Exposed

**A few days later**

I have been caged in this mansion for days now, as I was forbidden to leave the house. Dad made sure that the mansion's security wouldn't let me leave even if I wanted to.

I had no choice but to stay locked up in here even though his decision made me really mad. The only thing I had to console myself was that I wouldn't stay locked up for long as I was planning to finally expose the bitch.

"Are you really sure he's coming back today?" I asked Fiona for the umpteenth time and she still answered with a small nod.

I was currently in the living room, waiting for dad to come back from the hospital. I found out through Fiona that he would be coming back today. He hasn't come back since the day he left with Amara and that made me really mad.

He is neglecting his own daughter because of a liar and a thief. I stared at the large clock hanging on the wall again; it was almost evening time. Why aren't they back yet.

I was about to pick up my phone and consider calling him when I heard the mansion's gate opening and a vehicle's engine. I looked out through the window and saw dad emerging from the parked car.

Finally!!

I waited till he finally entered into the living room. He looked so stressed out and that only made him look older than he was. I stared behind him, expecting to see Amara but she didn't come with him.

It would have been better if she was here so dad could easily send her packing. It doesn't matter though because no matter where she is, it still wouldn't hide nor stop the truth from unfolding.

I signalled to Fiona that she had to leave and she bowed a little at me before leaving. I turned back to face dad and stood in front of him, preventing him from moving further.

"What do you want?" He asked in a rather harsh manner.

"We need to talk." I answered, trying to ignore the hurt I felt when my own father was talking to me in that way.

"What else do you have to say now that the child's dead?" Dad asked as a wave of sadness washed over his face.

"The baby's dead?" I couldn't help it when an amused smile curved on my face. It sounded really funny that a baby that wasn't even in existence was dead.

Dad stared at me in horror as he watched the smile dance on my face; "You're smilling?" He asked.

Okay... maybe I had made a mistake by smiling at that moment but I really couldn't help myself.

"Your blood sibling is dead all because of you and you're still smiling?" He asked again.

"No dad.. I was only smiling because.." I wanted to explain but dad cut me off.

"I was in the hospital for days, looking for a good reason you would do what Amara accused you of. You are my daughter, I took care of you alone after your mother died..." He paused for a while as he tried to steady his emotions.

His eyes were really red as he stared at me like he was about to cry. His open display of all his emotions only made me feel guilty for what I was about to do.

"Even though you didn't have a normal childhood like other children with a full family, you still didn't grow up to be aggressive or hurting others for your own gain. So what happened? Why are you acting like this Catherine? You're really starting to scare me." He asked as a lone tear escaped from his eyes.

"Dad.. it isn't what you think it is. Amara isn't pregnant."

"Yes, because you killed the baby. You made her have a miscarriage by pushing her down the stairs."

"No dad, it didn't happen like that."

"No need to deny it anymore because I have seen the evidence." He muttered.

"What evidence?" Dad reached out for his pocket and brought out his phone. He opened it and played a video on it before handing the phone to me.

I watched the video silently as it showed the event that occurred between me and Amara. The video seemed like it was captured by the mansion's cctv camera but it didn't have any audio unlike the ones I have with me.

When it got to the time that Amara fell down the stairs, the angle in which the cctv camera captured the video made it seem like I really pushed her.

"Are you still going to deny it now?"

"I don't have to deny anything because that video didn't capture the real thing." I answered.

"That's the mansion's cctv cameras that I made sure to install myself. After this evidence, you still don't want to come clean?"

"Dad.."

"You know, I thought about different reasons you would possibly do this and now; I've come to the conclusion that it's all my fault. I didn't raise you right like I thought I did and that was my biggest mistake. Notwithstanding, I still have time to rectify that mistake." He collected his phone from me and dailed a number.

"What are you doing?" I asked in confusion.

"I'm turning you in." His statement made me really mad. I snatched the phone from him and ended the call immediately.

"What are you doing Catherine?" He asked in surprise, probably not expecting that reaction.

"You would really have me thrown me in prison and leave Amara alone after she openly tried to kill me?" I asked, hurt laced in my voice.

"Catherine, what you did was way worse." He answered.

"What I did? You mean killing a nonexistent baby?" I asked.

"You want to use that excuse now? After I've seen her medical report?"

"Dad, why have you always been unfair to me when Amara's in the picture?" I croaked out in pain and hurt.

"How have I ever been unfair to you? I have given you everything you wanted in life..."

"But you didn't give me your love, your attention, your approval. I had to earn those myself."

"You can't have everything for free.."

"But I'm your daughter!!!" I screamed out in anger, shocking him.

"Can't I be an exception to it all?? Why do I have to always suffer in silence for the fear of hurting you when you've always openly pierced me with a sharp knife?" I couldn't hold back my emotions anymore, it really hurt a lot more than I thought it did.

"All these while, I blamed Amara and Andrew for the misfortunes that have always been happening to me when I forgot one important detail. You caused all these. You gave them the chance to hurt me since the day you brought Amara in."

"Cathy.." Dad called out, in a sorry voice.

"It doesn't matter anymore as I've finally decided not to stay still anymore. If you won't help me fight my battles as my father, I'll do it myself. Here!!" I harshly threw the documents containing all of the evidence on the table.

He stared at me silently, wondering what they were before he opened them. Dad's expression suddenly became pale and his breathing became labored as he flipped through the undeniable evidence of Amara's crimes.

Finally, when dad watched the video, confirming Amara's orchestrated "miscarriage," his heart could no longer bear the shock. He held his chest tightly like he was finding it hard to breath.

Even though I was really mad and disappointed in dad, I couldn't bare to watch him pain. I was about to reach out for him when he suddenly collapsed. A loud and pained scream escaped my lips when my dad fell unconscious on the bare floor.