The Shoeshine Girl and Her Godfather Father Chapter 03

The Shoeshine Girl and Her Godfather Father Chapter 03

He said the bankruptcy had only been a test. A test to see if my mother really loved him.

He said the people he loved most would always be Mom and me.

He said Renata’s parents had once helped him, and before they died, their only wish was to see their daughter with him.

“I’m just fulfilling their dying wish.”

He reached for my mother’s hand.

“Just hold on a little longer.”

“This’s only a ceremony for Renata.”

“Once she has a child and her parents are gone, I’ll bring you back.”

“You’ll be my Donna. And Sophia will be our princess.”

“I’ll make it up to both of you. I swear.”

My mother finally snapped. She jerked her hand free.

Tears streamed down her face and splashed onto the ground.

“Do you know how much blood I sold to pay off your debts?”

“Our Sophia hasn’t had new clothes in three years!”

I lowered my head, my eyes burning as I stared at the holes in my shoes.

My father froze, a flicker of guilt crossing his face.

“Lena… Sophia… I…”

Before he could finish, a scream rang out behind him.

Renata stood in the doorway, her face ashen.

She pointed at us with trembling fingers.

“Antonio, why are they here?”

My father’s expression shifted instantly. He shoved me hard to the ground.

Pain shot through my body. My knee split open against the pavement.

But he never even glanced at it. Instead, he pointed at Mom and me.

“Renata, don’t get the wrong idea. These two lunatics have been harassing me.”

His voice turned vicious.

“You scared my Donna. Apologize. Now.”

Two of his men grabbed us and shoved us against the wall.

They kept us there all night outside the suite while the celebration carried on inside.

The next morning, my mother’s eyes were empty. As if every last bit of hope had finally died.

She held my hand. Tears rolled silently down her face.

“Sweetheart.” Her voice shook.

“Let’s leave. We don’t need your father anymore, okay?”

I nodded through my tears.

“Wherever you go, Mom, I’ll go too.”

The door suddenly opened.

My father stepped out.

His expression darkened at once.

“Where are you going?”

My mother looked up at him, nothing left in her eyes but cold indifference.

“Antonio, let’s get a divorce.”

His face immediately sank. More annoyance than surprise.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I gave eighteen years of my life to you and Sophia. I gave you all my love.”

“What exactly are you unhappy about?”

His voice grew sharper.

“If we divorce, what about Sophia? Have you thought about her?”

“You want her suffering with you? How can you be so selfish?”

My mother trembled with anger. Not a single word came out.

I stood frozen. I couldn’t believe the man standing in front of me was the father who had raised me for eighteen years.

He didn’t even spare us a glance. His gaze drifted toward the sleeping figure on the bed.

The tenderness in his eyes was blinding. It cut right through me.

“Renata is trying to conceive. I don’t want her getting upset.”

“From today on, neither of you is allowed to come near me again.”

He waved a hand. “Get them out of here.”

His men ignored our struggles. They dragged Mom and me back to the slums.

That same night, the debt collectors came.

Mom threw herself in front of me. They shoved her aside.

Then they broke my right leg. I heard the crack—felt every piece of bone shatter.

I curled up in a pool of blood. The pain was so intense I couldn’t make a sound.

My mother screamed until her voice gave out.

She called my father over and over.

When he finally picked up—all she got was his irritated voice on the other end.

“I’m on my honeymoon with Renata.”

“Whatever it is, it can wait.”