One Lucky Night

Chapter 6

Scylla was staring at William. His hair now had a white streak, a clear sign of his age.

“Nice to see you again, Scylla,” the old man said, hiding emotions she could not define.

“William,” she replied.

She had been terrified of him five years ago, but now that feeling is gone.

“Dad,” Zach spoke.

“How can you do this to Stella, son?” William asked.

“I’ve been clear from the start, Dad. There’s only one woman I love,” Zach answered without hesitation.

Scylla was relieved to hear those words. Of course she knew it was her. Zach had just declared his love for her.

“You fool,” William muttered, controlling his anger.

“Yes, if that’s what it means, then I’m a happy fool to have my woman back,” Zach said, making his father’s eyes widen.

“What did you say?” William almost shouted, startling Scylla. His calm exterior was cracking.

“Dad, Scylla and I are together for good. I understand now…”

“You believed her?” his father cut him off.

They were speaking as if she wasn’t in the room, just as they had done earlier with Stella.

“Of course. Wait, what do you mean I believed her?” Zach asked, confused.

“Zach…” Scylla tried to intervene.

“Don’t talk, woman! You don’t have the right to say whatever you please,” William snapped, trying to intimidate her.

“No, William. You can’t scare me again,” she said, her voice low but firm.

Her words shook him. For the first time, he seemed tense.

“Scared again? What does that mean, Dad? You scared her? When and how? Please don’t tell me you were behind all of this?” Zach asked, his questions sharp and fast.

Zach was calm on the surface, but they both knew he was close to bursting.

William sank into the nearest chair. Scylla felt guilty watching the old man cornered. She had once tried to understand him and, to some extent, she had.

“Zach, he has a good reason,” she said softly.

She should have told Zach everything, but she couldn’t destroy the bond between father and son. William had given Zach everything, raised him into the strong leader he was. She had no right to ruin that foundation.

“Scylla, can you give us time to talk?” William asked, his tone surprisingly gentle, almost pleading.

He was right. She should give them time. If she was seeing correctly, the man had changed. Maybe the beast had softened, maybe regret had worn him down.

“Scylla, you will not leave without my permission,” Zach said firmly.

She shook her head. “Zach, I’ll be waiting. I want to give your father a chance to speak for himself.”

“You two really think I don’t know anything?” Zach’s anger boiled over.

Both William and Scylla looked at him in shock.

“Do you think I’m a fool to be played with? I wasn’t named wise to be treated this way. Not by my own father, and not by you, Scylla,” Zach said.

“Son…”

“Zach…” they chorused.

“Scylla, please,” William begged again.

Scylla understood. He wasn’t comfortable speaking with her there. For him, she was still an outsider.

“Will you always obey him if he demands you leave?” Zach asked, clearly knowing the truth now.

“Yes, because he is your father. I regret leaving you, but it was for the best, and I’m glad I did.”

Scylla left them. She only hoped William would redeem himself in Zach’s eyes. Later, she could worry about herself. Five years was a long time, and kissing Zach again earlier had already been a sweet reward for her sacrifice.

---

“How did you know?” William asked calmly. He had created this storm long ago, and now it was time to face the consequences.

“Would you have told me if I hadn’t discovered it?” Zach said. His respect for his father was still there, but so was the pain.

William had never intended to tell him. He thought time would do the work, that they would forget each other, fall out of love if kept apart. But he had been wrong. Zach had never looked for another woman. His love for Scylla had only grown stronger.

“How could you do that to me, Dad? To the woman I love? I trusted you. I let you find her for me because you were good at everything. You found what was lost and stolen, but not Scylla because you hid her from me!”

William was silent. Guilt weighed heavily on him.

“What hurt the most was that she was already suffering. She lost her father. She was caring for her sick mother. And you deprived me of being by her side. Where was the loving father I knew? Where were you, Dad? How could you be so selfish?”

“Enough. That’s enough.” William finally surrendered. He was too old to keep being the villain in his son’s life.

“I’m sorry for what I’ve done, son. I felt so guilty I couldn’t even face Scylla when I saw her. I was angry at myself for hurting a kind woman like her. She held no grudges, and I hated myself for it.” William’s voice broke, and he shed tears of regret.

“Thank God you’re back, Dad,” Zach said softly, not wanting to pressure him further.

“I was the fool who thought she would ruin you. I believed she would drain you dry. I gave her my word of warning, and I did the horrible thing, I told her to leave. I threatened her, told her I wouldn’t hire her, and that I would blacklist her so she wouldn’t get any job. I struck when she was vulnerable, and she listened. She left you, exactly what I wanted. And I’ve lived with that guilt every day. I hoped you’d forget her, that time would bury my sin.” William finally confessed.

“And why aren’t you shouting now? Don’t you love that woman I hurt?” William asked.

“Dad, do you think it would help? We already suffered the consequences. Five years was hell, and I’m no saint to play martyr. What I want now is to win back my woman,” Zach said, pacing the floor.

William chuckled. His son truly was the man he had raised. Strong, forgiving, able to tell right from wrong, willing to set aside his own pain. He was lucky to be his father.

“Zach, I hope Scylla forgives me. Go, take her home, and never let go of that rare woman. Go, before I call Stella and we eat dinner here,” William said.

“I’m sorry, Dad, but you can have Stella all you want.”

Zach hugged his father unexpectedly.

“Thank you,” he whispered, before walking out.

William watched him go, his heart lighter than it had been in years. He had waited a long five years for this night. Finally, he could sleep peacefully, with a new hope rising that soon, he might even have grandchildren.