ISSABELLE

Issabelle gained consciousness after some time and found herself in the bedroom, with Ryan sitting next to her. He looked very worried, seeing her in that state. He relaxed, once he saw that she had regained consciousness.

Ryan requested Issabelle to stay calm and listen to what he had to say. He very gently told her that, "Please Issabelle, listen to what I have to say, if not for us, at least for Cathy's sake."

Issabelle flushed hotly at his accusations. She told him, that was not true. Cathy was mature, she was nearing twenty. She was able to make her decisions. He corrected her than by saying that "You acknowledge that she is mature, yet you do not allow her to make her decisions? You have never allowed her to tell you, that she wanted to meet me."

Issabelle's gaze then strayed down over his body. She wondered how a man at this age, could still be hot, handsome, with a lean muscular body. He was dressed though casually, wearing well-fitted jeans with a checked shirt. He was probably looking more handsome than before. Issabelle than hastily looked away, as she was flushing hotly at her thought process. She wondered what was the matter with her?

Issabelle then questioned Ryan, "Have you met Catherine? Have you spoken to her?" Ryan confirmed that both Steven and Catherine had come to meet him, early morning. They indeed had a very long discussion, between them. He also said that he had cleared certain misconceptions that Cathy had about him.

Issabelle asked him, "What misconceptions?" Ryan replied to her that, "Misconceptions that I have refused for the last 20 yrs to accept, that Cathy was my daughter? That I had no guilt or pain doing that. Why had I not tried to contact you'll all these years? I enlightened her to the facts, that I had contacted your mother, but she refused to see me, and she was the one to walk out of the marriage, and not vice versa. I told her that I had tried to reconcile the differences between us, but it was you Issabelle, who served a legal injunction on me, to never try and meet both of you."

Issabelle fiercely questioned him, "Why are you back? What do you want now?" Ryan answered to her that, he had received information in Canada, that someone from Australia, was making inquiries about him, and had wanted to see him. As for Issabelle's question, that what did he want now? Ryan replied that he felt that she would probably not be in a mood, to listen to him now. She corrected Ryan by saying she would never be in a mood to listen to him. Issabelle told him that there was nothing more left to be said. She said she was waiting to hear a goodbye from him, the way he had said 20 yrs back. Ryan corrected her once more, by saying that it was Issabelle who had said Goodbye, and not him.

Issabelle retorted back that, what could she have said to him, when he had directly told her on her face without, thinking for a second that, the child was not his, and accused her of sleeping with someone else. She told him then, she had made inquiries than, from her gynecologist whether could man having Oligospermia impregnate someone. She had replied then that it was less chance, but it was not impossible. Ryan said he understood that, but men with such conditions as he, initially reacted the same way that he had done. Though what he did was not right, and it could never lessen her pain and shock. But he too was in a shock at that time, thinking that the women he had loved wholeheartedly, had betrayed him with another man. He said that he was taken aback when she left him. He had then tried to reconcile with her, but she had refused, saying that she didn't want any charity from him. Issabelle said that at that point, she had just wanted Ryan out of her life.

Issabelle told him that though he may consider himself as Cathy's father, but she would never forgive him. She angrily told him, that "You might have convinced Cathy and made her believe that, you are regretting your past mistakes, but you cannot deceive me. After twenty years what has happened, to make you change your mind?" Issabelle could see that Ryan was trying to control his anger, though he showed no emotion on his face, but his clenched fist, and tightening of jaws, was the only sign that proved his anger. Issabelle felt happy with the knowledge that she still had power to anger him.

Ryan then asked her that, "Would it make any difference to you, if I own up that, not even a day has passed by that I have not regretted, that I had wished for things to be different. I simply wished to believe that it was my child, and then later after I had a discussion with the doctor, I was convinced that there was a chance that I could have fathered a child."

Issabelle retorted back that, "I don't believe you. I am not so stupid, you can convince Cathy with your lies, but not me. If you really had a change of heart, why did you not turn up? But of course, you must have been so busy in your life, in your relationship, that you must have conveniently forgotten us. You must have surely got married, haven't you?"

Ryan told Issabelle that he did not come back because he did not want to hurt her anymore. He also was feeling he had no rights over his child. Ryan told her that "If it would make you happy, I never married again, and never fathered any more children."

Ryan informed Issabelle that the only reason he came back, was because of Catherine. She had expressed a desire to meet her father, or else he would never have come back. He told her that he would never have let Cathy know the truth, that her father was not a villain as was told to her.

"Issabelle, I would never have told Cathy, that it was a lie, that I didn't want her. It was definitely a mistake on my part, but I hadn't done anything deliberately. Why did you not tell Cathy, that I had wanted you so very much and loved you immensely? You could have balanced the hatred you have now, by also informing her how much we had loved each other. How much pleasure and ecstasy our love had given us. What are you afraid of Issabelle, he challenged her?"