Katrina quickly listened and accepted her father's choice.
As she swore she would never overlook anything crucial, she kept her ears to the ground.
"George is the reason I had the least education," He talked for a few minutes before pausing once more to catch his breath.
Katrina's decision to play the role of an investigative journalist came after he had sworn to keep the secret to himself.
"In what way did George inspire your education?" Katrina added another perceptive question that made Kelly shudder.
Kelly begged for forgiveness before he even spoke." You will not be upset with me, will you?"
"I guarantee you.
I swear not to get upset with you."
Katrina assured.
On her face, though, there were still signs of uncertainty.
"Here's what has transpired.
In college, I met your mother.
Before our romantic relationship, she, George, and I were best friends.
Your mother got pregnant out of wedlock. I was pressured by my father to marry your mother.
Unsure of what to do, I rushed to George to get money. In exchange for that, I'll assist him with the final exams.
He claimed that if he did not graduate with honours, his father would remove his name from the family's inheritance." Kelly took a moment to wipe away the tears that were streaming from his eyes.
"So, how did you proceed?
Did you accept the ridiculous offer?" Katrina politely said.
"I assume you already know the answer to that query. It is clear," Kelly said sternly. He was too frightened to confess.
"This is the reason you are unemployed. He is the cause of the misery in our lives. He is the reason Mum died because we were unable to cover her medical expenses?" Katrina conjectured.
Whatever her father may have thought, she had already made an internal judgment about George.
"That is untrue and you know that.
In all of this, George is not guilty."
Kelly defends his best friend.
"My life turned out the way it did because I accepted his offer voluntarily, so if anyone is to blame, it is me." Kelly defended his behaviour without considering Katrina's feelings.
"The fact that you are standing up for George after he took your life is unbelievable.
When are you going to wake up from this friendship delusion? Dad, you are my utmost disappointment." Katrina screamed at Kelly without silence.
"Stop! Stop talking.
I did it for us." He silenced Katrina to stop talking.
"Or would you prefer that I did not tell you I was pregnant?" He added just to justify his actions.
Disdainfully, Katrina shook her head and scoffed.
In agony, she muttered as she turned to face the other side of the door. "You did it for yourself and not me. Don't play the victim card,"
While she did not intend to offend her father, she did want to get out of the car.
No one spoke to one another for more than five minutes; they were silent.
They were not prepared to offer an apology or acknowledge their role in the outburst.
"I would prefer to stop doing this now.
At long last, Katrina spoke.
"I want to go back home." She declared.
"Just what did you say?"
She had to look in his direction as Kelly went into a panic.
"You heard just that.
I will never be able to attend this.
That man denied me the life that every child would desire, for heaven's sake.
Trying to sell him your future was not enough. Now you want to make me marry his son to drag me into your mess? Who engages in that behaviour?" Katrina enraged.
When his phone rang, Kelly's heartache. He lifted his hand in the air, trying to slap Katrina.
He had to put his hands down because the incoming call distracted him.
"Very intriguing." Katrina gave a cheer to her dad.
"Dad, were you truly going to slap me?"
Kelly picked up his phone, ignoring her call, and saw it was George on the other end.
To give Katrina a warning, he turned down the call." The caller is George. I would prefer not to hear anything you say. Is that clear to us?"
"As if I give a damn?
He must be checking to see if his errand boy has finished the assignment," she growled.
In contrast to earlier instances, this one struck Kelly hard, causing him to respond right away.
"Get out of the car, immediately,"
He whispered to Katrina.
She turned away from him and stayed seated.
She pulled out her phone and pretended to be occupied with it in an attempt to get even with him.
Kelly made a quick move and grabbed her phone to get her attention.
"Please return my phone, Dad.
How would you take it from me in that manner? She protested.
"You're not getting back your phone until you step down from the car," he cautioned her.
"Am I being ejected from the vehicle because I told the truth?" Kelly got a lash out from Katrina. She continued to talk even after her phone was taken away.
"You got kicked out of the damn car because of the truth?" he mimicked Katrina
She was about to believe it was all a drama when Kelly got out of the car.
He ran over to where she was sitting and yanked open the door so she could leave. Katrina realized her father was not joking at that precise moment.
"All I can hope for is that you wake up soon enough.
I have lost my father, and it is so clear. I am eagerly awaiting his return." She pulled her phone out of the car, fought back tears like a pitiful widow, and got out.
A few minutes after she left, Kelly began to understand how he had made a mistake in kicking her out.
He went looking for Katrina in an attempt to make amends, but she was nowhere to be found.
"Why did I do this to myself?
What would make me treat her that way? It was my fault." He almost burst into tears.
Luckily, he managed to keep his tears from streaming down his face.
But there was still something wrong with his heart.
His legs were wobbly as he returned to the vehicle. He was barely able to fit them on his brake pads.
For a second time, his phone rang.
It was George who called.
Breathing heavily, he picked up the phone anxiously.
"Hey, George. Katrina has just reached the mansion.
As if he were being programmed to talk for a few minutes, Kelly spoke quickly and abruptly.
He did not wait to hear George's topic of conversation before ending the call.