Last smile

"How dare you!"

He flinched at the sharp words. Lips quivering, hands trembling, chest rising and falling mightily, voice cracking. His eyes grew hard, blazing with the flames of pure anguish and anger.

*Wait... they weren't his eyes- it was his own eyes on his flesh and blood.*

"How dare you!?" she choked out, the same blue eyes glittering. ;"How dare you tell me that my father is standing in front of me, alive- alive! No, don't you dare touch me!"

She spat out poison as he reached for her, paralysed by the anger on her face.

"You left us! You left us for 10 years! 10 years! Did you know what your disappearance did to mother!?" she asked. ;"She went insane with grief and hysteria, thinking that it was her fault! She then drowned herself, leaving me alone for another miserable 5 years!"

He felt like he was boiling in acid at every harsh sharp word that was thrown at him. The words were stripping his calm composure, growing angry at himself. There was no justification other than that he had been trying to apologize for the very behaviour she was now, shouting at him.

"Please-"

"I mourned you for 10 years, father! Waking and sleeping- the nightmares, father- I always dreamt that I was the one who drove the knife into your chest over and over! Laughing and relishing your pain! When I wake up, I can't breathe. Do you know why?" she panting heavily at this stage, he stood there, stunned with horror.

"I blamed myself for it!" she burst in, anguish ripping through her. ;"For 10 years, I carry this burden, this guilt for 10 years! Everyday, I believed that if I hadn't gone to that stupid party, we would all be here: laughing around the dinner table, happy and alive! I believed that my idiocy made you got you killed!" her blue eyes suddenly glowed with sudden fury. ;"But now- now, I learnt that I had lived with that guilt for 10 years because you allowed it! You gave me no word, no message, no email, not even a bloody letter-"

"You forced me!" he broke in, unable to stop himself.

His blue eyes flashed with emotions: fear, anguish, self-loathing and pain. He gripped his heart tightly, knuckles turning white. He couldn't take it anymore, the barrage of hatred and anger. He gripped his heart tightly, knuckles turning white. He couldn't take it anymore, the barrage of rage and hatred, not when he himself suffered so much for her.

"You knew why I didn't want you to go to the party! You knew what type the people who were there! You don't know what I've gone through-"

"You don't know what I have gone through!" she cried. ;"Do you know what is it like to be whispered about? To be called the daughter who killed her own father by her rebelliousness? To be given stares of disgust and fear by both adults and teens?"

She was right, he thought. He didn't understand it. The world was spinning around him as he looked at her. He realised with horror that he was losing her fast, her rage propelling her away from him.

"I don't know why I still miss you," she confessed, voice trembling. ;"No matter how much I try to move on, I just want you to be next to me,"

An unexpected hope leapt in his heart. He reached out for her but only to be shot back by the coldest look on her face.

"But if you come back for my forgiveness, I am afraid you will not receive it," she spoke icily.

The next words shattered him.

"I HATE YOU!"

The words cut through him like poisonous daggers. His blue eyes swam with paralysing horror, his breath caught in his throat. He wanted to cry but he just couldn't; it was like the tears dried up.

And then he hugged her.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and by God forgive him. She froze under his touch, heart racing. He had stunned both of them into silence. Neither of them breathed as if the world would implode if either of them did.

"I am so sorry," heart in his voice. ;"I don't know how to tell you,"

She buried her face into his coat and cried.

In all his life, he had never seen his daughter lose control but 10 years of pent up grief and many more of unexpressed misery, followed by the shock of his resurrection, were more than enough to prompt the most severe fit of hysterics he had ever witnessed. She thrashed wildly beneath his touch as he cursed himself for bringing the fits, tightening his hold. Several frightening moments passed, she came back to herself. He looked into those now red blue eyes that she took after him. He dragged his thumb across her soft cheek, wiping any tears away from her face.

He slowly opened his mouth to speak-

BANG!

His blue eyes shot wide open. His grip on his daughter loosen as he collapsed on his side. He found the world cruel; he had just returned back to his daughter only to be torn away from her once again. There was a high pitch cry of fear, his daughter running to his view.

"Daddy!" tears streaking down her cheeks once again. 
"It's alright, my dear. It's just a-" the coppery taste of blood made its way up his throat.

There was a sob from her hunching form. He weakly reached out for her hand and she clasped his hand tightly.

"I am so sorry daddy," she whispered. ;"I don't hate you; I love you so much daddy,"
"I love you too, don't blame yourself for it,"
"But I-"

He hushed her, drawing soothing circles on her hand. He reached out and rubbed away the continuous flow of pearly tears.

"You can't leave me," She sobbed. ;"I didn't mean any of this to-"
"We didn't know that this would happen and who said I will be leaving you?" he chuckled though it came out more like a cough, trying to make the current situation light hearted.

He looked up and cupped her cheeks. It was getting harder to breathe but he continued on.

"I'll be right here in your memories alongside with your mother," he smiled weakly. ;"Remember us and we will always be next to you,"

His daughter nodded her head heavily. She clutched his now cold hand close to her heart.

"I will always remember you daddy,"

He nodded, the weak yet bright smile still plastered on his lips which caused the corner of his daughter's lips to twitch up. A cough tore through his body, splattering scarlet fluid but that didn't stop him from smiling. He needed to stay strong for his daughter until his death. He wanted her smile one more time for him and he knew what to do.

He sang quietly:

If the whole world plots to extinguish your light
If they find the need to make you break and cry
Don't you worry, dear, I am right by your side
So just smile for me; it'll be alright

At sound of his voice, her lips turned up a little bit more. She was smiling a little, a smile with a twist to it, like the smile of a child who is determined not to weep. He chuckled.

"There's that smile,"

With a peaceful smile, he closed his bright blue eyes, never to open them again.

Author's Note

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