Episode 16

I searched for my father around the house, but he was nowhere to be found. I knew exactly where to find him. I ignored my mother, who was fawning all over Christophe, and escaped through the back door. The garden stretched out before me, huge and green. I crossed the field, smelling the grass and feeling the wind on my face. In the back, I spotted the vegetable garden he had been cultivating so carefully since my parents moved in with Grandpa. My father was there, walking among the plants with his watering can in hand. He was wearing a straw hat to protect himself from the sun, which was already setting on the horizon.

I wasn't sure if Dad knew we were there, or if he was even aware of the story everyone in the house was talking about the brute who started chasing me everywhere, but my concern for my father was stronger than anything else, and I lunged toward the simply dressed man.

"Hey, mister. How much are the lettuces?" I asked, approaching the vegetable patch. He raised his hat, revealing his brown eyes and graying beard.

"Nothing, ma'am, take whatever you want," he replied with a kind smile. I would recognize his familiar voice and playful manner anywhere. My father already had his arms open to me, and I ran to hug him.

Although I had seen him at Christmas, it felt like years since we last saw each other. That's how much I missed him. I hugged him, smelling his scent of coffee and wet earth, the aroma he acquired after dedicating himself to vegetables.

He used to smell of sand and salt when he worked selling drinks on the beach, at a kiosk he built himself.

"How are you, my daughter?" he asked, trying to disguise his concern. "You don't seem very happy about this marriage, do you?"

"Dad, I don't want to get married!" I protested. "I left home to escape the pressure from Mom, talking about the weddings of dozens of nieces. And now she's found me a fiance I don't even know!"

"She had no choice, flower girl. This destiny was already mapped out for you two before you were even born. It's a very old pact, between the families of wolves and humans, but I know how difficult it is for you to accept this."

"Only he says that our souls are connected and that we are made for each other, but that scares me. Now I see that I was happy taking care of the hotel routine and messing around with the rooms, welcoming guests, and freaking out with the juice machine that Mr. Silva insisted on keeping there because it was very chic. But now I have to marry this guy to save the world from a revolt of giant wolves. Oh, and there are also invisible creatures after me who want to rip my face off." I broke down, feeling tears streaming down my face.

My father hugged me tightly, as if he wanted to protect me from everything. I felt his warmth and his love and snuggled into his chest. He kissed my forehead and said,

"I know this is hard for you, my daughter. But you're not alone. We're here with you, and we'll support you in whatever decision you make. Your mother may be a little scared at first, but she's your mother. It's all going to be okay."

I looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity in his gaze. He seemed to be the only one who understood me and respected my despair. I smiled and said,

"Thank you, Dad. You're the best dad in the world."

He smiled back and hugged me even tighter. We stayed like that for a while, without saying anything else. Just feeling each other's presence, and thanking each other for having each other.

It was at that moment that I realized that I couldn't let anything bad happen to him, or to my mother or my grandfather. Rejecting Christophe meant putting everyone I love at risk, and I could never do that. A marriage wouldn't be such a bad thing. Christophe wasn't that bad. He was handsome and polite, to a certain extent. Not to mention that he treated me well during the days he would appear out of nowhere at my house. And I couldn't deny that he had a strong effect on me. Something I couldn't explain, but which always paralyzed me when his hands touched me. I felt a shiver down my spine whenever he was too close. Something inexplicable drew me to him, even if I didn't want it to. Christophe looked at me with an intense passion, as if I were the woman of his life.

And apparently, he was madly in love with my past self, because he also had no control over his feelings or his impulses. Christophe kissed me passionately, hugged me tightly, and held me close to him.

The love story of our past lives, although still a mystery to me, seemed kind of beautiful, and it was obvious that he loved me like my past self, the woman he lost and never forgot. He loved me like his soulmate, his companion, and his destiny. But I wasn't them anymore. I was me. And I didn't love him. Plus, I had my own dreams, which had nothing to do with him.

Actually, I didn't have any amazing dreams. I wanted to clear my name at the credit bureau, finish paying for my apartment, get a credit card from my neighborhood market, and maybe visit Salvador. Nothing that I needed to depend on someone else's life to achieve. Unless I borrowed money from a loan shark to do it all at once. Then I would have a life at risk if I didn't pay.