Fated to Love You

Claire’s POV

Today was our family gathering at one of the most prestigious hotels in our country. This was our annual reunion since some of our relatives lived abroad, and we made sure to spend at least a day being together once a year.

Everyone was greeting each other, laughing, and sharing stories as soon as I arrived at the hotel. I was looking for my cousins because they had just arrived from Germany, and they told me they had some gifts for me. I was excited to see them.

As I was walking toward them with a smile on my face, the noise in the background suddenly disappeared, and whispers from our relatives followed. I looked behind me to see who had arrived and, to my dismay, it was none other than Gina.

“What’s with the stares? I’m part of the family, aren’t I?” she chuckled. Gina was my dad’s mistress. My father and she had a child, and it was Cole. I had a good relationship with Cole but not with his mom. Actually, I had a closer relationship with my half-brother than my real brother, Caleb. I didn’t know why we didn’t vibe, unlike Cole and me.

“What are you doing here?” Mom said.

“Am I not allowed to be here?” Gina asked.

“You had the guts to come here? Wow!” Caleb said angrily.

“Why not?” Gina said, as if she was pushing my brother’s limits.

“I’m so sorry, Aunt Lisa. I didn’t know Mom would be here. Mom, come on, let’s leave,” Cole told my mom and sincerely apologized to us. He pulled his mom away from us until they left the venue.

Caleb stormed off the venue before Dad arrived. I went to my mom and told her to let it go and forget it had happened so we could enjoy the night with our relatives. My cousins distracted me from that short tension when they gave me the gifts.

There was a short program for our get-together, and we acted like nothing had happened, but I saw how Mom was stressed and bothered by my dad’s former mistress. I knew seeing her brought back all her pain from the past. I couldn’t imagine how painful it had been for her to see Dad cheating and even impregnating his mistress.

I didn’t know where Gina’s courage to come here came from. She was really something, and I hated how much she had hurt my mother.

I didn’t hate my half-brother; he had been so good to me. He was protective and someone I could lean on, unlike Caleb, who was strict and always seemed to be in a bad mood when you look at him. That’s why I never got the chance to open up to him and be close with him. Maybe because of our age gap as well.

I was the youngest, Caleb was the eldest, and the second was Cole. When Mom and Dad got back together after the cheating, they had me. Although Gina and Dad were over, she felt entitled.

Everyone was happy the whole night, except Caleb. His night had been ruined because of Gina, and I understood him. What I didn’t understand was him hating Cole. Why was he at fault? It was Dad and Gina’s fault, not the child’s, right?

I hoped someday I could make Caleb understand that so we could all be okay as siblings. Cole seemed to be very understanding of his situation when it came to our family. He knew he was the son of another woman. In short, he knew his place.

When it was time for us to leave the venue, I saw Cole standing in the hallway talking to his mom. Why was she still here? And it looked like they were arguing. I decided to stay at the corner and observe them, and when Dad left the venue, Gina immediately ran towards Dad and smiled widely. I walked towards them to see what she was up to.

“Chris!” She held my dad’s hand.

“What do you need this time, Gina?” Dad said as he let go of her hands.

“Money,” my brows furrowed hearing this from her. Why was she asking Dad for money? Cole was already a working man in our company. Why didn’t she ask for money from her son?

“Why would Dad give you money? Ask for money from your son. He’s not your sugar daddy,” Caleb said sternly, but Gina didn’t care; she continued acting like we were not around them.

“I’ll give you money, Mom,” Cole said.

“You only give me a few thousand,” Gina rolled her eyes at Cole.

“My husband won’t give you any money, so leave,” Mom said.

Gina stared at Mom. “He used to be my husband as well,” she smirked.

“The last time I checked, you weren’t married to him,” Mom smiled back.

“But we were once in a relationship,” Gina talked back.

“But not married, Gina. I think you forgot about that,” Mom added.

This was stressing me out. I whispered to Cole to just let his mom go and leave us alone. But Caleb was really frustrated now that he even went to Cole to grab his collar. “Why did you bring your mom here? She’s ruining our night,” he said angrily.

“Bro, chill. I didn’t tell her about tonight. I just saw her walk down the hallway earlier. Don’t get mad at me; I’m trying to make her leave as well. You know Mom is a hard-headed woman, so don’t put the blame on me,” he said. I tried to calm Caleb, but he pushed me away.

“Your family is such a drama,” Gina chuckled. “Anyway, Chris, don’t forget to send it to my account,” she said as she walked away.

My head was hurting from all the stress Gina was giving my family. I saw how Mom looked at Dad with a look telling him not to give even a cent to that woman. Dad tried to hold Mom’s hand, but she let go. I knew she was very disappointed, and I hated seeing them like this.

I decided to walk away and drive somewhere peaceful. I think I need some air to breathe.