"He needs to stop pretending that he cares about me." We were utterly shushed after Greyson said those words. The look of consternation is discernible on Garren's screwed up face. "Don't say that, Greyson. Your dad cares for you. He wouldn't be here if he doesn't." I took the guts to break the silence. He huffed. "That's impossible. Tomorrow, he will just immerse himself in work again. This is nothing new to me." "Greyson!" He was startled when his father shouted, fear is hewed on the child's eyes. "Just l-leave. I don't n-need you here," Greyson muttered in a tremulous voice. Garren's expression softened. He tried to hold his son, but the latter unexpectedly fended his hands off. "Please. Leave me alone. My wounds will heal without you." Garren heaved out a deep sigh. "I'm your father, and I care for you." The kid laughed humorlessly. "Stop lying. All you care about is your work and the company." Garren once again tried to touch him, but his son narrowed his gaze and pushed him away. I was alerted when he grunted in pain. "G-Greyson. Please don't move too much. Your wounds are not fully healed yet," I said worriedly. He ignored my words and glared at his father fiercely. "Why can't you just leave me alone just like you always do?!" The time is rising through the roof. Garren looked at me. I know he wants me to go out, which is understandable because this is a family matter that they need to settle themselves. I stood up from the chair and was about to turn my back when Greyson stopped me. "Please stay, Cleo." I pressed my lips together, reluctant. I looked at Garren. He just sighed and nodded, as if he didn't have a choice. "Greyson, stop pushing me away. I just want to make sure that you're fine," Garren entreated. Greyson's expression flattened. "I will be fine, even without you, dad. Now you can leave me here." I descried of how Garren clenched his fist, as if he was on the verge of losing his patience. "Stop being so stubborn. I will stay here until you fully recover," he stated with full conviction. For a couple of minutes, we were ruled by deafening silence. The only thing that can be heard is our heavy breathing. "I-I hate you," Greyson mumbled out of the blue. My eyes widened. I was supposed to scold him, but I stopped myself when I saw tears pooling in his eyes. "I really hate you. Why are you acting worried? Why are you so concerned about me now?" I called his name, my voice came out like a whisper. "You know what, dad? Every night before I sleep, I always pray to God to hear those words from you. I've been yearning to feel that you care about me." I peeked at Garren. His face, which is usually void of any emotions, is carved with pain and regret at this time. "S-Son," he uttered his name. "All I ever wanted was your time, but you never gave me that! You never play with me! You never spent time with me watching television! None of my classmates know you because you never showed up to my school! We barely eat dinner and breakfast together even when you're home. Don't you know how lonely I always feel, dad?!" The tears Greyson had been trying to suppress finally fell from his eyes. His voice is laced with outrage and indignation. "You never praise me for getting good grades. You always ignore my hard work because you are too focused on your work." His voice broke. "All I want is to hear that you're proud of me, dad. Is that too much to ask?" He wiped the tears cascading down his cheeks, but it was all futile because they didn't stop from falling. His lips curled into a sad smile. "All I need and want is a father... a father who cares for me and who loves me." I held Greyson in my arms, caressing his back and stroking his hair to calm him down. Garren is just watching us quietly. I feel sorry for Greyson, but at the same time, I'm also happy that he finally let his emotions out. He's been bottling them for the past few years. He hid his grief because he didn't have the courage to tell him what he truly feels. He suffered alone. He chose to hide in the dark and cry in the corner where no one would hear his melancholic weeping and no one would see his vulnerability. It prolonged his affliction. That's why I'm proud of him that at last, he found the resolve to scream his pain. "Cleo." "Hmmm?" I hummed. "I want to sleep." "Didn't you just sleep?" He smiled subtly. "I'm drowsy again." From my peripheral vision, I saw Garren exiting the room. I was perplexed, but I just ignored him. "Don't you feel hungry?" I asked. Greyson somberly shook his head. I heaved out a sigh. "Alright. Take a good rest. Don't hesitate to tell me if you want to eat, alright?" He smiled in response. I helped him get back on the bed and pulled the blanket over his body. I waited for him to fall asleep. Not so long after, I heard his snores. I gave him one last glance before I stormed out of the room. I saw Garren slumped on one of the nearby benches. He's looking at the ceiling, probably in deep thought. "May I sit beside you, sir?" He didn't say yes or no, nor moved an inch. I just took that as an "okay" response. "Did I answer yes?" he asked, still in that same position. "You didn't say no either." This time, he looked at me. "Who gave you the permission to be cheeky and talk back?" I was taken aback. "Apologies, sir." For