ELENA'S POINT OF VIEW
The door closed behind Alex. The sound echoed in the suddenly quiet room.
I looked at Mr. Blake standing a few feet away. My biological father. The man who raped my mother. The man whose security team saved my life.
We stared at each other. Neither of us knew how to start.
Finally, he spoke. "May I sit?"
I nodded toward the chair across from me. He sat down slowly, as if his body ached. Maybe it did. He looked like he'd aged ten years in the past week.
"Thank you," he said. "For agreeing to see me."
I didn't say anything. Just waited.
He took a breath. "I came to apologize. I know that's not enough. I know words can never undo what I did. But I need to say them anyway."
Still, I stayed silent.
"I'm sorry," he continued. His voice was rough. "For the pain I caused. Both you and your mother. I'm sorry for that night. For what I did to Eva. For taking away her choices, her dignity, her future."
