Forever My Love Ch. 07

Forever My Love Ch. 07

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***

"Alright, thank you so much!" Ben said with a slight smile. "I really appreciate you giving me this information."

He cut the call and sat on the chair, tapping his fingers on the table. He was tense and Carlos who was standing there with his arms folded could tell. Carlos was looking sexy as usual in a blue half suit that fit him perfectly. Ben on the other hand was sexy as usual in black skinny jeans and a white shirt that was tucked in, showing off his crazy body.

"You look so tense and confused, Ben." He said with a raised eyebrow. "And I don't like it. This is the same man that didn't give two hoots about you when you were out there suffering. Do you think if the tables were turned, he'd be doing as much as you are?"

Ben sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Whatever happened in the past, he is still my father."

"Even at that. He still has that excuse of a wife with him and that spoilt son of his." Carlos argued, shaking his head. He didn't appreciate how worked up Ben was. "Granted, he saved your life but I am pretty sure the shooter was sent by that Elena. I can bet my life on it."

"That's a really high possibility and the police are yet to find out anything. Whoever that person was, we couldn't get him on the CCTV cameras of the mall."

"Which means your life could still be in danger." He shrugged. "Dad thinks you should tighten up security."

Ben chuckled, shaking his head. "The both of you are too worried." He gave a reassuring smile. "I will be more careful now, I promise."

Carlos sighed, taking a deep breath. No matter what Ben had said to him, he was still worried that his life was in danger. He took a file from the table and was about to start reading it when suddenly the door to Ben's office opened.

Both Ben and Carlos looked in the direction of the voice, seeing the man who was staring at Ben with a stern face. Carlos didn't appreciate that and he rolled his eyes, rising from the chair.

"Mr. Paola, you cannot enter the office like that." He said harshly, a frown appearing on his face. "Ben and I are having a conversation and if you don't mind...."

"I would like to have a conversation with Ben.... Alone." The tone of his voice surprised Ben.

"Excuse me!" Carlos raised an eyebrow. "You found me talking to him so whatever you wanna talk to him about, you can say it in front of me."

"Carlos!" Ben called softly. "It's okay. Can you wait for me in your office? I will come and see you after we're done here."

Carlos glanced at Ben with a frown but he didn't say anything. With one final angry look at David, he left. Ben didn't know what was going on but he could tell the man was upset. But if he only knew what was about to happen, he wouldn't have been as calm as he was.

"David..."

"How long were planning on deceiving me?" David dropped the bomb right there. "How long were you planning on taking me for a fool? And how long were you planning on using my son for your selfish games?"

To say Ben was surprised would have been an understatement. He looked at David and the confusion on his face was clear.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, we are just gonna pretend you don't know what's going on?" He chuckled bitterly. "Tell me the truth, damn it!" He snapped, slamming his fist on the table.

Ben got startled and he moved away from the table. "David, what's wrong with you? You cannot just come into my office and start acting like that. This is a work place you know."

He burst into laughter, tears building in his eyes. "I have been such a fool and here I was thinking everything you've been doing for my son has been from the goodness of your heart. I didn't know you were such a hypocrite."

"Excuse me!" Ben barked, his eyes widening. "I will not appreciate you calling me names and..."

"I found out the truth!" David yelled, breathing like he was in labor. "I found out that you and Jim are related. I found out about our past together."

Ben froze, muscles locked in a momentary paralysis, his eyes wide with astonishment, surprise momentarily rendering him immobile. He felt a shiver run down his spine, a tingling sensation that spread like wildfire. His heart began pounding so hard one would have heard it without difficulties.

"Surprised?" He asked, shaking his head. "All those times I was asking you and you kept on refusing."

"David..." He couldn't find the words to use. "...how did you find out about this?"

"How did I find out?" He said, his voice barely above a whisper. The pain he felt was from out of this world. "The same boy you've been trying to hurt told me everything." He said harshly. "He told me how all of us are connected and how you seduced me years ago."

Ben stood there, his face becoming pale from the shock he got. His eyes widened and his breaths seized for a moment.

