I held the teacup in my hand and sneaked a peep at him quietly. The eyes of the matured man sitting in front of me were full of gentleness. The moment they met with my gaze, I could feel his desire to pull me into his arms. However, the moment he wanted to reach out to me, he stopped.
Sorrow filled my heart at that sight, but I could not get myself to call him Dad. Although it was merely one word, I could not manage to muster my courage to say it out loud. I tried to open my mouth, but nothing came out.
“I’m so sorry,” I muttered under my breath.
“You don’t have to apologize. Come on, let’s eat.” Mark did not seem to mind my awkwardness and ordered the dishes.
During the meal, he specially ordered a wine. Isabelle tugged his sleeve gently and persuaded, “Mark, don’t drink. It’s not good for your health.”
“It’s fine!” Mark interrupted and smiled. “Today is a special day! Three of us can finally reunite as a family. How can we celebrate without drinking wine?”
“But…” Isabelle got agitated, worrying that he might get more irritable than usual after drinking wine.
“All right, Isabelle.” Mark put down his wine glass and held her within his arm. He brushed her nose with the tip of his finger lightly and looked at her dotingly. “I know what you’re thinking about. But, don’t worry. Eve is a thoughtful girl. She will not deny me as her father because of some misunderstanding.”
“Hmmm… Okay,” replied Isabelle hesitantly. Letting go of Mark’s hand, she forced out a smile. However, once she placed her trembling hands down on her lap, she felt immense pain. Her legs were full of traces of abuse. With wounds and bruises all over her legs, it looked terrifying.
After Mark finished his remarks, I could see Mom’s expression turned ashen. Although she tried to maintain her smile, it looked unnatural.
Why is Mom unhappy? Is she unwilling to let me know that I’m Mark’s daughter? Or is she having other concerns?
“Come on, Eve. Eat more.” Mark kept adding food to my plate.
“Thank you, Mr. Goldstein. But, I’m full.” I tried to stop him.
“Still calling me Mr. Goldstein?” Mark looked disappointed at that instant. I immediately shut my mouth, not daring to say a word.
“It’s fine. I’m not going to force you. After all, I’ve missed your childhood and growth.” After regaining his composure, he continued, “I remembered that you went to Anglandur with the heir of the Lane family. He is Christopher, right?”
“Yes.” Once I heard Mark asking about Christopher, I tensed up subconsciously for some reason.
“Good taste! He’s indeed a good, reliable man. Do bring him home when you guys are free. Both of you are not young anymore. It’s time to settle down now.”
What?
I was taken aback upon hearing that and shifted my gaze toward Mom intuitively. I never dared to mention Christopher in front of her and to ask her to give us her blessing. I’m afraid that I might mess up everything by mentioning it at the wrong timing. To my surprise, Mark had opened up the conversation about it in the first place.
“I’m sorry. I need to go to the restroom. You guys can continue.” As expected, Mom’s expression darkened. Immediately after, she stood up and left.
At the sight of her disappearing figure, my eyes grew dim.
“Don’t worry, Eve. Your Mom can’t accept it for now. But, after some time, I’ll try to persuade her.” Mark patted my shoulder, trying to comfort me.
I lifted my gaze at him and asked the questions that had bothered me for a long time, “Aren’t you against us being together too? If you support us, Mom will be mad. After all, she seemed persisted in this matter.”