the next few minutes, no one spoke between us. I gazed at him. His furrowed brows and crumpled forehead can attest to his frustrations. I know there are a lot of things running through his mind right now. "Staring is rude." A flush crept up to my cheeks. I quickly averted my eyes from him. "How's Greyson?" he asked. "He went back to sleep." "Again? He probably hasn't eaten anything yet," he grumbled. "That's exactly what I told him, but he said he's still not hungry." "You two are really close to each other." I shrugged my shoulders. "You can say that." He laughed grimly. "I never imagined that I would say this, but I'm quite jealous of you." I gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?" "Now that I think of it, we barely have quality time together, and it's all because of my fault." I arched a brow. Is this some sort of miracle? Garren is finally admitting his mistakes and shortcomings? "I'm so damn busy with work that I unconsciously neglect my son, and it sow anger in him." I shook my head. "Greyson is not mad at you, sir. He was just disappointed." "But you heard it loud and clear. He said he despises me." "You need to understand that for the longest time, he's been keeping all those things from you. That's why he really exploded a while ago. He certainly didn't mean some of the things that he said," I explained. "Perhaps." This is probably the first time that we're talking peacefully, without him raising his voice at me or giving me kittens. "Everyone has been telling me about my failure to be a father to Greyson, and that includes you. But I turned a deaf ear, because I thought the good life that I'm giving him is enough." I listened. In the meantime, I set aside my personal issues with him. I temporarily forget how much of a jerk he is towards me. "We are rich. He has the money and a huge mansion. He can buy any toys and luxuries that he wants. I thought that those materialistic things were enough for him. But I was wrong." He looked up and puffed out a heavy breath. "I fucked up." I honestly don't know what to say. Should I comfort him or what? But how? I guess I just need to speak out my heart. "You committed mistakes. You have a lot of shortcomings with your son. Those things are unchangeable." He glanced at me, looking confused. "But the best thing you can do is not to lament forever and do your best to redress your negligence instead. Redeem yourself as a father and make up for those times that you wasted." I flashed a smile. "Greyson might be mad at you right now, but he has no heart of stone. Apologize to him and appease his wants. It's your time to make sacrifices. I'm pretty sure that in no time, he will forgive you." Silence rose between us. Who would have thought that I would give advice to this man beside me, whom I despise with a burning passion? The world is unpredictable, indeed. "I wasn't actually asking for a counseling, but still, thank you." I arched my brows. Did I hear it right? Garren is saying thank you? Is the world about to end? "Why are you looking at me like that? Stop it, it's fucking creepy." I quickly tore off my gaze. Damn it. I didn't even know I was already staring at him. "I was just surprised that you said thank you to me, sir." "Yeah. Whatever." He stood up from the bench. "Where are you going?" He stopped on his track and looked back at me. "Why do I need to tell you? You're not my wife or something." My cheeks flushed. That was embarrassing. I pulled myself up. I went back to Greyson's room to check on him. He's still sleeping. Garren came back after a while. He ordered our dinner. Yep... OUR dinner. It's a surprise that he got me food too. He's not that evil. It's really nice of him because I'm already starving. Greyson didn't wake up again that night. When the sun rose, the doctor once again checked his vital signs. Fortunately, she said that his injuries are not that fatal, so he could be released as soon as tomorrow. "Where is Ms. Audrey by the way?" he asked while I'm feeding him the soup that Garren bought for him. Up until now, he's still not talking to his father. The latter is constantly trying to initiate a conversation with him, but the child is giving him cold and uninterested replies. Garren is not here at the moment because he went back to their house to get some spare clothes for his son. "She already left. But I got her contact number, so you can talk to her and say thank you." I hissed while looking at the wounds on his arms and face. "Why did you leave the mansion in the first place? Now you have bruises all over your body," I reprimand him. "I was fed up." My forehead creased. "What do you mean?" He smiled bitterly. "I don't know. My classmates' words kept on ringing in my ears yesterday. So I thought, why not just leave the house? Dad would not care if I disappeared anyway." I dropped the spoon and put aside the bowl of soup. I looked at him straight in the eye. "But what about us? Didn't you even think of how we would feel if you leave without telling any of us?" He bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Cleo." I puffed out a heavy breath. "You need to promise me that you won't do it again. I almost died thinking of where you have gone." He smiled. "I promise." I tousled his hair. "Good."