crossing over

Chapter XX/Epilogue

Xavier

Time flew by, my father passed away 2-3 months back, it felt heavier thinking he left us but the last thing he'd tell, "you've came a long way Xavier. Don't weigh yourself on my leave, enjoy your time with the family, Lucas and your daughter, Hailey. She is pretty" had me a little weaker than one could anticipate.

Chris helped me with nearly everything. At first I was thinking that this grumpy young asshole was useful for nothing but when I saw him in the dungeon, red and full of rage, charging on Mark Jaimeson I was proved wrong and for the first time I felt a little sorry on myself for underestimating him.

The way his demeanor had cracked watching Hailey fight for her life, the nature had guaranteed that he was not going anywhere without putting up a fight. We did talk for hours about Hailey, her likes, favorites and everything, even her childhood, her bitter relation with Victor.

I hope Hailey won't mind if I beat the shit out of that asshole.

For the days where Hailey was in hospital, lying on the bed with tubes and wires all around her had my heart at the ankle. I was lost, thinking there was no way I could do something. My life crumpled and fell on the ground but when Nicholas Martin came out of the board room with victory on his face, I calculated he had good news and as a matter of fact he did.

We were more than eager to get in the room and check on Hailey but the doctors refused and said to give them 12 hours before they give us green signal. I was closely counting every second of those 12 hours and when they said we were cleared, fucking Chris was missing.

Nicholas refused to walk in without Chris and I couldn't just walk in right there knowing Hailey was yet to be told the truth. In short we needed Chris but that asshole was missing. Nicholas and I went on the hunt and tracked him down, sleeping in his house. I knew the direction in which the gears of his head were running so with one last warning I walked out of his house and much to our surprise he came out.

For the moment, I was in my office room, waiting for Chris to bring Hailey home. Lucas and I had made all the necessary arrangements for her. Now, she had her own room at Romano mansion as she was supposed to have.

I glance down at the driveway from the window watching those cars we'd sent for Hailey and Chris pull up. Turning around quickly as if almost caught, I turn and hide beside the window. My breathing was getting hard, the more I thinking about the fact that today we tell her the truth.

Lucas was at the door of my room.

Lucas had accepted the truth as well and much to my amusement came to me and practically hugged me and said a lot of things but the most important one to me was, "you will always be my father, no matter the blood I have or the parents I have. You will always be my father."

"They are here", he says. I nod.

With every step towards her room, my heart was wildly thudding in my chest. I had my daughter back, she is here.

Julia, if you are looking down at us right now, are you happy?

There were so many possibilities to what might happen when we reveal the truth to her. Chris did assure me prior that it will go alright as she does in fact wants to know about her father, about me. But the point was that there were so many things she could point out and hate me for the same, abandoning her, not fighting for her, not finding her, not telling her the truth earlier.

I pause at the door, bracing myself to face whatever was about to slap me on my face.

She was partly lying on the bed, leaning on her elbows and probably giving Chris an earful when I call her, "Hailey!"