*this one is mostly dialogues, crammed into various paragraphs. I didn't know any better way to write it! Might be boring to some..🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️*

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"... I love her alright? And if there is anyone you should blame for all of this is me... I forced her into this one... I talked her into this one... she didn't even want to be with me in the first place..."

Cecilia's mouth stood agape.

"Wait... what?"

I sighed heavily and walked back to my chair.

I had finally done it.
The thing which I had been dreading ever since Cecilia came into my life.

"You love mom?"

Cecilia asked, her voice shaky and hoarse.

I nodded my head, without looking up at her.
I felt... guilty.

"So... you never loved.. me?"

Ouch.

"I am sorry Cecilia... when we first got together, I had no idea whose daughter you were. I mean it didn't even surface in my mind once that you could be Katniss' daughter... the woman I have been in love with for the past 20 years... I mean what were the chances?!"

I cried, throwing my arms in the air.

There was an uncomfortable silence dawning before us and Cecilia was so shocked, she wasn't even crying. There was not even a single drop of tear in her eye.
She simply stood there, hands on her mouth, frozen and stoic.

"I could never forget her... no matter what. Everytime I was with someone else, I could only think of Katniss... I could only think about how much I loved her... what started with infatuation turned into... love.. and.. because of her none of my relationships also worked"

"I was so into her that when I lost her... I got so mad... I started sleeping with any woman I thought was interested in me, hoping that would get me over her... but it never did. Till date it never did..."

"And that day, when I saw her after all those years.. I couldn't resist myself. I knew I had to have her again.. there was no way I was going to let her go this time. Even if it meant... hurting you.."

*long uncomfortable pause which I cannot explain*

"That was why I didn't want to get with you in the first place..  because I knew apparently I would get bored of you and will leave you all broken and sad.. and this was especially hard for me since you were just so young... I didn't want to torment you for the rest of your life and look.. where we are now.."

I glanced over at Cecilia and she looked horrible.

It was all too much for her.

All those truth bombs dropped on her one after another...
I felt horrible knowing that I was the one who revealed everything to her, someone whom she loved maybe a little too much.

I got up from my chair and took Cecilia's hand in mine.

"Cecilia, look at me..."

She hung her head even lower than it already was, so I brought my finger under her chin and lifted it up.

"Cecilia... you are beautiful and you are young... and clearly I am not the person you should be with. You should be out there, meeting new people, making new friends.. perhaps maybe fooling around a lil bit.. don't let this affect your future in any way...."

"Promise me.."

"P-Paul..."

Cecilia choked.

I pulled Cecilia into a tight hug, wrapping my arms around her tiny frame and carding my way down her long hair.

"I am sorry it had to be like this..."

Cecilia broke and started crying loudly.

Oh it hurted me hearing her cry like this.

She didn't deserve all of this.
All she did was fall in love with someone who just 'happened' to be in love with her mother.
That doesn't happen this often?

I felt horrible, just how I should feel.

"Cecilia-"

Suddenly, she pulled back from me and her hand came flying over my face.

"I HATE YOU!"

She yelled and left crying.

It hurt.
Not that she slapped me, but because she hated me now.