"He told me how you used black magic on me and made me run away with you. You made me abandon my family, the people I love and everything that I care about. You made me abandon the boy that I loved so much, someone that I had made so many promises to."

Ben still couldn't speak because his mind was still processing all the information he was being given. He looked shocked, disorientated and disconnected from reality. He stared at David without blinking and all the painful memories came flooding in.

"Wow!" He hit his head, chuckling with a tear running down his cheek. "I have been such a fool and I didn't even know that I was hurting my family by associating with you. I was fooled by your sweet words, your charming smile and your fake love for my son."

Ben was still silent.

"All those times we kept meeting, that was preplanned, wasn't it?" He asked, angrily shaking his head. "Now it all makes sense..." He laughed. "...you saved my son and brought him home just to get close to me. How do I even know you didn't plan all these things? All those stories you told me about my child reminding me of yours, was it lies? Did you even have a child? You're so pathetic, Ben, using an innocent child to fulfill your pathetic desires."

He got closer to the boy that just stared.

"I take back everything I said, you don't deserve to be a father." He said in between clenched teeth. "No child deserves someone like you."

A silent tear traced a path down Ben's cheek, a silent testament to the depths of his misery. His wounds reopened and he felt like someone was stabbing him continuously, making him bleed even more.

"You're not a good person and right now, I hate you so much." He clenched his fist. "I hate you so much, more than I have ever hated anyone." Saying those words, David felt such pain and he couldn't understand why he felt that way. "You're so pathetic!"

The room felt suffocating, air heavy with an oppressive sadness.

"You can say whatever you want about me, David!" Ben's voice was filled with sadness. "But don't question my ability as a father. You have no idea what I have been through and what I would have given to see my child growing up."

"Bullshit!" David snarled, hitting his hands on the table. "You think playing the victim is gonna make me feel pity for you? I know everything about you and..."

"You know everything about me?" Ben chuckled bitterly, furiously rubbing his tears. "You don't know a thing about me, not even one."

He moved from where he was seated and slowly walked to the man, standing right in front of him. Not for once did he lose contact with him.

"I agree that Jim is my brother, and Elena is my step-mother." He said, his voice rising. "But that doesn't mean that I have been a bitter illegitimate son. I also agree that you and I have a past together, but it is far away from what you've been told."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "Then tell me this. Didn't you and I run away together? Didn't you get disowned by your father? Weren't you dying in the hospital because you had cancer?"

"Yes, but..."

"Good!" David said simply. "Then I don't have to know anything anymore. I know enough and I am here to tell you to stay away from me, my family and especially my son." He warned, pointing his finger at Ben. "If I see you anywhere near my son, I'll do something so bad that both of us will regret. Leave us the hell alone. We're happy.... My husband has suffered enough."

The room fell silent, the tension thick.

"I will be withdrawing my shares from this company." He added. "And I will not repeat myself, Ben. Stay away from my son."

After what felt like ages, Ben nodded without saying a word. They both stared at each other, the weight of the words that had been said hanging in the air. With a final glare, David stormed out of the office, banging the door behind him.

Ben remained standing there, reliving what had happened there. He didn't even have a chance to explain himself. Everything had been laid down on him like a dead body and now his wounds were reopened. He was bleeding right there on the floor.

***

David entered his mansion and he was damn pissed. His fists were clenched... his eyes were red and his chest rose so high, showing just how angry he was. He had said a lot of things to Ben and he didn't feel any better, he was rather conflicted because he still couldn't believe Ben would be that evil. But the most upsetting thing was that the boy didn't even have much to say. That meant he was guilty, right?

"David!"

David heard his mother's voice and footsteps coming towards him. He saw her and Jim approach him with worried looks on their faces.

"Are you okay?" Jim asked, holding his arm sweetly. "What's going on?"

"I went to Ben's office!" He said harshly.

Jim's heart sunk and he felt shivers run down his spine.

"W-what?" He stuttered. "Why? I thought mom told you she was gonna handle everything. That wasn't a very good thing to do."

"You expected me to sit here and do nothing." He snarled, shaking his head. "I am not gonna allow that man to destroy my family the way he did years ago. I wanted to look him in the eyes while I talked to him. He didn't even have anything to say."

