Aster Veren
Episode 45's

- Esther

At 12:30 p.m., the school was sent home early after Ms. Estelle gave the announcement of the accelerated report distribution of the schedule.

"Why are you Lea?" Nadin's voice caught my attention as I was tidying up the short stories and novels I borrowed from the library.

I saw that Kalea looked as gloomy and uninspired as ever, and then she didn't bother me anymore either. I was happy that they stopped bothering me, so the other kids didn't dare to bother me. But still, I was curious if they suddenly stopped bothering me.

What is going on with Kalea?

"I'll stay with my dad." Kalea replied, stopping my steps to get out of the classroom.

Daddy's? meaning dad? My mind wondered while looking at Kalea who was still sitting in her place.

"Good dong, isn't your dad very nice?" Nadin said he sounded happy opposite to the look of Kalea's face that looked tangled.

"It's not my father you know, it's my real father." Obviously Kalea let out a big smile on Nadin while surprising me.

Daddy–concrete Kalea?

"Bu–wasn't your father your father? Why is there a real father?" Nadin looked confused.

"You know my father was Aster's father, it's clear from the clan that the boy had. Then now suddenly my real father came and wanted to take care of me ...." Clearly with a trembling sound, even his body also shook. Looks like Kalea tried not to cry in front of Nadin.

Kalea .... My mind feels sorry for him, he must hate me so much now that the father he considers his own father has been taken by me who is his biological daughter.

I quickly stepped my feet away from the classroom along with my longing for the sudden appearance of my father.

I want to hug Dad! My mind hastened my pace.

"You want to go home?" Teo's voice surprised me, it felt like my heart was about to fall to the floor when the boy suddenly appeared before me.

"Ya–ya." I answered while stroking my chest and stopped right in front of the boy.

He has something in common with Carel, right? I continued in my heart while watching Teo's green bead that kept staring at the books in my hand.

"What's wrong?" Manya surprised.

"The book ...." He answered, pointing at the book in my hand.

"Ah, I want to return it to the library first, after that just go home." I obviously pay attention to the books in my hand.

"Then let me give it back." He said as he raised both palms, waiting for me to hand over all the books in my hands.

"But–" My words were immediately stopped by him.

"Give it, you wait for your invitation!" Clearly, while grabbing the books in my hand and just leaving.

"What's wrong with her?" I was confused by his own behavior.

And then without wasting any more time, I set my foot back to the security guard post. The place where I usually wait for the driver, red uncle, father and anyone who comes late to pick me up.

But my steps immediately stopped as soon as I saw a mature man of my father's age was leaning his body on a red luxury car behind him.

The uncle looked uneasily watching the school building behind me, and again he was very similar to someone.

"Excuse me ...." I said after venturing out and walked up to him.

"Yes?" His words did not care about my presence, even the uncle did not look at me in the slightest.

"Is uncle waiting for someone?" I asked while looking at the school building that had been stared at by him since.

"That's ...," He stopped when our eyes met, and the look on his face suddenly turned startled.

"You're Helen's and Ansel's kids?" He continued asking while crouching before me, making me shocked when suddenly his hand grabbed my shoulder.

"A–anu ...." My words did not dare to continue my question, it felt like my tongue was suddenly confused.

"Ah sorry, my name is Victor. I'm Kalea's father, it's good to see you." Clearly answered my question.

"Kaleas? This uncle is Kalea's father?" I asked again immediately got a quick nod from him along with his hand which removed my shoulder.

"So uncle came to pick up Kalea?" I went back to asking him.

"Yes. But I haven't seen him out since ...." The answer looks gloomy.

Does Kalea not like her father? In my eyes, Victor's uncle loved Kalea very much. What would be wrong if he lived with his father? My mind wondered while looking at the school building while crouching before the uncle without me noticing.

"It looks like Kalea doesn't want to see me huh?" Uncle Victor asked with a slick smile at me after looking at me in surprise when I suddenly crouched down in front of him.

"Bu–not so, earlier .. picket! Kalea's still picket. Maybe he'll be out soon." Reply slurping.

What's wrong with me? Why would I lie? My mind felt a little guilty when I saw Uncle Victor's slightly changed countenance.

"Is that so? Thankfully," he muttered in relief, "it looks like you and Kalea are good friends huh." He continued to review the smile, the smile that looks much better than before.

"Be–so." My words forced my stiff smile along with the sound of a car door slam that slightly shocked me from outside the school gate.

"What's your name?" Ask.

"My name–" I answered when I heard my father's voice calling my name.

"Aster–" said father stopped when suddenly Kalea plunged into his arms and made him surprised, as well as me.

"Dad came to pick me up, right? I miss you so much, Dad." Kalea hugged my father tightly.

I was unaware of his arrival .... My mind continued to watch over Kalea while rising from my squatting position.

Wh why? Sick heart? I don't like Kalea hugging dad so haphazardly. I was still in my heart squeezing clothes in my chest.

Then I saw that Victor's uncle had started walking towards Kalea and my father had taken quick steps when he saw that my father was trying to take Kalea's embrace away from him.

"Nova ...." Uncle Victor's voice was at the same time as my steps approached my father.

"No way!" Kalea's words stopped my steps and the hand movement of the father trying to let go of the child's embrace.

"I don't want to go with you! You're not my father!" This made Uncle Victor unable to reach the top of Kalea's head.

"I–" said Uncle Victor again stopped by the sobbing of Kalea in his arms.

"Mom never told you you were my father! You never met me either, I ... My father is Ansel's father!" He said while sobbing.

Kalea .... My mind feels sorry for him, he must be confused because the father he considers as his own father is my father, then his own father suddenly came for him.

"You can think of my papa as your father as before Ka–kalea." I said after gathering all my courage to speak to him.

"No! my father only belongs to me!" Shouted Kalea with a snapping tone.

"It's enough Lea!" Said Dad instantly letting go of Kalea's embrace forcefully, "i'm not your father, Victor–lah your father. You mustn't be so bad to your father, I don't mind if you still want to think of me as your father. But you must also accept your own father .. However he is your father, and you are his daughter." Then I tried to speak as softly as possible.

"Lea .. I'm sorry." Uncle Victor's murmured further lowered his tone and looked lethargic.

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Thanks for reading...