"Helin, come on. Get up and eat." With a soft and gentle tone, Heron urged his daughter to get out of her slump as she lied in bed.
"No. I don't want to eat anything." Her voice muffled by the pillow she had her face pressed against, Helin refused to acknowledge her father's attempt at comforting her. How could she have an appetite at a time like this?
With a wry smile, Heron simply said," You can't avoid eating forever." Looking at Helin, he felt bad and added, "I know you feel sad inside right now. But you've also seen what kind of person he is, haven't you? Does that kind of man truly deserve your love? You can't torture yourself for him. He's too unworthy."
Patting his daughter on the shoulder, he continued, "I didn't let you be together with him before because I knew that sooner or later you would find out his true nature and the one who would suffer most would be you."
"Why didn't you just say that earlier?" Helin hesitated as she asked, but she couldn't help it.
Heaving a deep sigh, Heron continued, "I love you most, Helin. Since your mother passed away, I've played both roles of mother and father. I did my best so you wouldn't feel like you were deprived of something other kids had. I've done everything I can to give you the best. How could I stand to let you feel heartbroken over a man?"
Smiling wryly, he added, "I have to admit, though, you were truly courageous in loving that man. You fought for him against all odds. Even if he isn't the right one for you, I hope you can still look back at this as a good memory of the romance you two shared. I don't want you to get disillusioned about love so negatively too early. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
With choked sobs, all Helin could blurt out was, "But Dad, you not telling me about it just makes me feel worse."
It was unavoidable so Heron just smiled bitterly. "I know."
Expressing his regrets, he went on, "I know I've done you wrong there. I should've told you what I knew right away. You can fault me there. But please don't hurt yourself like this. It makes my heart ache to see you torture yourself."
"Dad…"
The feeling of being wronged taking over her heart. Helin just threw herself into her father's arms and burst into helpless sobs.
For the long time during her cry, Heron kept comforting her and patting her back. "It's okay, you're okay. Don't cry now, okay? How about eating something? I can introduce you to a better man later on. Let's just put him in the past, okay?"
Her father's playful words made Helin feel shy and pout, "Dad…"
Staring at Heron helplessly, she wondered how her father could still pull her leg when she was clearly so sad. In spite of that, it still made her smile through her tears.
Finally seeing Helin smile, Heron sighed in great relief. As he gently stroked her hair, he said, "You're fine. Don't cry anymore, okay?"
As her father's words comforted her, Helin wiped her tears away. After calming down a bit more, she carefully asked, "How about… Well, how is he now?"
With a careful look at Helin, he replied, "He was already taken in by the police. He may face several years in prison. My sweet daughter, just forget about him. He isn't worth your misery."
"I know," she wryly smiled in spite of herself. She looked at Heron, a trace of sadness still in her eyes. "Dad, do you blame me?"
If she only listened to Heron from the beginning, maybe the whole thing wouldn't have escalated so much and she wouldn't have been slandered to such an extent. Moreover, Heron wouldn't have to feel ashamed of his daughter. The company's shares would be untouched as well.
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