"What could he say?" Claudia chuckled. "He's guilty and he knows that we know the truth."

"I hate him so much!" He said, his jaw shaking uncontrollably. "I don't ever wanna see his face near me or my son. I swear I am gonna kill him."

"Who are you gonna kill?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Amber standing there looking confused. She rushed to David and couldn't miss that look in his eyes. He was very pissed and couldn't even look at her.

"David! Who are you gonna kill?"

"This is none of your business, Amber." He said rudely. "I suggest you don't talk to me right now because I am very upset with you."

"What?" Amber gasped, confused at her brother's words. "Upset with me? What did I do?"

"I am not ready to talk to you."

He tried to pass her but she gripped his arm and pulled him back. Amber was so confused, she couldn't understand anything.

"What are you talking about? What did I do that got you upset with me."

David stood there, taking a harsh breath. He put his hands on his hips, staring at her.

"You know, all this time I really thought it was you and I together against the world." He began. "But finding out that you were busy supporting an enemy really crashed me."

"An enemy?" Amber frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I am talking about 6 years ago, Amber!" He snapped. "You were busy supporting Ben as he was destroying this family. How could you do that? Do you know what that did to me when I found out?"

Amber burst into laughter when she heard that. She thought he was joking but when she saw him still serious, she stopped and got serious.

"Please, tell me you're joking." She asked with a raised eyebrow. "What are you even talking about?"

"I got to know everything that happened six years ago in this house. Mom and Jim told me everything." He said. "I can't believe you would do such a thing, Amber."

Amber glanced at Claudia and Jim who had an evil grin on his face. She didn't know what lies they had fed David but she knew that it couldn't have been good.

"And what did they tell you?"

"Everything." He said harshly. "I know everything and I just came from Ben's office. I told him to stay away from this family, especially from my son. I don't want Michael seeing that boy for whatever reason. I don't want Ben anywhere near my son. He will not be mentioned in this house and never will he see him again."

"David?" Amber couldn't mask the shock in her voice. "What did you do? You know very well that Michael likes Ben and staying away from him is gonna..."

"I don't care! That's something he's gonna have to learn to do. I am protecting my son and I'll do anything to make sure that he's safe."

"You're being..."

"I am not asking for your permission. Michael will not be seeing Ben and that's final."

Unbeknownst to them, Michael was upstairs listening to the arguments that were going on downstairs. When he heard what his father had said, he ran to his room crying and threw himself on the bed.

"David..." She tried to touch him but he moved away. "...listen to me right now. You're..."

"I don't want to listen to anything you have to say. In fact, I don't wanna even see your face right now."

Amber was hurt, really hurt. "Alright, but when the going gets tough, remember the decision you made."

David stood there for a second before he stormed out of there. Amber slowly turned and looked at her mother and Jim that were smiling at her. She had never hated people as much as she did at that point.

"You had an opportunity to tell your son the truth and end all this misery but you chose to feed him more lies. How could you do that, mom?"

Claudia shrugged, still wearing her smile. "What can I say? I am a mother after all."

"What kind of mother sacrifices her daughter like that?" She said, shaking her head in pain. "You've just showed me the one you love between the two of us. And..." She paused and stared at her mother, looking straight into her eyes. "...I have just lost whatever little respect I had for you, mom. From this moment, you can forget you ever had a daughter."

With a hiss, she stormed out of there leaving Claudia looking confused and worried.

"Don't worry, mom." Jim reassured, squeezing her shoulder lovingly. "She just wants to make you feel guilty. She'll come around."

Claudia nodded but she couldn't shake off the feeling that her daughter was serious.

***

Jerome was in the hospital bed, lying on his side like the doctor had recommended. There was pain but it wasn't that much. He was lost deep in thought and memories of the shot kept on replaying in his head. He knew very well that shot wasn't meant for him. And he also couldn't shake off the feeling that his wife was somehow involved. There was no one else that would want to hurt Ben apart from her.

"Dad!"

