POV : IRIS
One day after Maria's (Iris's mother) death
The day of the funeral, I stand facing my mother's coffin.
I place the flower on it, with a mechanical gesture, not really understanding what I'm doing.
Then I step back, joining Aunt Victoria and Catherine.
They're still crying.
I'm not.
I can't anymore.
I'm empty.
As if someone pressed the pause button.
The priest speaks, his voice echoing far away, but I hear nothing.
His words slide over me without reaching my mind.
I stare into nothingness, lost, until my aunt gently pulls my arm to make me stand with the others.
Four men step forward.
They lift the coffin, carrying it to the grave.
I watch, frozen, as they lower my mother's body into that gaping hole.
People come one by one, throwing flowers as a final goodbye.
Aunt Victoria steps forward, then Catherine.
Me, I just stand there, motionless.
I grip the rose in my hand until I feel the thorns digging into my skin.
I can feel their eyes on me, but no one says a word.
I watch my mother disappear beneath the earth.
The only person who loved me unconditionally.
The only one who always stayed.
A sob escapes me.
My legs give out; I fall to my knees.
Tears finally burst out, blurring my vision.
A hand rests on my shoulder.
— You can get through this, murmurs Catherine, her voice breaking.
Another hand, firmer, rests on the other.
— We're here for you, sweetheart. You can count on us, adds Aunt Victoria.
I stare at my mother's grave, unable to look away.
They help me stand.
We're about to leave.
But suddenly, I stop.
My heart freezes.
A few meters away, a man stands still, hands in his pockets, a cold look in his eyes.
It's him.
My father.
The one who abandoned me overnight, without a word, without a look backward.
The pain and sadness instantly turn into anger.
I violently pull away from Aunt Victoria and Catherine, then stride toward him quickly.
I shove him. He doesn't move.
— Get out. Go away. You don't belong here, I say, my voice trembling.
He stays silent.
— What? You wanted to see how miserable I am? You must be happy now, huh?!
My voice cracks.
— You destroyed everything… It's your fault she's dead! If you had stayed, she'd still be here!
— Iris…
He raises a hand toward me.
— Don't touch me! I scream.
I hate you! You're the worst bastard that ever walked this earth! I regret every time I called you "dad"!
— Iris, calm down, says Aunt Victoria, her voice trembling.
Pull yourself together, sweetheart. This isn't the time, not here.
I clench my fists.
— I want him gone. He's defiling her grave just by standing here.
— I'm not leaving without you, he says coldly. I'm here to take you with me.
A bitter laugh escapes me, mixed with sobs.
— It's too late. You have no place in my life anymore. Leave the same way you did six years ago. To me, you're not my father anymore. You lost that right the day you abandoned us.
— I'm the only parent you have left, he says.
— You never cared about me! You never asked if I was okay, or who I lived with! So don't you dare play the father now!
— I have your custody, Iris.
I glare at him, hatred filling my eyes.
— I'd rather live in an orphanage than with you.
I'm not alone. I never was.
I had my mother. Now I have my aunt… and my sister.
— Iris…
— This is neither the place nor the moment for such a discussion, Mr. Antonio, interrupts Aunt Victoria firmly.
Come on, sweetheart.
She takes my hand and pulls me away from him.
The drive back is suffocatingly silent.
No words.
Just the sound of the engine and my thoughts screaming inside my head.
When the car stops in front of the house, he's already there.
I ignore him, go inside, and slam the door behind me.
I go straight to my mother's room.
I wrap myself in her sheets, breathing in her lingering scent.
The door opens softly.
— Iris, sweetheart… can I talk to you?
I stay silent.
Aunt Victoria comes in and sits beside me, running a hand through my hair.
— I know this is hard, she says gently. But… maybe you should give your father a chance.
The anger returns.
— He's not my father. He's just my biological parent. He'll never be a father to me.
— I know, she sighs. But think, Iris. What would your mother have said?
Would she have wanted you to shut him out, or to give him another chance?
— I don't want his pity.
— Your mother wouldn't have wanted you to stay trapped in your anger, sweetheart. Think about it, okay?
She kisses my forehead and leaves the room.
I stay there, alone, my eyes lost in the void.
Mom had always kept hope that he'd come back one day.
She used to say he must have had his reasons.
She always forgave him.
And that's probably why today, against my will,
I find myself on a plane to Atlanta…
With the man I hate the most in the world.
Two days.
It only took two days for my life to fall apart.
Heading toward an unknown destination,
leaving behind the people I love most in the world.