THE UNCLE

If you are your biggest enemy, you'll never find a friend in anyone, love.

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CHAPTER XLI

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“UNCLE ISAAC!” I declared, faking all the enthusiasm I could in my words.

For the past four years, this has been my worst nightmare. That I would go out one day and run into somebody from my past.

I couldn't help but feel relieved that it wasn't my mother. I knew her and Isaac went everywhere together.

His eyes ran up my figure, really drinking me in as Daniel looked to me with an eyebrow raised in surprise.

“You've grown so much since I last seen you,” he said, stepping closer to me as my smile wobbled. “How old are you now?”

“I'll be twenty in a couple days.”

“It's been so long.” He wrapped his arms around my torso, squeezing me into his chest tightly and for a second, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. I remembered how he'd visit us every Saturday and hug me the same way every time - very tightly with no space to breathe.

After years of loathing it, I couldn't help but miss it now.

He pulled away and stared at me with a wide smile on his face. “You look absolutely stunning.”

I looked over his shoulder, meeting Daniel's eyes as he stared at us with a bored look on his face. Isaac whipped around too to know what I was looking at and let out a small chuckle once he saw Daniel.

“Sorry, man, am I holding you up? I'll finish up with you and then I'll have more time with my niece here.” Daniel's eyes widened in surprise, but he shook his head and smirked instead.

“I came here with him,” I piped in from behind him, making him turn around to look at me in confusion.

“What do you mean?” Then his eyes zeroed in on the necklace resting on my chest and his jaw dropped with realisation. “You're with him.” He looked confused, then surprised, then perplexed and then the most perplexing emotion yet was humoured. “And there goes all of your mother's hard work.”

“What does my mother have to do with this?” I said, squinting my eyes at him. Daniel walked around him as he thought deeply about his next words, coming up behind me and placing his hand on my hips.

“You don't remember, do you?” He sighed and shook his head. “Of course you don't, you were very young when it happened.”

“When what happened? What are we talking about?”

He said nothing and instead stared deeply at me before looking at Daniel behind me he was on his phone, typing rapidly. “I may as well tell you, since you're so much older now.” He took a deep breath and closed eyes before releasing it the same time he opened them again. “Your father was involved with an American mafia. It was fine at first, but then things got dangerous and she overheard plans one night of where they were planning to arrange a marriage for you with the cappo's son. She didn't want you involved in that kind of life, so she fled to California and changed her name and then proceeded to raise you by herself.” He chuckled sadly and shook his head from side to side. “I just think all her efforts were wasted since in the middle of a criminal organisation is exactly where you are now. They really loved each other, you know? And she sacrificed that for nothing.”

My knees wobbled. I just wanted to collapse onto my bed and fall asleep. It had been a long day, I was too tired for this. Maybe after a night of good rest or maybe after a stress-free week or maybe never.

I would never be able to prepare myself to hear that news.

I looked to Daniel, not knowing what to feel. Should I feel angry or upset or surprised or...?

“I want to go to the bathroom,” I hiccuped, taking a step away from him in the direction I hoped led to the bathroom. He glared at Isaac before looking to me again.

“I'm coming with you.” I wanted to question him, or tell him not to or something, but I also didn't. Daniel didn't keep secrets from me; Daniel was upfront and honest. I just needed a good dose of honesty in that moment.

He nodded once at Isaac before placing his hand on my waist and leading me to the nearest women's restroom. He stepped inside without a care and locked the door behind him once he was sure that nobody else was there.

Behind the privacy of the bathroom door, I let my tears fall as my thoughts went haywire. Until, suddenly there was nothing.

I stared blankly at the wall, not feeling anything as the tears still streamed down my face. I could feel myself slipping back into that state of mind again; the blackhole.

“Talk to me.” I heard Daniel say from my side. It wasn't until he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him that I snapped out of it.

I took the tissue from his hand and rubbed it down my face roughly to wipe away my tears. I was just glad that I didn't decide to wear makeup because the mascara lines would have given me something to actually cry about.

He picked me up and sat me on the golden, marble counter beside the porcelain sink without the smallest of scratches. “Talk to me,” he said again, making me meet his eyes.

I didn't know what he wanted me to do. Did he want me to open up to him so he knew where my head was at or did he just want me to take my mind off things?

“I just feel like all of the sacrifices she's made for me is being wasted now,” I said, letting a pained sob rack through my chest as I closed my eyes to keep the tears at bay. That didn't help though. “She's given up so much to make sure I stay out of this kind of life and I'm letting her down.”

Again.

“Do you want to leave me?” he asked, but when I looked up, he didn't really seem as worried as the question itself seemed to make people. Maybe he just didn't care what I did.

