CHAAPTER FORTY NINE
Martin Ian felt his eyes filling up, and a lump formed in his throat. He stared at his son in front of him, who looked shaken to the core.
He never thought of meeting his son in such circumstances. In fact, he never intended to cross paths with him.
Chloe came running outside with a panicked look, not finding Bryan beside her. She froze as she saw the scenario displaying in front of her.
Her best friend was here, and relief washed through her body upon seeing her.
She simply narrowed her eyes at Mia, who seemed to be staring somewhere else.
That is when she noticed an unknown man standing ahead, and a completely dazed Alex was staring at the man.
Frowning, she stood beside Mark, gaining his attention.
“We’ll be leaving.” Mark announced and held Chloe’s hand, but before they could leave, Mia interrupted.
“Can I come with you guys?” Mia asked, She didn’t want to stay here, so she didn’t even glance at Alex when she uttered those words.
This seemed to snap Alex out of his daze as his eyes were on his wife, who stood there with their son in her arms. He panic, at the thought of being alone with the man in front of him.
“Stay.” He whispered, and Mia tensed.
She looked at him with a glare, but her eyes softened, seeing the vulnerability in his eyes. He wasn’t ordering her, he was begging her to stay with him. Her heart clenched at his state, but what about her? How could she stay with a man who used her? Why would she comfort him when he did nothing but make her feel like a nobody?
Taking a deep breath, she decided what she was going to do. She isn’t selfish like him, so she was going to stay.
Turning on her heels, she walked inside, and Mark and Chloe too left as Alex followed Mia inside.
“Mia ….” He called.
“I don’t want to hear anything, Alex, not a word.” She said it sternly, as she safely tucked Bryan in his crib.
As she tried to move past him, he held her hand and stopped her. She didn’t react, she just stayed in the same position.
“I know you hate me right now, and I don’t blame you.” He swallowed painfully, as his voice shook.
“Just stay with me till that man leaves here, please.” He pleaded, as she looked at him, stunned, because he isn’t a man who begged anyone.
So she nodded, and he left her hand, nodding as well.
When they walked out, Martin was already waiting for them in the living room. He saw them coming out and knew it was time for some revelations.
As the father son duo sat in front of each other, no one spoke a word as Alex continued to stare at his hands, he was tense.
Whereas Martin chose to stare at his son, Mia sighed beside Alex.
“You are alive.” It was a whisper, but the accusation and pain in the sentence could also be heard.
He still didn’t look up, as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
“Did your grandfather tell you anything?” Martin asked in a calm voice, and it made him more angry.
“Not a word. I don’t fucking know why I was found crying covered in blood. Till this date, that memory haunts me, and I don’t even fucking know the reason behind it.” He snapped furiously, and Mia felt her hands itching to hold his.
Martin took a deep breath before he started explaining what had happened back then.
Alex could only hear him with a blank face, which is why Mia couldn’t even comprehend what he was thinking.
The truth was too much to take, and so without another thought, she slipped her hand in his, gripping it tightly even though Alex felt emotionless.
“After I killed your mother and her lover, I confessed about it to the police, they sentenced me to imprisonment for ten years, and you were handed over to your grandfather.” Martin began, as he looked down, whereas Alex finally tightened his hold on Mia’s hand.
“So you’re saying that I’m not your son? I’m an illegitimate child of your wife and her boyfriend. Is that how it is?” Alex asked in a cold voice, but the pain in his eyes said otherwise.
“No! You are my son!” Martin forced himself out, and Alex let out a sad laugh, which scared Mia.
“Funny, how you still call me your son when in reality you do not even want to look at my face, which reminds you of your wife’s betrayal. That is why you didn’t even try to meet me once in all these years, right, Mr. Ian?” Alex asked, as Martin closed his eyes in pain because he had no excuse.
He didn’t try to contact his son all these years. It was true because he didn’t have the courage to. What will he tell him? That he killed his mother? That he isn’t his son?
Even though he had claimed to be his father despite knowing the reality, he could never fulfil his duties as one, and although he had a chance, he failed his son. He failed his son, who had trusted him.
“You can leave now, and do not try to contact me just like you didn’t all these years.” Alex declared, as he looked straight into his eyes, and Martin could only feel the guilt.
He slowly got up and turned to leave when Alex stopped him.
“Wait, what were you doing with Mia?” his question made Mia go tense, and Alex held her hand more tightly, feeling her trying to withdraw it.
