"Robert, it's just a coincidence. Believe me!" begged Isabelle. She took notice that he was not believing her words. The fact that her life partner was doubting her words made her eyes sting.

The loud bickering made Marina rush to the hall. Isabelle ran to her mother and said, "Mom! Mom, he wants to put Camilla for adoption! Please tell him, she is his daughter! He cannot give her up like this, for God's sake!"

Marina looked at Robert, who held tears in his eyes. She always considered Robert as her own son. Marina patted Isabelle's back, "I'm sorry, but I agree with Robert."

Isabelle shivered with disbelief. Slowly, she released herself from her mother's arm and looked at her, "Mom?"

When she didn't receive any response from Marina, she glared at both of them and whispered, "How can you even think of this?"

"Isabelle, no one blames you for what happened." Said Robert looking at her with helplessness in his eyes.

"Blame? Blame me for what?"

"Isabelle, listen, you need to understand! I cannot accept her as mine! I cannot give her my name."

"Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this to my child? To our child!" She carried a sleeping Camilla in her arms and went to her husband.

"Look at her Rob! Look at her features. Her nose is just like you, slender and pointed. Her eyes are like mine, forest green. Don't you still believe it?" Robert turned his face away.

She hugged Camilla and went to her mother for help, "Mom, you know me better than anyone else. I never lie. Just look at her. Ask him to hold her once, he will realize that she is his. He will feel the connection. Please!"

Robert moved towards her and held her by her arm. He dragged her in the corridor, where family photographs were placed.

"Look at them, Look at us and look at that. Who has that kind of skin? Not a single soul in my family. None in yours. Then how come she has it?"

"I don't know anything about that! But all I know is that she is OURS! Please, trust me. Robert, she is special. I'm begging you. No one ever touched me except you."

"Alright, I believe you." For a second, Isabelle took a breath of hope, only to have it knocked out of her, "Maybe you were unconscious when the bastard took advantage of you. And you didn't even realize. That's why you think, it's mine."

Isabelle shook her head. She held Camilla very tightly and sat on the floor rocking herself. Robert bent to her level, "I have selected the best couple for her. They have been trying to have kids. But things didn't work out. They are ready to adopt her. They will love her. Think because of Camilla, they will get the chance to become parents. And she will also get lovable parents. She will be loved there. Here she will only get her mothers to love. But there, she will not be discriminated. "

Isabelle who was listening to all of this felt disgusted. She looked at him, “when her own father can not love her. How would I expect some stranger to love her? You are a disgusting pig of a person. I hate that I once loved you. Camilla will stay with me. No one, not even you will tear us apart."

"Isabelle! I have already taken a decision."

"To hell with your decision!" Isabelle shouted at the top of her voice. "Who the f*ck are you to take the god damn decision? You don't believe that she is f*cking yours! So you have no f*cking authority to take decisions!"

Robert was taken by surprise. His wife's language did not match her personality.

"Isabelle? How could you even say that! This is happening because of this girl! She hasn't even started speaking, and is already creating misunderstandings!"

He took a deep breath, and cupped her cheeks, “Can't you see? her presence is separating us."

Isabelle nodded her head, “Then let's get separated. I'm leaving you and your house. I choose Camilla over you if that's what you really wanted."

Robert was stunned, he couldn't believe that she wanted to leave him. She wanted to leave their home, home which they built with their love.

"You are not serious." When he received no reply, from her, he quickly grabbed her arms and pleaded, “Isabelle, you can not leave me. I can not live without you. Think about Gabrielle at least. Isabelle why are you not understanding, her skin-"

"I can't believe, that being literate you are so ignorant. I loved you more than my life. But, our baby needs us. If her father is not ready to take her responsibility, then I need to step up. Yes, her skin is different from all of us. Because she is special. God, has created everyone differently. What you are not getting is, she needs us more because of her skin. She needs to be strong. To face people like you. Now, I understand why Camilla has not been introduced to the world. Because you don't consider her as yours. How stupid of me it was to think that, we both need time to recover from what happened. I thought you will hold a grand party for her to introduce. But you were planning to hide her from the world. You don't want others to know about her. You are a hypocrite!"

*********
Robert tried his last attempt to convince her, “I will not put her for adoption. Please don't go."

Isabelle stilled, who was still sobbing holding Camilla, “it doesn't matter. You don't consider her as yours."

Robert hugged her from the backside, "please don't leave. I'm ready to accept her. I will give her my name."

"But you are not ready to love her."

"I- I will try-"

"If a father has to 'try' to love his kids, then that relationship was never meant to be fulfilled. Can you give me your word, that you will love her like Gabrielle?"

Robert knew that he could never love Camilla. He considered her as the root cause of all of his problems. His home was falling apart and he blamed Camilla.

******* 
"Mum, please don't leave me. I'm sorry.", cried Gabrielle.

"Shhh! Mum loves you, dear. You are my strong girl. Strong girls never cry."

"Mum please, why are you doing this? I will never complain to dad. Please! I'm sorry."

"GABRIELLE!" said Robert. "You don't have to be sorry for anything. It's Camilla who has separated you from your mother. No need to blame yourself."

