With a mild smile, you stood in the kitchen and mixed all the ingredients together.

The sound of running water filled the silence.

For some reason, this felt good.

It was just as you had imagined your reunion to turn out, safe and whole. You wished you could have frozen this moment and keep it forever.

A door opened, footsteps sounded.

But the water was still running.

The steps stopped.

You did not turn around.

"You shouldn't let the water run, grumpy.", you said while stirring two eggs into the batter.

He didn't answer.

Puzzled, you frowned and took a quick glance over your shoulder. Out of the corner of your eye you could see someone standing in the hallway. A shadow fell in the kitchen.

"Marcus?", you turned away again. "Turn off the shower. Or do you need something?"

Again he didn't answer.

Your eyebrows drew together. For a moment you waited, maybe he needed to remember what he wanted. But his behavior seemed strange to you.

"Marcus.", you said his name more clearly. "Why don't you answer?"

Grinning in confusion, you turned to face him. But the joy quickly disappeared. Instead, you felt something tighten in your chest. Your eyes widened and your mouth fell open.

With wide eyes, a girl looked at you. Confusion and a hint of fear shimmered in the gray blue. She had short red hair, was maybe a little older than five. Uncertainly, she took a step back.

"Who... who are you?", she asked in a silent voice and hid in the shadows.

Slowly you took a step closer and knelt down. You tried to smile so she wouldn't be afraid of you, but it didn't feel right. Your eyes wandered over her face.

She didn't look like him at all, but the way her face moved and her lips were shaped made it obvious who her father was.

"My name is (Y/N)...", you whispered and had to swallow hard.

It hurt to see her. But you didn't want her to feel bad.

She kept backing away, looking you up and down.

"Why are you here?", she asked, hiding behind a cabinet.

You took a deep breath.

The sound of running water stopped.

For a long moment you just stared at the girl. Your whole body was shaking. It felt like someone was choking you.

You could hardly breathe.

Footsteps sounded. The door between the two of you opened.

Marcus appeared. He was wearing a new t-shirt and loose sweatpants.

When he saw you kneeling on the floor, he frowned in confusion. His gaze followed yours. Surprise lit up on his face.

"Ren.", he gasped.

Immediately the girl ran to him to hide behind his leg.

"Who is this, daddy?", she asked.

Again you had to swallow hard. Slowly you rose.

Your eyes met Marcus'.

"You have a daughter?", you asked in a trembling voice.

Suddenly, anger burned inside you.

You couldn't believe it. You didn't want to believe it.
Breathing heavily, he looked at you. For a moment it seemed as if he wanted to apologize. But then his expression darkened.

"Yes.", his voice was so cold, so distant when he confirmed it.

Grimly, your eyebrows drew together.

Why did this answer made you feel so angry?

"We had agreed that we would start families at the same time!", you didn't know why it hurt you so much to see that he was a father.

Maybe it was the confirmation that he had been able to live on without you.

Maybe it was the thought that he had buried you and your plans.

But it made you furious. It hurt. And it made you feel like you were just a ghost from the past that no longer had any value to him.

With his lips pressed together, Marcus shook his head.

"What should I have done?", he asked tensely. "Wait for you even though you would never return?"

"I promised you that I would always come back!"

"But you didn't! You were dead! I continued alone, had a family, and then you decided to just show up again?!"

"I told you it wasn't my decision!"

"But you decided to come back!", with bared teeth he stood in front of his daughter and drove you down the hall towards the front door.

Angry and confused, you backed away. Now the anger flared up in your eyes, too.

"I wanted to see you again because you are my family.", you growled.

"That's selfish! I was fine! I was satisfied with the life I build without you. And then you showed up and had to mess everything up! You can't just disappear for decades and then demand that everything be the way you want it to be!"

"I never said you are not allowed to have your own life! But you just... tossed me aside?! This was one of our plans, having kids so they could be best friends like us!", in your rage, you pointed at Ren.

Angrily, he slapped your hand away.

"Don't you dare address my daughter like this!", he hissed and pushed you to the door. "She's my family. She is the family that you didn't want to be."

"I want to be your family again, Marcus!"

"But there is no place for you left anymore!", his voice was shaking as he screamed it into your face. "You had a place! You were part of this family! But then you decided to leave me behind. Do you have any idea how I've felt? How fucking lonely I was?! You... you should have just stayed dead..."

Breathing heavily, you eyed his face.

There was so much pain in his brown eyes. But also so much anger. He was furious. All those years of build-up frustration were crashing down on him in that moment. He wanted you to know how it felt.

And he wasn't willing to forgive.

"M-Marcus...", you gasped his name, fighting back a scream. "I'm trying..."

He shook his head.

"No, (Y/N).", he swallowed. "Some things cannot be fixed. Trying is not enough... not for the damage you caused."

"Marcus."

"Leave. Now."