Rise of the Worthless Son in law

13

Vivian sat by her father’s bedside, her hands trembling as they gripped his. Never had she thought that her father had such an illness he had been secretly battling.

Her heart broke even more when she thought of how much she had hurt him by storming into his office today.

Tears welled in her eyes as she buried her face into the bed, feeling heartbroken.

The only sound that could be heard was Vivian’s little sobs and the beeping sound of the machine.

“Viv…” Klaus’s weak voice called, barely above a whisper.

She slowly raised her head to see her father as he slowly opened his eyes. “I’m here, Dad,” she said, her voice breaking as she leaned closer. “I’m right here.”

He tried to smile but didn’t have the strength. “My strong girl.”

Her chest tightened, and she shook her head. The dam of emotions she’d been holding back broke, and tears spilled down her face.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Why didn’t you tell me you were this sick? You let it get this far, and I had no idea, Daddy!” she cried.

Klaus’s gaze softened as guilt filled his already tired eyes. “I was planning on telling you, Viv. I just didn’t know how. You are my only child.”

Vivian sobbed more, her fingers clutching her father’s frail hand as though she could anchor him to this world.

Klaus opened his eyes slowly, and the sight of his daughter’s tear-streaked face broke him in ways he couldn’t explain.

“Vivian,” he rasped hoarsely, “Stop crying… please.”

“I can’t!” she cried, her voice cracking. “I can’t lose you, Daddy. I can’t!”

He stared at her, his eyes filled with unshed tears.

A lump formed in his throat as he tried to speak. After a while, he added, “I wasn’t the father you deserved, Vivian.”

Vivian turned her head to him. “No, don’t say that—”

“Listen to me,” Klaus interrupted, “I bent you to my will. I saw you as a tool… a way to fix my mistakes. I pushed you into the company, forced my dreams onto you, because I thought it would make things right.”

Vivian shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face. “No, Daddy, you didn’t...”

“I did,” Klaus said, his voice breaking. “I was selfish. I wasn’t thinking about what you wanted or who you could be. I failed you as a father, Viv.”

His confession shattered what was left of her composure. Her sobs grew louder. “You didn’t fail me!” she cried desperately. “You gave me everything, Daddy. I’m the one who failed you. I wasn’t good enough—I never was!”

“Vivian,” Klaus whispered, his heart aching as he saw the pain in her eyes.

“I couldn’t make you proud,” she continued, her voice trembling. “I’m sorry I wasn’t the daughter you needed.”

Klaus’s chest heaved as tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. “Oh, Viv… I was wrong. You were never the problem—I was. You were everything I could’ve ever asked for and more. I just didn’t see it because I was too blind, too caught up in my own failures.”

Vivian buried her face in his hand. “Daddy, please don’t say that. Damon has a solution, he knows someone that…”

Klaus weakly shook his head, cutting her off. “Vivian, no... It’s too late for that,” he whispered. “You don’t need to keep fighting for me. I’ve made my peace with it.”

“No!” Vivian cried, her voice trembling with desperation. “You don’t get to give up, Daddy! Damon said there’s a doctor, someone who can help. We haven’t tried everything yet.”

Klaus’s gaze softened, his eyes filled with sorrow and love as he reached out a trembling hand to touch her cheek. “You’ve always been so strong, Viv. So determined. But this isn’t a battle you can win, not this time.”

Tears streamed down her face as she clutched his hand against her cheek. “I can’t lose you,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I don’t know how to live without you.”

“And you won’t, Vivian,” Damon interrupted as he walked in with a smirk.

As soon as Vivian saw him, her eyes lit up with a spark of hope. “Damon!”

“Mr. Nathan requests you send Klaus’s chart to him. He has agreed to perform an operation on him.”

Vivoperatea beat at Damon’s words. She turned to her father with hope and gripped his hand even tighter.

“Daddy, did you hear that? There’s still a chance!” she exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion.

Klaus’s tired eyes flickered toward Damon, and for a brief moment, a flicker of hope seemed to light them. But just as quickly, he shook his head weakly.

“Vivian… I don’t want you to keep clinging to false hopes,” he said, barely audible. “Even the best doctor says there is no hope. Sometimes, we have to accept what we can’t change.”

Damon stepped closer, his face unusually serious as he addressed Klaus. “With all due respect, sir, this isn’t about you anymore. Vivian needs you. And if there’s even the slightest chance of you pulling through this, it’s worth taking.”

The weight of his frailty hung heavily between them, but Damon’s words carried a conviction that struck a chord. Klaus looked at Vivian, her tear-streaked face pleading with him silently.

“I don’t want to see you suffer,” Klaus murmured, his voice cracking.

“And I don’t want to lose you,” Vivian replied firmly. “Please, Daddy. Let us try.”

A long silence filled the room, broken only by the rhythmic beeping of the machines. Klaus’s breath was shallow, his body weak, but in his heart, he felt the unyielding love and determination of his daughter.

Finally, he closed his eyes and gave the faintest of nods. “Alright. If it means that much to you… we’ll try.”

Relief flooded Vivian’s face, and she turned to Damon with her voice trembling with gratitude. “Thank you,” she said softly. “We’ll send the charts"