Fighting for love

Chapter 21

Clytia barely slept that night. When she was sure that Nolam was asleep, she got out of his embrace and sat against the headboard. She couldn't sleep. Not after everything that had happened during the day.

Few hours ago

She had her hand on the door knob of the office of her father, hesitant. Her mom, behind her, posed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she opened the door for her. Clytia followed her mom inside, her head hanging low. She stopped on her track in the middle of the room, confronting to her dad.

He was standing, tall and proud. His shoulders were squared and tensed. His face was dull. No expression. No emotion. He was staring at her almost like she was a stranger. At that very moment, he looked like a general ready for war. 

He took a step toward her, never breaking the eye contact. She immediately lowered her eyes. The warmth his hold few minutes ago when he welcomed her was long gone.
He stood there, silent, for what seemed to be an eternity.

Out of nowhere, she felt a huge pain spreading itself across her left cheek and temple, making her head snapped. She hold her face, tears running on her cheek.

That was a first!

Never, ever, had her father raised a hand against her.

She heard her mom gasped as she yelled at him. But she couldn't make what she was saying. The whole side of her face was on fire. She gathered the few courage she had, and turned one more time to look at him. He was still expressionless.

"Papa (Dad)," she began, her voice shaking with tears. "Je suis désolée d'avoir été une déception, mais laisse-moi t'expliquer (I'm sorry for being a disappointment. But let me explain)" 

"Expliquez! (Explain!)" He interrupted her in a dangerously low voice. "Qu'est-ce qu'il y a à expliquer? C'est plutôt clair pour moi. Tu as décidé d'être une vendue de pétasse. (What's there to explain? It's pretty clear for me. You've decided to be a sold out whore.)"

"Joseph! Assez! (Enough!)" Intervened her mom as her jaw dropped.

"Je ne supporterai pas de tel comportement dans ma famille Daphnée. J'ai cru que nous l'avions mieux éduquée (I will not support that kind of behavior in my family Daphnee. I thought we raised her better.)" He replied to his wife before facing Clytia one more time.

She took a step back. His eyes were sending daggers through her. "Papa" she tried one more time. "S'il-te-Plait (Please)".

"La ferme! (Shut up !) " He yelled at her. 

"Comment as-tu pu me faire cela? Je t'ai donné tout ce dont tu avais besoin. J'ai toujours supporté ce que tu voulais faire. C'est comme ça que tu me remercie ! Espèce d'idiote ingrate. Tu aurais mieux faire de ne pas ramener cette chose tu appelles mari dans ma maison. Tu es sensée être intelligente. Cependant, vu que tu sembles avoir perdu une partie de ta cervelle, je vais te dire ce que tu dois faire. Tu vas contacter un avocat rapidement et mettre fin à cette mascarade ! (How could you do that to me? I gave you everything you needed. I've always been supporting to whatever you wanted to do. This is how you thank me! You ungrateful idiot. You should have known better than to carry that thing you call husband to my house. You're supposed to be smart. However, since you seem to have lost a part of your brain. I will tell you what to do. You contact a lawyer ASAP and put an end to that masquerade!)" He finished panting.

"Je ne peux pas faire ça (I cannot do that)" she whispered, her eyes now red from crying.

"Excuse me!" he growled, menacing.

"Je suis désolée papa. Nolam est quelqu'un de bien. Il a toujours été bien avec moi. Je ne peux pas lui faire ça. (I'm sorry dad. Nolam is a good person. He has been nothing but good to me. I cannot do that to him.)"

"(Ais-je l'air de m'en intéresser? Choisis entre lui et nous ! (Do I look like I give a damn about the kind of person he is? It's either him or us?)"

Clytia fell on her knees, grabbing her dad's feet, crying like never before. "Pitié, ne me force pas à faire un choix. (Please, don't make me choose?)"
He pushed her back, clearly pissed off. His eyes had turned black. He was breathing fast, making his nostrils flared in anger.

"Please" she begged completely broken, on the floor. "Il me rend heureuse papa. N'est-ce pas là le genre d'époux que tu as toujours souhaité pour moi ? Quelqu'un qui prend soin de moi et me respect ? Demande à Carl. Il a été avec nous. Nolam est quelqu'un de bien. Je ne vais pas divorcer aussi longtemps qu'il sera un époux aimant. STP, donne-lui juste une chance. 

(He makes me happy dad. Isn't it the kind of man you said you've always wanted for me? Someone who would cherish and respect me? You can ask it to Carl. He was there with us. Nolam is a good man. I won't break my marriage apart as long as he is a loving husband. So please, just give him a chance to prove himself.)"

"Seul un homme qui a honte de qui il est vraiment ira prendre pour époux quelqu'un d'une autre race. Qu'est ce qui ne va pas chez toi ? Tu devrais être fière d'être noire. Sachant ce que ces gens ont fait à notre famille! Il doit forcément y avoir un problème avec toi. N'oses pas me parler d'intégration quand tu sais que mon propre frère jumeau est mort par les mains d'un de ces gens. N'oses pas me parler d'amour quand eux ne savent rien de ce que c'est! Je croyais que tu aurais été plus intelligente. Tu as fait une erreur. Ça je peux le comprendre. Cependant, choisir de rester avec lui est une insulte à ma personne, une injure à cette famille, et plus important, une injure à la mémoire de mon frère. Tu veux cet homme ? Bien! Considère donc que tu n'as plus de père. Parce que pour moi ma fille est morte! 

(Only a man who is ashamed of who he truly is will marry out of his race. What is wrong with you? You should be proud of being black. Knowing what his kind did to our family! There has to be something wrong with you. Don't you dare talking to me about integration when you know that my own twin died in the hands of one of them. 

Don't you dare talking to me about love when these people know nothing about love! I thought you knew better. You've made a mistake. That I can understand. However, choosing to stay with him is an insult to me, an insult to this family and more importantly, an insult to the memory of my brother. You want that man?! Fine! Consider that you no longer have a dad. Because my daughter is dead for me!)"

With that, he left the room, his steps heavy.

Clytia stayed on the floor as she heard the precipitated steps of her mother after her dad.

Her world had just crumbled down on her. She just lost her father. She didn't know what she had expected from that meeting. Certainly not being rejected by her own father. Her whole body was shaking, in shock. She laid there, unable to move.

The carpet under her was stained with her tears. Her stomach was constricted, her breathing fast. It took her a lot to finally stand up and leave the room.