Antonio broke down in tears as well.
Leo watched as his father begged for forgiveness from him and his wife. Rebecca pleaded with Leo to forgive his father, but he refused to do so easily. He stood up, pushing his chair back in anger, and made to leave the dining room.
Rachel’s outstretched hand stopped him. He hesitated for a moment, but then took her hand and squeezed it. He turned back to his father and said, “I forgive you, but I want nothing to do with you. You’re dead to me.”
Antonio understood and bowed his head, tears streaming down his face. Rachel hugged Leo and whispered in his ear, “I’m proud of you.”
Later that evening, Leo and Rachel walked in the maze, holding hands. “We have to get our own place now,” Leo said.
Rachel smiled. “I was thinking that we could live in the Chateau. I love that place.”
Leo leaned in and kissed her. “Anything for you, my love.”