Jerome felt his heart pound in his chest when he heard that voice. He slowly raised his head to find Ben standing in the door way, staring at him. It felt like a dream, maybe he had been thinking about it too much and hence the reason why he was now seeing Ben who wasn't there.

"How are you feeling, dad?"

"Ben!" Jerome gasped, trying to get up.

"Hey! Hey!"

Ben rushed to his father and held him tightly, helping him up. He had a huge bandage that went down his abdomen. Jerome kept staring at his son.

"Ben!" He said softly. "Is this really you? Are you really here?"

Ben nodded, tears in his eyes. "I am so sorry, dad, you got shot because of me. If you hadn't followed me there and if I had not been so hard on you, none of that would have happened. Now look at you... look at your condition."

"What-what did you call me?" Jerome couldn't believe what he heard.

Ben stared at his father and held his hand sweetly.

"I am so sorry. I have been a bad son to you." He apologized and couldn't fight his tears. "I was so hurt with what happened between us, the way I left the house. God knows that not a day passed when I didn't wish you'd look for me and tell me that everything was alright. But you never came." He sobbed. "So many bad things happened to me, papa, after David left me on that death bed. For a moment, I was happy but I lost everything within a day, including the will to live."

"I am so sorry, Ben." Jerome couldn't help but shed a tear. "What I said to you that night was uncalled for, no matter what you did. I was a bad father and I have lived with those regrets the last six years. I want you to forgive me for everything. I cannot live with this anymore."

Ben sighed, chuckling in his tears.

"After I almost lost you, I got to realize that no matter what happened, you're still my father and I love you so much." He smiled. "And for whatever happened in the past, I forgive you, dad. And I am also asking for forgiveness for whatever wrong I did."

Jerome cried when he heard that. It was like a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He pulled his son into a tight hug, tender and full of promise that he was gonna be there for him no matter the circumstances. Ben's shoulders slightly shook as he let go of the emotions that had he had been holding in.... the words that David had used on him that day, the memories of the past, he let them go and cried.

Jerome pulled back slightly, cupping Ben's face in his hands and looking into his eyes. He saw pain and sadness and couldn't understand why.

"Thank you so much, son. I have waited for this moment for so long. I promise, I will do whatever I can to make you happy." He said, rubbing his tears. But they came flowing. "I am here for you, no matter what. You can tell me anything."

"Thank you so much, papa." He chuckled, feeling himself beginning to get weak. "I have missed these moments with you."

"The feeling is mutual, especially your food." He teased, smiling at his son. "No one can beat your recipe. I think I might need some of that food soon."

"You get out of the hospital and I'll cook for you."

"Can't wait!" He winked.

Jerome was smiling and laughing when he again noticed something that triggered questions in his mind. It was a golden bracelet that Ben wore with the name 'Leah' on it.

"Leah!" He didn't even know he said it out loud. But he could see the look in Ben's eyes change. "Son, I am so sorry for asking but who is Leah? I know that's your mother's name but something tells me that this is someone else."

Ben was suddenly hit with emotions, so much it felt like they were suffocating him. The weight of all that crashed down on him, and his chest tightened with a pain that seemed to have no end.

'You don't deserve to be a father.' David's painful words cut through him like a knife through butter. 'No child deserves to be with someone like you.'

Ben let go of his father's hands and stood up slowly, too slow to be human. He slowly walked to the window and closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them again, his pain would reduce. The room seemed to close in around him, suffocating him with memories of his once happy life with David, whispered promises and dreams that got shattered.

"I am so sorry, Ben, I didn't mean..."

"I had a daughter!" He said softly, words barely audible as they escaped his quivering lips. "Her name was Leah, named after my mother. But she.... She..." He broke down and began crying. "...she died the day she was born."

He slowly turned and looked at Jerome. His eyes were blood red and he seemed to be in so much pain it scared Jerome. But he was helpless.

"Oh my God!" Jerome rasped, covering his mouth. "I am so sorry, I didn't know."

"I didn't even get to hold her when she was alive." He cried uncontrollably. "I didn't get to hear her voice. She didn't even get the chance to see her father before she passed on."