New Life : A Second Chance 863 Closure

Kyle left Stephan lying down on the ground, thinking that it's best that he settled down before they started talking about Lianne.

"What happened to Lianne?" Stephan asked quietly from the ground.

"Come on, get up first," Kyle said, "Unless you're still feeling dizzy?"

"No," Stephan replied, slowly sitting up and then going on the sofa. He faced Kyle, who looked rather grim and serious.

Kyle handed him the short medical report that Zero had pa.s.sed to him.

 "What?" Stephan read the report, his reaction nearly identical to Kyle's.

"How .. how can this be?" Stephan asked.

"I don't know," Kyle replied, "But the first thing we need to do is get her tested. I can give her the best, you know that."

"And it's not your fault," Kyle said, "I was just born into a family that is filthy rich. It has nothing to do about your capabilities, or lack of it, so get that thought out of your mind."

"Is this why you told me?" Stephan said, "Because you can afford to give her the best when I can't?"

"Partly," Kyle said, "Mostly because I am closer to her than you. Closer, because I'm her mother."

Stephan stared at him, not comprehending at first.

"Wait … are you saying ..?"

"Yes, she knows who I am," Kyle replied.

"You told her?!" Stephan said, "For what purpose?! Does Joseph know as well?!"

"No, I didn't tell her," Kyle said, "She figured it out on her own. And no, Joseph doesn't know and I don't intend on telling him."

"Look, Stephan," Kyle continued, "As much as I love Lianne and Joseph, I am very well aware that my life as Kylie ended when she died. As you can see, Kylie died only a few years ago but I am already over 20 years old. Not only was I reincarnated, I was reincarnated in the past."

Kyle could see Stephan's eyes going wild again, so he said quickly, "Don't try and figure it out. Don't try to make sense of all of this. It can never happen. Just know, it did happen and I am living proof of it."

"What IS important right now is dealing with Lianne," Kyle continued, "I do not intend to take over anything for she is your daughter. I told you about myself because I wanted the freedom to be by her side."

Kyle looked at Stephan in the eye and said, "You're a wonderful father, Stephan but you know as well as I do that you've never understood her. The only reason she managed to recover from 'my' death was because I wasn't dead to her."

Stephan hung his head low.

He felt useless.

It was as Kyle had said.

He couldn't be there for his own daughter, no matter how hard he tried. He could see how she s.h.i.+ed away from him though she never rejected him. 

They just never got along properly.

He couldn't control his temper so much although he had been trying very hard. He couldn't fully understand her thoughts and his style of raising his kids couldn't really be changed. 

It was how he is. 

Just like she is how she is.

"It's not your fault, Stephan," Kyle said softly, "You are doing your best. I know that. She knows that. But it cannot be denied that you won't be able to offer her the sort of comfort that she needs when we break this news to her."

"We?"

"Of course, we," Kyle said, "You're her father, aren't you? I told you I'm not here to take over. Of course, if you're not around, I would definitely put them under my wing but as it is, I cannot in this form now, can I?"

Stephan looked at Kyle seriously, for the first time since the big revelation.

"Are you happy?"

Kyle gave him a bright smile, "I'm happy. I'm sad that I can't be with Lianne and Joseph like I used to, but I am so happy that I can finally see them whenever I want. It's been a long, hard and lonely life even though I was surrounded by so much love and wealth."

Stephan nodded, "Without them, our lives are empty. But why aren't you telling Joseph?"

Kyle gave a wry smile.

"Joseph wouldn't be able to handle it," Kyle explained, "You already have such a hard time grasping this - it would be worse for Joseph. And there's absolutely no reason for me to tell him."

"He has moved on, and so, let him be," Kyle said, "Unsettling him right now wouldn't do him any good."

"I suppose," Stephan said.

"Well, truth be told," Kyle said, tilting his head, "You're taking this much better than I thought. Albeit, minus the fainting part earlier."

Stephan snorted, shaking his head, "I'm still not quite grasping this, really. But I find it easier to take when I'm not questioning it at all."

"I'm glad," Kyle responded, leaning back on the chair.

"There is one thing though," Stephan said, wringing his hands and feeling nervous all of the sudden.

"What?"

"MIB? Donnie?"

Kyle gave him a cold smile, "Did you think I would pa.s.s the opportunity to take advantage of the wealth the parents this life has given me, in order to take revenge on those who killed me?"

"Did you…?"

"I did," Kyle answered.

Stephan thought back of all the things that had happened back in Country M. The threats, the things Kyle had done. Seeing them again with the knowledge that Kyle, is Kylie, made everything so different.

He looked at his 'wife'.

Well, ex-wife.

No, his mind still couldn't accept what his eyes was seeing but if he just listened to the words, it was easier to handle. 

"Who else knows?" Stephan couldn't help but ask.

"My sister, Kay," Kyle said, "And my wife."

Stephan was surprised.

"Your wife? She knows?"

"Yes," Kyle said, "I have an advantage, I suppose."

Stephan was confused.

"What do you mean?" Stephan asked. Wasn't it obvious that Kyle had an advantage? Well, several advantages? Handsome, rich, smart?

"As a former woman, I know what a woman really wants," Kyle explained, completely brus.h.i.+ng over the fact that it took him several years to realise his feelings and get together with Sayuri.

"And being open and completely honest in a relations.h.i.+p is the most important thing," Kyle said softly, his voice trailing off.

He saw the sudden hurt in Stephan's eyes and he sighed, "I know that's not your style and though I was often frustrated by your lack of communication when we were married, I accepted it. It was a part of you that you can't change so I didn't blame you in any way."

Blame? No, never. But anger? Frustration and utter hopelessness? Yes.

However, Stephan didn't need to know that, right?

Stephan understood.

"You really should find someone and remarry," Kyle told him, "You're the type of person that needs someone by his side, and be taken care of. I may have not been able to do a good job, so …"

"No," Stephan said, shaking his head, "Kylie was a good wife, and more than that, she was a fantastic mother. I was the one that failed her."

"No, you didn't," Kyle said, knowing full well that he was the one that had failed him. After all, he had that one-night stand with Chris.

"I've never thought that way. For what it's worth, Kylie was content," Kyle said.

Stephan was silent, then found that with Kyle's words, the deep knot in his heart, and the guilt he had always carried, seemed to have been cleared. The knot became untangled and the guilt was washed away.

Closure.

Stephan, in being able to obtain the closure that many would not get from the sudden death of a loved one, became much more relaxed.

This made the subsequent talks go back much smoother.

Kyle and Stephan spent a long time talking things through. Now that Stephan knew that Kyle is Kylie, he didn't object to Kyle spending more time with Lianne.

With the biggest hurdle out of the way, Kyle's next step is to approach Lianne, and wth Stephan, tell her.

 Kyle prayed for strength.

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"They do look happy, don't they?" Lianne whispered to Zero as they watched Kay and Joseph banter and laugh.

"Yes," Zero said.

"So when are you getting hitched?" Lianne asked, "No women you're interested in yet?"

"No," Zero answered curtly.

"Or is it that you prefer men?"

"NO," Zero answered through gritted teeth.

Lianne tsked at him and rolled her eyes, "Not many 30-year-old virgins left in the world, you know."

"Lianne!" Zero hissed.

"What? Are you telling me that you're not a virgin?"

"That isn't the issue here!"

"Oh come on, Zero," Lianne said sweetly, leaning forward, "I can't wait to see Little Zero. He would be so cute!!"

Suddenly, an all too-familiar-stupid voice shouted, "I knew it! You're pregnant!!"