Chapter 4

4 - Apollo Castiello

Everything happens for a reason.

- Lost

I was watching the movie my father starred in thirty years ago, studying its details on the screen and trying to mimic them for the upcoming days. I saw him as a source of inspiration.

Eros Castiello was an actor of great relevance in the 80s and 90s, having a brilliant career until he decided to stop when he met my mother, and I was born. I vaguely remember my mother telling him he didn't need to abandon his career, that she understood every part of his work, but my father wanted to be fair, and he was. He abandoned his career, his dream, and the work he loved to be a father to me. So I could have a normal childhood, with normal parents.

But now, with a clear mind, I wanted to continue his dream. The dream he stopped for me. The dream I seemed to share the same emotions and sensations for. I wanted to show my old man that it was worth it, to show him that his life still had a purpose. I was doing this for him; after all, he was all I had.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're watching this movie for the thirty-sixth time." My father's voice filled the room. Well, his current voice. The youthful timbre came from the TV.

"It's because I love this actor." I lifted my head to look at him and smiled.

The alcohol had left his veins and, as a result, his expression. The blue of his eyes was soft again, but not bright. Both his and mine had lost their sparkle since the last Thanksgiving. But his face was gentle again, with the youthful tone that always belonged to him.

"Feeling better?" I asked, concerned, as my father sat in the armchair next to the sofa I was on.

My father took a deep breath and looked at the screen. It was no longer his face on it, but the woman who played his romantic partner in the middle of that action movie.

"It was an adventure working on this film." He ignored my question. He always did that. "I still can't believe she's gone."

I looked at him repeatedly.

"Mom?" I frowned.

My father closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. Talking about mom always caused that reaction in him. I was thankful I had thrown out all the alcohol in the house.

"No," he said. "Karen Lauren." He pointed to the blonde on the screen, and only then did I understand what was about to happen. "We worked together for a long time, and unlike me, when her daughter Mia was born, she didn't give up everything." He shrugged. "It's been two years since she died. She was a great friend, even though your mother was always jealous." He smiled nostalgically.

So, that blonde with the light blue eyes was Karen Lauren, Mia Lauren Hudson's mother. And the guy with coppery hair and blue eyes was my father. And then, an entire story was about to repeat itself, but with protagonists from different generations.

I smiled to myself.

"Dad?" I called, tilting my head to the side and saw when he looked at me. "I got a call earlier today, and well, Eros Castiello will be replaced by Apollo Castiello, and Karen Lauren by Mia Lauren."

My father's face lit up as comprehension dawned on him. His mouth opened and closed, and then he came over to hug me tightly. My soul seemed to relax again when I felt my father's heart beat against mine and saw his eyes shine as he looked at me.

"That's wonderful, Apollo." His eyes were moist. "This will be a huge boost to your career."

"It's for you, Dad." I touched his shoulder. "The dream you lost grew in me."

My father pressed his lips in a vain attempt to hold back his emotions.

"There's a meeting at the NewScene headquarters at 5:00 PM."

It wasn't my first time acting. I had participated in some TV series and even a few movies, but as a protagonist, it was my first time, and acting alongside...

"Mia Lauren is as talented as her mother." My father echoed my thoughts. "She just needs someone to believe in her since she's been alone."

I didn't understand immediately.

"But she's married; she's not alone."

My father just gave me a wide smile and got up from the sofa, holding my shoulders.

"You need to learn that being accompanied isn't synonymous with complicity. Now, let's go. I have some necessary things to tell you, my great actor."

I went, even without understanding. But the only thing that remained in my mind was the certainty that this would not be the start of a fiction film, but the beginning of the film of my life, with Mia Lauren as the protagonist.