Falling For The Man I Married

The moment I walked through the huge black wooden door, I saw my Dad almost running down the stairs just to come with me.
"Maiden! My baby!"
Tears flow down my eyes as soon as I felt his embrace. Then I realized, I can never be mad at this man who had a great
contribution to who I have become right now.
He's crying when he pulled back, even his wife, Chesca who was standing behind him. She's been a good wife to him and still
accepted him despite what he did.
"Daddy..."
I hugged him again. I missed him. I missed him so much. I wish I had him beside me during those cruel times. But it's in the past,
at least we still have time to be with each other.
"How are you, Maiden?" he wiped my tears using the hem of his shirt.
"Daddy?"
"Dad?"
"Honey?"
Bryan, Chesca and I, all protested in unison, but it's too late. He already wiped my tears. Who will use the hem of his shirt to
wipe the tears of his daughter at the age of twenty-six? Well, only my Dad, and I felt like a seven-year-old again.
"What? I just wiped my baby's tears." He said with a shrug.
The mother and son just shook their heads, as I bit my bottom lip to control my laughter.
"Madi," Chesca also pulled me into a motherly hug and I hugged her back.
"Okay, let's go to your room, baby. Just put your things in there and let's go upstairs." he put his arm around my shoulders.
"Honey, I'll show my baby her room, is it okay if we just follow to the dining room later?"
"Sure, honey."

Dad showed me my temporary room as he said, he's still renovating my room. For me, it doesn't matter where I sleep, as long as
I have a bed to sleep in at night.
When we entered, I walked immediately to the large glass window of the room.
"How are you, Maiden?"
I turned around to see him sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I'm fine, Dad."
"You're not. Bryan told on the phone."
I sighed, biting my lip, I walked over to him and sat down next to him.
"I'm not really fine, Dad. I'm broken."
I chuckled at the end of my sentence. He didn't say anything but he held my left hand and I heard him let out a loud sigh.
"I'm sorry, baby."
My head snapped at him. "No Dad! It's not you! I mean, it's not your fault!'
"I know, baby. I'm apologizing for all my shortcomings and failures in being your father. I know that with those past years, you're
blaming me for what happened to me and your Mom. But believe me, Maiden. I can't control those things back then. Your Mom
was my first love before I married your Aunt Chesca. And that love I had for your mother, I hurt them both and I made a big
mistake."
"So, you're telling me I'm your biggest mistake?"
"No! Of course, not! That's not what I mean!" he sighed. "What I mean is that if I were a strong as you were before, maybe I
could avoid those unwanted things that happened."
"Daddy, it's okay, it's in the past. Honestly, I'm thankful that those things happened and turned into this, in its place right now.
Because I could never be who I am now if those things didn't happen."
I smiled at him.

"How's your heart?" he asked suddenly and a bitter smile crept into my lips.
"Well, still beating in my chest." I shrugged.
"Can you share even half of that baggage you have inside with your old Dad?"
I laughed again with the term 'old' he used.
"Dad, you're like Mom, you're also using the word 'old' to describe yourself!"
"But I am. Look at me!"
"Yeah, but you don't have to say it. I can see it clearly!" I complained and now it's his turn to laugh at me.
I sighed loudly before I decided to tell him everything. I started from the very beginning, from Gabriel being my boss, the deal, my
stupidity, his plan with his ex-girlfriend, from our marriage, and to what I really felt for him. But the reaction I got from him was
exactly the opposite I got from my Mom when we talked about what happened.
"That fucking idiot! I'm going to kill that motherfucker for hurting you!"
My eyes widened as I gasped when he got up quickly with balled fists and clenched jaws.
"Dad? That's why I let him go." I tried to hug him but when I saw the rage in his eyes I was rooted in where I was.
"Madielyn Davis! You married a fucking fool and an idiot bastard! And you're really the one who let him go? Huh!"
"Dad, calm down!"
And not after a minute, Bryan and his mother entered the room.
"What's going on here, honey? We heard your screams downstairs."
"Dad, what's this?" Bryan pulled me into a quick hug before pulling me protectively behind him when he saw Dad in his balled
fists.
"Your sister married a fucking idiot! He got his ex-girlfriend pregnant while he's married to your sister!"
"What?" Chesca and Bryan asked in unison.

I noticed that they loved to ask me in a group.
"What the hell, Madielyn? Is it true --- you're married? You didn't tell me about this thing when we are in Chicago!"
Bryan held me on both shoulders and I nodded.
"That fucking man! Was that why you're crying so hard?"
"Bryan, call our men! Tell them to report in front of me immediately!"
-'Oh God!'-
I started to panic when I heard the word 'men'. My Mom once told me that my father has his own private army... or should I say
he's a mafia boss.
"No!" I yelled at them when I saw my brother gets his phone. "You don't understand! I love him!" I cried in tears.
"You still love him despite what he did to you?" Dad asked me with his narrowed eyes.
I gulped and looked him directly in his eyes.
"Yes! I love him. I still love him Dad as I loved you, despite everything that happened and regardless of what you did."
And they all turned into silent.
"Maiden..." he tried to reach me but I took a step back in tears.
"Tell me, Dad, how can I easily unlove the man who gave me feelings that I have never felt before? How can you easily unlove
and forget your first love? Answer me, Dad?"
I know every single word I said was like a déjà vu to his ears.
"Maiden.."
I bit my lip. I don't want to open these things but I have no choice. I love Gabriel so much that I can't even imagine him being
hurt.

"He offered me a deal as I told you, and I accepted it. So, if there's anyone you should blame for it, it's me and no one else but
me! I fell in love with him, even though I know it's impossible for him to love me back. But I was such a fool and naive with my
feelings, so I stayed with him! He didn't do anything against the deal. He didn't even force me to do anything behind that fucking
deal! He just showed me care, his only fault was that he's too blinded by his revenge plan that he didn't notice that his 'fake wife'
was already falling in love with him."
I cried and knelt in front of them, but Bryan also knelt next to me and pulled me into a hug.
"I'm sorry, Sis." he kissed my hair and sat me on the edge of the bed.
Then I felt a pair of familiar arms around me and I knew instantly, it's my Dad. He rubbed my back as he repeatedly saying his
sorry.
I stayed with them for almost a month, until I decided to visit my sister in Aurora, Colorado. And thanks to God, her reaction was
opposite from the two boys but the same with my Mom's reaction.
I also explained the two sides of our story, and the only thing she didn't like was that Gabriel was a fool and a thousand idiots.
I met her husband, Joey and my only niece Sarah Faye Madrigal. She asked me to stay with them and I accepted it. I stayed
with them for almost six months. Six months of crying every night and every time I remember him.. six months of being down,
broken-hearted. But eventually, as time went by, God didn't let me stay in that state.
One day, when I was watching a newscast on the TV, the name 'Be Strong' Housing Charity caught my attention. It's a charity
institution for brain cancer patients. It's for children from the age of three to ten. And with that name, I learned to start my life
again.
I donated my income from one of my restaurants to that charity. I also applied as one of their volunteers to help those children
who were so strong to face that kind of challenge in their life despite their young age. Each of them became my inspiration to
move on and fight the pain.
Until I started my new business, a coffee shop near the institution with the help of my newfound friend and business partner,
Martin. We now have two branches in the city of Aurora and we're also planning to have a new branch in Colorado's capital city...
Denver.
End of flashback...