Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 260

You probably got the lowdown from Silas by now. Shirley threw down some terms, wanting you out of the Galeana family. She and Emma wanted a legit spot in our family, I was backed into a corner and had to make a cruel call.

Sweetheart, I always believed in you. I was just too weak, so you had to shoulder the crap that you weren’t supposed to. You had to go solo and leave your hometown. I knew your aunts and uncles would look after you, so I didn’t dare to set foot in B City, scared that I’d lose it the moment I saw you. I have no clue what kind of mess you got tangled up in, the unknown freaks me out. All I could do was to get you out of A City, hoping you could have a good life elsewhere.

The words on the paper didn’t make much sense, Ines was just writing down whatever popped into her head. She was in deep pain, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

I let your mother down, and I let you down. I'm officially saying sorry. I wanted to be a good husband, but life's a bitch. I wanted to be a good dad, but I flunked it, I failed to make your and Emma’s life beautiful.

Looking back, my self-proclaimed success in life was nothing. I let too many people down, especially the people I loved the most. I used to think Shirley was just a penny pincher, but boy was I wrong! This woman's heart was black. We had a hell of a fight after she saw my will. That's when I found out that nothing happened between us that night, she lied! She even altered Emma's birth date. She was up to no good since she arrived in A City, besides barging into our place, she engineered all sorts of chances to run into your mom, even showed her pictures of my every visit to Emma.

I guess your mom was waiting for an explanation from me all this while. But I didn’t make a move, and she lost hope, choosing to leave in such a way.

Baby, your dad was a stubborn fool, always aiming for the top. But once I got there, I realized it was lonely as hell. I lost the people I loved, the person who was supposed to be by my side.

I’m not trying to justify myself by saying all this. I just had these words bottled up for too long and it was suffocating. So, I’m letting it out this way, because I want to tell you, I always loved you. In fact, when I found out I had lung cancer, I wasn’t sad or anything. I was relieved because I could finally go find your mom, without being seen as weak or pitied. That's why I initially refused treatment.

The only thing I couldn't let go of was you and Emma. Just as I was about to fetch you from B City, you came back on your own. Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

On top of that, you got hitched. Back then, I was super anxious, scared that you’d end up with a good-for-nothing like me. Luckily, Ethan turned out to be a trustworthy guy.

Hope lit up my heart again. I wanted to see if you could stay happy, so I agreed to go to the States for treatment.

When I heard the news that you and Emma were both expecting, I was euphoric! I couldn't wait to see my grandkids being born, to hear them call me "grandpa". You and Emma are like a mirror reflecting me, showing both my good and bad sides. Emma reminded me of my younger self, feeling inferior and always ready to fight whenever her background was brought up. And you, you’re confident, more like me when I was on top of my game.

You believe you can get whatever you want by working hard, nothing can stop you.

But Emma, she’s a tough cookie too. She almost lost her legs in the car accident, yet she braved through the rehab that even men can’t handle and stood up again. I don’t ask for much, if Emma can turn over a new leaf, not being swayed or provoked by Shirley, I hope you can give her another chance. I don’t expect you guys to get along, but please don’t fight among yourselves, I don’t want

to see that happening. Of course, if she continues to stray, you do what you gotta do. I won’t blame you.

Ines trembled as she turned to another piece of paper. There wasn’t much written on it, just a few lines.

I regret it. If I’d known I couldn't be a good husband, I wouldn’t have chased after your mother, such a beautiful woman. But I don’t regret bringing Emma into my life. No matter whether her mother was the one I loved, she’s ultimately my daughter. I couldn’t stay indifferent knowing she exists, I just couldn’t!

It was already 1 a.m. when Ethan came out of the study. He thought Ines was asleep, but instead found her muffling her sobs with a blanket, tears streaming down her face, panting and on the verge of passing out.

He saw the black notebook on the floor and immediately guessed that her breakdown was related to its contents. He rushed over and pulled her into his arms, "Izzy, it's okay, it's okay."

Ines clung to Ethan tightly, her heart aching so much it was hard to breathe.

"Ethan, my dad said, he always believed in me. He was also trying to find evidence, but he wasn't strong enough, he couldn't find the evidence. But he believed me, he actually believed me. I always thought he didn't believe me…"

Ines was losing control, but Ethan understood her, "Yeah, I got it. He did believe in you, he believed in you."

"I should have forgiven him sooner. He told me he lost the will to live after my mom died, but he couldn't let me go." She, too, didn't realize he was in so much pain. If she had known, she would

have forgiven him sooner. She would have accompanied him during his last days, instead of letting him go abroad for treatment alone, and die alone in a foreign land.

"He told me he wanted to grow the Galeana Group just so he could become stronger, so he could protect me when problems arose, instead of making me leave my hometown and bear the unjust."

"He told me he loved my mom. He loved her, deeper than he had ever imagined."

As Ines rambled on, Ethan didn't interrupt her. Instead, he gently patted her back, offering silent comfort and support. "Izzy, calm down, take a deep breath. You're too worked up right now."