CHAPTER 270: SHE ALWAYS WANTED A DAUGHTER.

Angela stood, eager and afraid to hear his answers. They were going to clear her doubts and help her decide what to do with her life. She needed to know what really happened in the past. Was Grace her mother? If yes, then why did he leave her with a woman who had no love for her own child? If no, then who was her real mother?

"I don’t know where to start," Marcus said softly, his voice heavy with regret. He looked at her with pain in his eyes. He knew she didn’t deserve all that she had gone through.

"You can start from anywhere," she said quietly.

He took a deep breath before speaking again. "First, I want to apologize for everything you’ve been through. I’ve heard some of the stories—maybe not all—but I know you’ve suffered a lot, both in your mind and your heart."

Angela swallowed hard. She couldn’t find any words. All she could do was nod. She appreciated that he didn’t try to defend himself or pretend he wasn’t at fault.

"I should have done better," Marcus continued, his voice breaking. "I failed you, and I’ll never stop blaming myself for that." His eyes glistened with tears he tried to hold back.

She wanted to go closer and tell him not to cry, to tell him that he didn’t have to feel alone anymore. But she stayed still. It was hard for her to get used to the idea of having a father...a man who suddenly wanted to care after so many years of silence.

"I am glad that you didn’t try to shift the blame to anyone. Life hasn’t been easy, but I made it," Angela said with a sad smile. She didn’t know what else to say, but shouting and yelling were no longer part of her since the moment she woke up. "You shouldn’t have left me. I don’t know what happened, but..."

"Why would you think I left you to suffer? That I didn’t want you?" Marcus asked, his brows drawn together. He took a step closer, trying to make her understand. "Do you really want to know what happened? I never even knew you existed until three years ago. There wasn’t much information about you. I was only told that there was a chance I had a daughter. I did everything I could to find you, but things got complicated. Then I was told you didn’t survive. That news broke me. I became a walking dead man because you weren’t just my daughter...you were the little angel created from the most beautiful love."

Angela wanted to speak, but her voice failed her again. The more he talked, the more she wanted to believe him. His brown eyes held too much truth to ignore. She could see the pain and sincerity in them.

"After that news, I stopped the search because I was losing my mind," Marcus went on, his voice filled with regret. "They told me you were never real, that it was just a lie. I blamed myself for believing them. But recently, I started having dreams about your mother. She kept telling me that you were alive. So I sent my men to look for you again, and this time they came back with good news...that you exist, and that you’re alive."

"Was that why you showed up at the academy?" Angela asked, her brows raised. She could still remember that day like it just happened. He was desperate yet acted so strange that she doubted he could be her father.

Marcus nodded, rubbing his hand over his forehead. "I saw my daughter and didn’t even know who she was."

"I didn’t know you were related to me either," she replied quietly. Maybe saying that would make him feel better, but it didn’t. He shook his head and lifted his face, trying to stay composed. "But you tried your best. If I wasn’t smart enough, I would have been caught."

He looked at her and nodded. It still surprised him that she had managed to fool him for more than a month. He had met her that day but couldn’t recognize her. He remembered feeling something strange between them, a connection he couldn’t explain, but she was dressed as a boy and acted like one, confusing him and everyone who gave him information.

"So can you tell me about my mother? From the way you spoke, she isn’t Grace, the woman I grew up with," Angela said, her fingers trembling a little. Her voice lowered as fear slowly crept into her chest. "Is she even alive?"

Marcus bit his lower lip and shook his head slowly. "No. She died the night she gave birth to you."

A cold shiver ran down Angela’s spine as she listened. Was this really the truth? All her life she had believed Grace was her mother, and now everything she knew was a lie. Kaito was right when he mentioned it the other day—Grace was only her foster mother, a cruel woman who never showed her love.

Angela tried to hold back her tears, but they betrayed her and began to fall. It was supposed to bring her comfort, knowing she didn’t share the same blood with Grace and her twin, yet something deep inside her broke apart. She never knew who her real mother was, and now she would never have the chance to see her.

"Please don’t cry. It’s breaking my heart to see you like this," Marcus said softly, taking a step forward. He wanted to hug her, to hold her close, but he stopped halfway. He didn’t know if he had the right.

"I won’t cry," Angela said quickly, wiping her tears with her thumb. She cleared her throat before speaking again. "I guess my coming to this world caused it, right?"

"No. Don’t say that. Your coming was a beautiful moment for her, I swear," he told her gently.

"How?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"We spoke it. She always wanted a daughter."

"How did she died? Where?"

"Your mother died in the central house in the academy," Marcus said quietly. "She gave birth to you there."