"Robert, don't create differences between sisters."

"She is not her sister. Gabrielle, remember Camilla is not your sister. Isabelle, she should also know why her mother is leaving her. Princess, your mother chooses this ugly creature over you."

"Robert! How dare you call Camilla ugly?" Yelled Isabelle.

" Don't yell on daddy. He is right. She is ugly. You never raised your hand on me. But you did today, because of her. I hate her. She is so ugly. "

"GABRIELLE!"

"Don't yell on Gabrielle. If Camilla is ugly, it's not her fault. She is just stating the truth. "

Gabrielle couldn't control her emotions and ran to her room without saying goodbye to her mother. 
There was complete silence. "Will you...you...call Gabrielle?" Asked Robert. 
"Will you call Camilla?"

Robert shook his head. 
"Then even I won't."

"Think again." Pleaded Robert.

"If you are ready to love Camilla equally. Then I don't have to leave." Whispered Isabelle.

She looked at Robert one last time and said, " I love you. Both of you very much. Take care of yourself." Robert stared deeply into her eyes and made his way to hug her but their moment was interrupted by a honk of the cab.

Isabelle took Camilla in her right arm and her bags in the other.

Robert looked at her retreating figure when Marina tapped his shoulder. 
He turned around and bowed to touch her feet. He hugged her, "Mum, take care of her. She will never ask for my help. But if you ever need my help, please just call me."

"Robert, I'm so mad at her. She herself is hell-bent on wrecking her home. I hate that girl Camilla more than anyone! I wish-"

"I know Mum" Robert nodded. "I know. Trust me, my hate for her has reached a new level. "

"Take care of yourself and Gabrielle. We are moving to San Francisco. Just remember, she loves you too."

********
10 years later..

A young Camilla was holding the rubber stripped pocket backward while setting a stone at the pocket. She pulled the pocket back and released it, and the stone projected forward hitting the boy's head. She was taking shots with her slingshot at the boy.

"Hey! You are dead now!" The boy named David ran after her. And she was trying to save herself from him.

"I will kill you today!"

"Really? But to kill someone, you have to catch them first" She chirped.

But soon receives a smack on her head from her grandmother, "Granny! Why did you hit me?"

Marina kept the groceries on the table and turned towards her, “why are you bothering David? How many times I have told you not to bother him."

David smirked and started making faces behind Marina's back.

"Granny, he is making faces," Camilla said, innocently. But as she turned David just stood still, with shock on his face.

"David? Tell me, what this brat did today?"

"Hawww! Granny! How can you be so sure that it was me who did something?"

" Because I know you. You little she-devil."

"David!"

David looked at Marina who was waiting for an explanation, while Camilla was silently glaring at him behind Marina's back, threatening him if he opens his mouth, she will punch him.

David ignored her, “Granny, I told the teacher that her friend was the one who completed her homework. That's why she is hitting me."

Marina turned around and glared, “why did your friend complete your homework? "

"Granny, she owed me. So I asked her. And she did."

Marina pulled her ear, "and why she owed you? "

"Ahhh! Granny! It hurts." Marina released her, when she continued, "I always gave her your tasteless porridge which you gave me for lunch. She hardly brought lunch. So I was just helping her. You only told me, that we should always help others. "

"Oh! That's good. Wait. What? Did you just call my porridge tasteless? "

"Granny, out of all my statement you only catch this."

"You she-devil, wait let me teach you a lesson." Marina ran behind her along with David.

Marina sat on chair panting, "David catch her fast."

"Okay, Granny!"

Soon, Isabelle came from her office, and Camilla ran towards her and hid behind her.

"Mom, save me! Granny is mad at me."

David who came to catch her stood straight in front of Isabelle and said, "Hello Ms. Belle"

Isabelle patted his head and said, " Go home, your mother is calling you!"

Listening to this David left, quickly.

Isabelle bent to her level, "Be quick, tell me what happened?"

"Mom, I called her porridge tasteless."

Before Isabelle can react, Marina came there, "thank God, you are back. You only scold her. How dare she called my porridge tasteless!"

"Granny, what will Mom says, she herself thinks that your porridge is yuck."

Marina looked at Isabelle, who herself was shocked. Isabelle squeezed Camilla's hand indicating to run. Both Camilla and Isabelle ran, while Marina took her flip-flop and threw towards their retreating figure.

Marina, who used to hate Camilla, now couldn't live without her. Camilla's innocence had won her heart. Camilla's cute questions and that bickering with her melted her heart. Now, it doesn't matter, whether she is Robert's daughter or not. All she knew was that she was her granddaughter and she loved her very much. Even more than her own daughter.

******
Hey guys,
Due to less response, I'm planning to take a break. And update this story randomly.

It's just I very easily lose interest in things. I have lost interest while writing,'Too Late' so many times. Only I know how hard it was for me to complete that story.

For now, this is the last update of this month. 
Your votes & comments always motivate writers. But lack of response really demotivates me.

Lack of response just shows the story is not good. So, I'm planning to either take down this story or randomly update it. (Which will be once in a month)

Chapter edited by theKiara

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