Marrying My Father's Enemy-Chapter 147: The Weight Of The Past

Chapter 147: The Weight of the Past

-Now-

Henry parked his car just outside the glowing storefront of Eira’s flagship store.

He had arrived late, clutching a bouquet of white roses, intending to apologize for the earlier humiliation and congratulate her on her success.

And as Eira’s security didn’t let him in, he wasn’t surprised, it’s what he had expected...on his way back home, he received a message from Beatrice:

-Your little daughter had a sad life, watch until it turns out to be even sadder.-

But something was wrong.

And then he heard raised voices echoing through the snowy street, and as he stepped back, turned around, walked closer, he saw them...

A circle of gangsters stood around the store, and in the middle of it all was Konrad, wild-eyed and gripping Eira tightly by the arm.

"No," Henry whispered, his stomach twisting.

The phone slipped from his hand, landing in the snow.

He didn’t stop to pick it up.

He pushed through the crowd of onlookers gathering near the edges of the chaos.

His heart pounded as Konrad’s voice rang out.

"You all think you’re better than me!" Konrad shouted, his gun waving erratically in his hand.

"You think you can just toss me aside and pretend I don’t exist? I’ve had enough! No more pretending. No more being the nice guy."

Eira stood stiff and pale, her eyes locked on the gun in his hand.

She didn’t flinch, but Henry could see the fear in her shoulders, the way her breath hitched.

"Konrad," Eira said steadily, her voice low. "Let’s talk about this. You don’t have to do this."

Konrad let out a harsh laugh. "Talk? Talk about what, Eira? About how you ruined me? About how you took everything I ever had and left me with nothing?"

Henry stepped forward, his voice broke through the mess. "Stop this!"

All eyes turned to him, and the air seemed to shift.

Konrad’s corner’s of his mouth tightened as he looked at Henry.

"Oh, great," he sneered. "And here comes daddy dearest. What are you going to do, Henry? Lecture me? Tell me how wrong I am? Save your breath."

Henry raised his hands, "Konrad, let her go. She’s not the one who did this to you."

"Not the one?" Konrad barked, raising his tone again. "She’s the only one! Don’t stand there and defend her like she’s some innocent little victim. She’s not!"

Henry ignored the gun waving dangerously in Konrad’s hand and took another step forward.

"Eira was a child, Konrad. A child you abandoned when she needed you the most."

Konrad’s grip tightened on Eira’s arm, his fingers digging into her skin.

He shook his head, his voice trembles. "I was a child too! You don’t think I was scared? You don’t think I didn’t have my own problems?"

He swung the gun wildly, pointing it at nothing in particular.

"Do you know what it was like, Henry? Do you? Trying to survive, trying to keep my head above water? I was barely holding myself together!"

Eira’s voice came through his rant, sharp and filled with anger.

"So you decided to kick me out? Leave me starving and freezing while you ’figured it out’? That’s your excuse?"

Konrad turned to her. "You think I wanted to do that? You think I enjoyed it? I had nothing, Eira. Nothing. And you... you were just another mouth to feed."

"Another mouth to feed?" Eira repeated, her voice started shaking.

"I was your responsibility. You were supposed to take care of me, and you threw me away like I was nothing!"

Konrad’s lips twisted into a snarl.

"And you haven’t let me forget it, have you? You’ve been punishing me for it ever since. Acting like you’re so much better than me, like you’re untouchable. Well, guess what? You’re not."

Henry stepped closer, almost like he was ready to command.

"Enough, Konrad. I don’t care how hard things were for you. You had a choice, and you made the wrong one. And Eira—she had no choice at all. She was just a little girl, Konrad. A scared, hungry little girl who didn’t deserve any of this."

Konrad’s muscles twitched for a moment, his grip on Eira loosening slightly.

"I was a little kid too," he muttered, almost to himself. "I didn’t know what to do."

Henry’s voice softened, though his eyes remained hard.

"And instead of owning up to that, you’ve spent your life blaming her for your mistakes. But the truth is, she survived. She rose above everything you threw at her, and now you can’t stand it."

Konrad’s hand trembled, the gun wavering as his gaze darted between Henry and Eira.

"You don’t get to rewrite history, Henry," he said, his voice beginning to tremble with rage.

"I did what I had to do to survive. And if that makes me the bad guy, then fine. But I’m done letting everyone act like Eira is some kind of saint while I’m the villain."

Eira snapped, "You are the villain, Konrad. You want to talk about survival? I survived too. I survived nights in the cold, days without food, wondering if I’d ever see another sunrise. And you—" her voice broke slightly, but she pressed on.

"You didn’t even care."

Konrad’s eyes filled with a strange pain.

"You think I didn’t care?" he shouted. "I cared, Eira! I cared more than you’ll ever know. But I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t even save myself!"

He swung the gun again, pointing it briefly at Henry before letting it drop to his side.

His breathing was erratic, his chest heaving as if the pressur of his words was crushing him.

"I didn’t want this," he said quietly, cracking. "I didn’t want any of this."

Henry seized the moment, compassionate.

"Then stop, Konrad. Put the gun down. Walk away before you do something you’ll regret forever."

"You’ll never forgive me," he said, his tone bitter and resigned.

Eira seemed colder. "You’re right. I won’t."

Konrad’s hand trembled as he stared at the gun in his hand.

For a moment, it seemed like he might let it drop.

But then his face twisted into anger again, and he raised it, pointing it directly at Henry.

"You don’t get to lecture me," Konrad snarled. "You’re just like me. A coward who let everyone else pay for his mistakes."

Henry didn’t flinch.

"Maybe I am. But at least I’m trying to make things right. What about you, Konrad? Are you going to keep running? Keep blaming everyone else for your failures?"

Konrad’s hand wavered, the gun shaking in his grip.

"Put it down, Konrad," Henry said softly. "You don’t have to do this. You can still change."

Eira watched him, her heart pounding.

She wanted to scream, to tell him to leave, but the words wouldn’t come.

Finally, Konrad let out a strangled cry and threw the gun to the ground.

It clattered loudly against the pavement, the sound breaking the silence like a thunderclap.

He turned and stumbled away, his shoulders slumping as if the fight had drained every ounce of strength from him.

Henry exhaled, his hands looked slightly uncontrollable as he bent to pick up the discarded weapon.

Eira stared at him, "You read my diary?"

Henry froze, his eyes met hers. The guilt in his expression was unmistakable.

"Eira, I—"

"Where did you get it? Only Marion could have it..."

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