The Heart He Never Knew How To Love

"I need to go. Can you watch Leo? I have no idea how long this will take," I said absentmindedly as I grabbed my bag.

"Of course. I'll take care of him until Mom can come over," Harry replied. His voice slowly blended into the numb buzzing inside my ears.

I could barely remember saying goodbye to Leo. Before I knew it, I was behind the wheel and racing toward the hospital. My mind fell into chaos and pulled me back toward memories I desperately wanted to forget.

Growing up, I had always felt like no one noticed me. Maya, my older sister, was Dad's precious princess. Stanley, my brother, was Mom's favorite son. Where did that leave me? I was simply Ava, and I didn't belong to anyone. I tried everything I could to earn their attention. I excelled in school, sports, and every activity I joined, but I still remained on the outside. Even in my own family, I felt like a complete stranger.

Nine years earlier, the weak connection between us had completely fallen apart. Stanley hardly spoke to me anymore, and Mom only called when she had no other option. As for Maya... she had cut me out of her life entirely. I could still hear the last thing she had said to me: "You don't mean anything to me. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a sister anymore."

Now, my father was caught somewhere between life and death. Was I supposed to feel sad or afraid? Instead, a strange emptiness filled me. How could I grieve for a man who had never made space for me in his heart?

As I kept driving, the road blurred in front of me while those thoughts ran through my mind. That familiar sense of being unwanted returned. My family had rejected me. My husband had rejected me. Even his relatives had never truly welcomed me. Leo was the only person who loved me without conditions.

Soon, the hospital came into view, cold and uninviting. My breathing turned shallow as I entered the lobby.

"I'm looking for my father, Lester Evans. He was brought here with a gunshot wound," I explained to the receptionist.

"Please give me a moment..." The receptionist searched on her computer. "He's in the emergency room, and the doctors are getting him ready for surgery. Walk straight down this hall. You'll find the emergency room doors at the end. The rest of your family is already there."

I thanked her with a nod and headed down the hallway. Every step echoed loudly in my ears, almost as fast as my racing heart. He was going to survive. He was strong, and he had to stay alive, at least for Leo. I kept repeating those words to myself.

As soon as I opened the door, I found Mom and Stanley inside. She looked completely broken. Blood covered parts of her dress, and hours of crying had left her eyes swollen. Stanley stood rigidly beside her and did his best to keep her from falling apart.

"Mom. Stanley," I greeted quietly.

Both of them glanced up in surprise. I walked over and took a seat beside them.

"What exactly happened? Is Dad going to be okay?" Mom struggled to speak through her tears.

"He was shot twice... One bullet hit his lung, and the other damaged his kidney. He was on his way back from the store when it happened. They brought him here as fast as they could, and the doctors are getting ready to operate."

I nodded because I didn't know what else to do. Part of me wanted to pull her into my arms and comfort her, but I already knew she wouldn't accept it from me.

"Dad's always been strong. He'll survive this," I murmured despite everything.

She gave me no answer because she couldn't stop crying.

Several minutes later, the medical staff pushed Dad past us on a stretcher. Mom and Stanley immediately hurried to his side and silently begged him to hold on. I remained in my seat because I knew I wasn't the person he would've wanted beside him. He would've looked for Maya instead, the daughter who had always mattered most to him.

Even so, I noticed his fingers graze Mom's hand. He quietly said a few words to Stanley, then passed him a folded document before the staff wheeled him away.

The hours dragged on without end. None of us spoke. Only my restless footsteps and the soft clatter of the coffee cups I kept bringing back broke the silence. Two and a half hours later, the doctor finally walked into the room.

One look at his face told us everything before he said a word.

"He went into cardiac arrest during the operation. We tried everything we could... I'm deeply sorry for your loss."

Mom let out a broken scream that tore through the room. Stanley caught her before she hit the floor, and they clung to each other as they cried over the man they had just lost.

Meanwhile, I couldn't move. My father was gone. And now, Maya was coming home.