Finding Home (Zak Bagans Daughter)

Chapter Four

My first instinct was to freeze. I replayed all the moments in my head since I had met him. The note, the colour of his eyes, the smile, and a strong past related to my mother. It couldn't be, it just couldn't.

My frozen state naturally turned to anger.

"No."

He titled his head in confusion, a small look of pity and sadness danced in his eyes.

"No?"

"No!" I bit my lip, "Just because you get a letter from some 'past love' or whatever asking you to look after their kid when they die does not mean that you are my father in any way!"

He went to say something, but I cut him off.

"I mean the audacity! We spent a day  together. I mean sure, it was a good day, but that does not mean that you are my dad. My dad left my mother when she said she was pregnant, the only person that was ever a father to me was Ray, and you are not Ray!"

I could feel my face getting hotter and my heartbeat as it pushed blood through my veins.

He sighed and lowered his head. When he looked back up at me you could clearly see the distress in his eyes, and definitely a little hurt. In any other situation, if I saw that look I would've immediately felt bad, or even apologized, but I was far too angry to take back what I said.

"Charlie," Zak said calmly. His voice was deeper, like one a child would get when they were about to be punished.

I gave him a blank look.

"I'm not lying."

I must've looked confused because Zak's expression made me second guess my initial reaction. A moment of realization crossed my face when I fully, and thought about what he had just told me.

"Wait a second" I whispered. He just nodded for me to continue with what I was about to say.

"No! No no no no no no!" I yelled.

"Charlie..." Zak sighed.

"So you think that you can just leave a woman when she tells you she's pregnant, and let her raise that child to have an awful childhood, and then swoop in and save the day when that woman is dying!? Who do you think you are?"

Zak groaned and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I just- I don't believe it! You can't be! My dad left before I was born! He wanted nothing to do with me and my mother! He left me to rot in a cramped apartment in a dangerous neighborhood! He didn't even give me a chance." I had finished yelling by now, and all my emotions had surfaced. I had so many tears running down my face my cheap waterproof mascara was even running.

"It- It really wasn't like that, it's not at all what you think okay?"

"Then what is it? What really happened? Because that is the only thing Marion really told me about you?"

He sighed. "I- I can't explain that to you right now, especially right now, I need you to trust me on this one."

I scoffed. "Trust you?"

He nodded. "Please, just this once."

I was panting now. Everything just became so overwhelming.

"I just need to sit down." Zak stepped closer to me and I put my hand between us.

"Please just don't."

He nodded.

I walked a few meters from Zak and sat down at the edge of the curb and put my face in my hands. I looked over at Zak to see him aggressively talking on the phone to someone before letting out a deep breath and hanging up, and then looking at me. I looked away the second our eyes met. After a few minutes, I had calmed down and was now debating if I could run to the hospital and completely avoid Zak for the rest of my life. Looking back, I was a little overdramatic.