“She was walking alone on a deserted road in the middle of the night. A man attacked her, and maybe your wife knows him. I just happened to be there at the same time, so I helped her. And don’t worry, he’s in jail now.” he finished, as he left after that, not looking back.
Alex turned to look at Mia with a worried gaze.
“Are you fine? Why the fuck would you leave in the middle of the night, Mia? It’s fucking dangerous, it is my fault, so you could’ve confronted me and slapped me,” he uttered, and so a slap was landed on his right cheek.
“This wasn’t even a tiny percent of what you did to me, Alex.” Mia said she was furious when he started lecturing her about it when he had no right to.
“Who was he, Mia?” He sneered in anger
“Dickson Levi.”
“That fucking bastard.” He cursed out loudly, making her flinch.
“Why did you use me, Alex?” Her voice broke as she asked him, and her eyes filled with pain and hurt. He froze for a minute before his jaw clenched, as he couldn’t even look at her.
He had no answer, he had nothing to say because it was the truth. He had used her for selfish reasons. And now he regrets it. He regretted it so bad, but he couldn’t even apologise because a mere ‘sorry’ would mean nothing. He had to do something else, he had to gain her trust back.
“I want a divorce.” She blurted out, and Alex’s eyes snapped in her direction.. She looked broken yet determined, and it scared him for the first time.
For the first time in his life, Alexander Ian was scared. Scared to lose the person who was slowly becoming his everything.
Mia was back to her old room, with Bryan, of course.
She couldn’t live with that man in the same room, and she couldn’t leave her son after what he had done. She sat on her bed and stared at her son, who slept peacefully.
Biting her lower lip, she bent down and kissed his face.
“I’m sorry. Mama is very sorry, baby. Mummy is very bad. She left her baby alone.” She gulped her tears, which threatened to fall.
“But I promise, I’ll never leave you ever again.. Wherever Mummy goes, Bryan goes with her.” She cooed her baby in her arms, and she kept kissing his head from time to time.
Alex, who stood at the door, watching her, he felt his heart get heavy at her words.
She had suffered enough because of him, and a cold, ruthless monster like him didn’t deserve her. But fuck that, he needed her, he needed her in his life, and he won’t at any cost let her go.
With this thought, he turned around and left for his room.
The next morning was a gloomy one, because when Mia got up, she realised that she was still in the same house. She wanted to leave, but she wasn’t going to run away anymore.
Bryan stirred in his sleep before he opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He stretched his arms, looking like a cute kitten, to Mia, who chuckled.
“Good morning, baby.” she held his tiny hand and kissed it.
Bryan rolled on his stomach and raised his head, looking around. Mia knew who he was looking for but ignored it.
“Da-da-da-da.” he kept mumbling and calling for his dad, resting his head on the bed.
His right hand stretched out, looking at the door. Mia clenched her jaw and looked away, feeling the pain in her chest.
Bryan suddenly squealed, making Mia’s head snap in his direction. She then followed where he was looking, and found Alex standing there, staring at Bryan with a smile.
“Good morning, buddy.” He chuckled when Bryan opened and closed his tiny fist, gesturing for his dad to come to him.
Alex walked toward the bed, as he sat near him before scooping his little boy into his arms.
Bryan giggled loudly in his father’s arms, and Mia gulped, feeling her emotions all over the place.
She hurriedly got up and walked towards the door, but a voice stopped her.
“Mammaaa,” Bryan mumbled, making his mother freeze in her tracks. He kept looking at her, but she couldn’t turn around.NôvelDrama.Org content rights.
Alex watched her, and sighed. He got up and stood beside her with Bryan, who now tried to reach out to his mother.
Mia winced when Bryan pulled her hair a little harshly, and Alex immediately rubbed the spot.
“Are you okay?” he asked with concern in his voice, it was something new for her, and she narrowed her eyes at Bryan, who was grinning.
That little devil, she thought.
“I asked something from you yesterday.” She mentioned in a cold voice, and he stopped his movements, taking his hand back.
Bryan stared at his parents, who seemed to have forgotten him at that moment. Alex looked into her eyes directly before he answered her. “I’m not going to give you a divorce.”
“And why the hell not?” She asked furiously.
“Because after all these years, when I’ve finally found someone who is now becoming the most important person in my life,” he stopped, seeing her eyes filling up with tears, before he gathered up the courage and continued.
“I’m not going to lose her because of my stupidity. I will win her trust back by every means.”
“And that is a promise, Mia.” he declared, and he was being sincere. She could see it in his eyes, but she still didn’t want to believe it.
Or maybe she was too afraid to believe him.