Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Apollo Castiello

"Everything happens for a reason."

— Lost

I was watching the movie my father had starred in thirty years ago, studying its details on the screen and trying to replicate them for my upcoming role. I looked up to him as a source of inspiration.

Eros Castiello was a highly celebrated actor in the 80s and 90s. He had a brilliant career and decided to walk away from it all when he met my mother and I was born. I vaguely recall conversations with my mother telling him he didn’t have to give up his career, that she understood every aspect of his work. But my father wanted to be fair, and he was. He gave up his career, his dreams, and the job he loved, all for the sake of being a father to me. So I could have a normal childhood with normal parents.

Now, as an adult, I wanted to carry on his dream—the one he had put aside for me. A dream that seemed to resonate within me, stirring the same emotions and aspirations. I wanted to show my old man that it was all worth it, that his life still had purpose. I was doing this for him—after all, he was the only family I had left.

"If I’m not mistaken, this is the thirty-sixth time you’ve watched that film."

My father's voice filled the room. Well, his current voice—while the voice from his youth echoed from the TV speakers.

"I just love this actor," I said, lifting my head to look at him with a smile.

The alcohol was finally out of his system, and as a result, out of his expression too. The blue of his eyes was soft again, though not quite bright. Both his eyes and mine had lost their sparkle since last Thanksgiving. But his face now carried that gentle, youthful tone that had always been his.

"Feeling better?" I asked, worried, as my father sat in the armchair next to the couch where I was.

He took a deep breath and glanced at the screen. It was no longer his face there, but that of the woman who played his romantic partner in that action-packed film.

"It was an adventure filming this movie," he said, ignoring my question—as he always did. "I still can’t believe she’s gone."

I looked at him repeatedly.

"Mom?" I asked, frowning.

My father squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. Talking about Mom always brought that reaction out of him, and I silently thanked myself for getting rid of all the alcohol in the house.

"No," he said. "Karen Lauren." He pointed to the blonde woman on the screen, and only then did I understand what was coming. "We worked together for a long time. Unlike me, when her daughter Mia was born, she didn’t quit everything." He shrugged. "It’s been two years since she passed. She was a great friend, though your mother was always insanely jealous." He smiled wistfully.

So that blonde-haired, light-blue-eyed woman was Karen Lauren, Mia Lauren Hudson’s mother. And the copper-haired, blue-eyed man was my father. Suddenly, it all became clear—a story was about to repeat itself, but with protagonists from a different generation.

I smiled to myself.

"Dad?" I called, tilting my head slightly as I noticed him looking at me. "I got a call earlier today. Well… Eros Castiello will be replaced by Apollo Castiello, and Karen Lauren by Mia Lauren."

My father’s face lit up as understanding dawned on him. His mouth opened and closed, and then he walked over to me and hugged me tightly. My soul seemed to relax again as I felt his heartbeat against mine and saw his glowing eyes looking back at me.

"This is amazing, Apollo," he said, his eyes moist. "This will be a huge step for your career."

"It’s for you, Dad," I said, touching his shoulder. "The dream you gave up grew inside me."

He pressed his lips together, trying to hold back his emotions.

"At 5:00 PM, there’s a meeting at NewScene headquarters."

This wasn’t my first acting role—I’d been in TV series and even some movies. But being a lead actor, and with…

"Mia Lauren is as talented as her mother," my father said, as if echoing my thoughts. "She just needs someone to believe in her, especially now that she’s on her own."

I didn’t immediately understand.

"But she’s married; she’s not alone."

My father just gave a wide smile and got up from the couch, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"You’ll learn that having someone by your side doesn’t always mean having real companionship. Now, come on. There are important things I need to tell you, my great actor."

And so I followed him, still without understanding.

But one thing lingered in my mind—the certainty that this wasn’t going to be the start of a fictional film. It was the beginning of my own life’s story, with Mia Lauren as the leading lady.