Love’n’Lust

“Yes, I had to visit home and I met with him after a long time and it ruined my night and also affected my office hours earlier today.”

“Why don’t you… why don’t like your father, is it because he’s your adopted father and not your biological dad?” Belle asked what she thought could be the reason but she didn’t know it was deeper than that.

Ben went silent for a while, he didn’t want to remember why he hated his father. He definitely didn’t want to let her know why, it was too complicated for her to know about it. He couldn’t tell her that the man the public thought as his adopted father was actually his biological father, he couldn’t tell her that his father cheated on his wife with his biological mother and still went ahead to bring him back to be taken care of by the same woman with a lie of him(Ben) being an adopted child.

When Ben didn’t reply her question, she went on to tell him;

“I lost both my parents at an early age, when I was still in my mother’s womb actually. I don’t know what they sounded like, I never got to touch them or see them in person. My grandma said it was an accident on my parent’s way to the hospital, my dad died immediately after the accident and my mum…. well, she died after she gave birth to me. I don’t know what it’s like to have parents or get to like them or not. All my life, it’s just been my grandma and me, my cousin Brie did come by once in a while to visit.” Belle sighed, not really emotional with all she just said, she has never been emotional telling anyone this story and she didn’t know why. Maybe it was because she never got to spend time with her parents and therefore didn’t miss them like her grandma.

Ben listened on as she told him about her late parents. He wasn’t going to tell her that he already knew about it, he already knew about her parents and their tragic accident, he knew about her grandma and he knew about Brie. He knew everything pertaining to the woman laying on his chest. He rubbed her hair more as she spoke.

“So there, my grandma and my cousin. They are the only ones I have as my family. Brie’s dad died three years ago, so yeah, it’s just me and her and my grandma and I love them much. Very much.” She went silent after her last two words.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“Get some sleep,” She heard Ben say, his hands still been gentle with her hair.

“Okay.” She closed her eyes, hoping sleep would come easy this time because she felt safer in his hands.

After she had fallen asleep, Ben slowly turned in bed, making her lie directly on the bed. He stroke her cheeks and admired her beautiful face. He didn’t answer her last question because he couldn’t. He couldn’t let her know why he despised his father, if he did then he was afraid that he would also tell her that he was the one who almost had his father killed.

He wanted to end his father’s life, the motive for that came after he found out that he(Ben’s father) had gone to warn his biological mother not to ever see him again (not to ever see Ben again). Ben wanted to make it up to his biological mother for all the nasty things she had to return to doing just to take care of him. He was going to pardon that she had an illicit affair with his father even after knowing he was married, he knew how controlling his father could be and she was just a stripper then. He wanted to make her happy so lifted her from the wretch she was living in and got a house in her name but his father found out and went there to threaten her.

When his father did that, it annoyed him so much that he decided to get him out of everyone’s lives but he forgot how much his adopted mother lives this man.

When his father laid in coma on the hospital bed, his adopted mother would come see him everyday, she was sad the whole time and it made Ben regret his decision for the first time in his life. He didn’t want her saddened the way she was then, he wanted her happy always, she loved and raised him and so he owed her that.

It bemused him to find out that his biological mother also felt pity for his father when he was in the hospital. She had told him that she still loved his father but he didn’t believe it, he couldn’t, he didn’t think there was a chance she could forgive him after all he had done so he considered her caring questions about his father’s health back then as a form of mere sympathy.

Ben went out the room and got a jug of water and glass, leaving it on the bedside table besides Belle side of the bed, he did that in case she became thirsty at night and needed to have some water. He wanted her to get everything she wanted at ease.

His thought went back to when he asked what she wanted from him and she was undecisive about it. He chuckled lightly, he understood that she wasn’t used to been asked that. He couldn’t wait for her to give it a thought and let him know because he was willing to give her whatever she asked of him. She did what she had never done before for him so he wanted to give her whatever she wanted.

He sighed and laid back in bed, glancing at Belle one more time, he decided to close his eyes too. He needed rest.