“Daniel,” I sighed, giving up on wiping away my streaming tears. “I'm always contemplating leaving you. Every second of the day.”

He raised his eyebrow at my words but said nothing and just waited for me to explain myself. I leaned back into the wall of the bathroom and took his large hand in mine, fidgeting with his fingers.

“I think too much. I over-analyse everything and ny head is constantly filled with what could've been and what should've been. I've contemplated leaving you, I've contemplated quiting my job, I've contemplated selling my nudes. I'm not actually going to do it - any of them. Especially leave you. You have my word.”

There was silence after that and as I was about to look up to see his expression, I felt his hand squeeze mine to show that he heard me. I sighed and closed my eyes, asking myself why I was being so emotional. Why did I still care about her? When she obviously didn't care enough about me to take care of me.

“I just feel like I let her down again.”

“Again?”

I didn't even realise when I had let that slip. I opened my eyes tiredly and stared at him. “I was... She kicked me out because I was sleeping around.” I didn't know how I could explain it. I didn't know how I could talk to him about my past. Nobody knew - not even Anna - and it seemed likw it would've made more sense to tell her if I was going to come clean. Yet there I was.

“I started when I was fourteen and it carried on until I was fifteen and she kicked me out. I had a thing for... older men. Much older men. I didn't take money. I just slept with them and I had no idea why. She tried to stop me, but I didn't so she kicked me out and that was that.”

He stayed quiet, not saying anything and a part of me felt glad. I couldn't look at him. I couldn't bring myself to see the disgusted look on his face. Sure, he was still there. He was still rubbing comforting circles on my thigh and he was still listening to me, but I knew he didn't want to be. He probably hated my guts. I wouldn't blame him.

“How does it feel...” I exhaled loudly. “To feel nothing?”

“I wouldn't know.” I smiled at his response even though I didn't get an answer from it. He was either telling me he didn't know because he still felt or he was saying it because he didn't.

“How do you do it?”

“How do I do what?”

“I don't know,” I sighed, opening my eyes and looking around my surroundings. I was beginning to sound like I was drunk. “Not be sad. I feel like I'm always sad.” I chuckled, burying my face in my hands. “You should go. I'm probably just being a depressed bitch right now.”

He placed his hands on my knees and traced small circles on my skin with his thumb absentmindedly. I didn't really care if he was doing it in purpose or not - it was the fact that he was doing it at all. It was the little things that really mattered the most.

I couldn't help but stare at him. Watch the far-away look he held in his eyes as he stood there. I wished I could read his mind. I wished I knew what he was thinking; what I meant to him.

He suddenly looked up at me, meeting my eyes as if he knew I had been staring. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me to him, placing his lips on mine in a bruising kiss.

I let out sob as I grabbed his face and pulled him closer to me even with tears pouring out of my eyes. I felt his hand trail down to waist and kneaded my side, making me squeeze my eyes shut and break away from the kids with a sigh.

“Whenever you're ready,” he said, taking a small set away from me so his warmth didn't envelope me any longer.

I chuckled and hopped off the counter, brushing the imaginary dirt off my dress. “I don't think I'll ever be ready.”

And with that, I walked out of the restroom with him walking out after me.

I spotted Isaac sitting on the sofa, looking lost in thought. He immediately jumped up and turned to me with concern.

“I shouldn't have told you that. I wasn't thinking,” he said as I approached him. He looked sorry, but I shook my head to clear him of any doubt.

“It's fine,” I dismissed him quickly, not wanting to think back to that. I didn't even realise that Daniel had successfully taken my mind off the issue until he brought it back up again.

I made to walk away with Daniel when he cleared his throat, getting my attention again.

“I was just hoping that maybe I could get your number and we could meet up and talk some time.”

I glanced at Daniel who just shrugged at me before looking back to Isaac and sighing. I really didn't want to keep in touch with anyone from my past, but he was asking nicely and all he wanted to do was catch up. I could at least give him that. “I don't have a phone, but you can give me your number and I'll get back to you.”

“Yes. Of course!” he said, rushing over to an office nearby and jotting something down onto a sticky note page with a pen he found on the desk. He ran out of it and handed it to me with a wide smile on his face, reminding me of why he remained my favourite uncle when I was younger. Even when we weren't biologically related.

“I'll see you,” I said, giving him a small smile before walking over to the elevator with Daniel following behind me.

As soon as the door closed and we started coming down, he turned to me. “You don't have a phone?”

“No.” I shook my head before pinning a hard glare on him. “And I don't want one with so don't buy me one. I won't use it.”

He didn't say anything. He just stared out onto the multiple storeys with a smirk on his face and his hand behind his back. There was no point in arguing; it was Daniel we were talking about.

*****

Looking at this from the future knowing exactly what I know now
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