"How did you two find ? I picked that area because of its remoteness, and yet..." Zack threw up his hands in frustration, looking at Ewan and Sandro who were seated before him in a plush restaurant, a far cry from the inn he had barely tolerated.
"We always do have our ways, you know that, Zack. You should also know by now that nothing can stop from getting whatever I want." Ewan replied, sipping the cup of coffee before him.
Even though it was past midday, he needed it to calm down, to recharge. He hadn’t had a coffee since today, an anomaly, totally Sandro’s fault. They had both overslept.
After bumping into Zack outside, the latter had imdiately dismissed the therapist whom Ewan believed had secured the interest of Zack, considering the latter had been blushing beet red in the face while telling the coly lady away.
Thereafter, he had instructed Zack to open the car, so they could get in and get away.
If Zack had hesitated then, he would have been subjected to Ewan’s hard punch.
Fortunately, he had been sensitive enough to note the tiredness in the features of the n, and so had obliged quickly, seeing they were the centre of attention.
Under the orders of Ewan—’don’t take back to that local inn. To the city!’—he had driven here, pleased to do so. It’s been a while since he inhaled fresh air.
If Zack would be truthful to himself, he missed his ho, yet he couldn’t go back. He has failed himself, has failed his father, has failed his past generations. Soone else could take the mantle of leadership from him. The town should sort out themselves.
"Is that why you are here?" He finally spoke, knowing the patience of the two n were still hanging on a thin thread.
"Huh..." Sandro started, not understanding what Zack was talking about. Ewan looked the sa.
"You ntioned that nothing can stand in the way of getting what you want. Is that why you are? Are you trying to get back to Athena? Is that why you are looking this haggard?... ’nothing can stand in your way?’" He paused, seeing the growing anger on Ewan’s face.
"Well, if that is so, I suggest you forget it. Just made do with the grace she gave you—seeing the kids once a month. She didn’t afford that chance."
"You would love to et the children?" Sandro asked, raising an eyebrow. "You want to give them your last na?"
Zack sighed tiredly, reclining further into his chair. "You know that isn’t possible. I just want to see them. Yes, maybe introduce them to my history and all. Athena was my daughter after all..."
"Adopted, whom you didn’t even enjoy training." Ewan cut in.
"You are one to talk. If you hadn’t been so foolish, so gullible, so..." Zack’s hands tinkered in the air, his eyes narrowing on them, as he tried to find the right word to attribute Ewan’s stupidity to.
"If you hadn’t be so duty driven, you would have seen what was right in front of your eyes!! We all wouldn’t have been in this situation. I would have had grandchildren around . I would..."
"Then, it was better it turned out this way." Ewan stated coldly, leaning forward, aning every word.
So, if he was still married to Athena, the twins would have gone over to Zack?
At that ti, it didn’t seem like anything important to him—he didn’t think he would want anything to do with Athena or whatever spawn she made—but seeing the twins, he knew he would have made a big mistake had he let them go.
Ewan also knew there would have been a ssier court battle because he would have surely fought to have them back, even without discovering the evil and death that was Fiona.
There was just this strong feeling of love and attraction that seized his heart whenever he saw them, whenever he looked at their pictures—sothing that have beco a regular business these days. No, he actually preferred how things had turned out, to an extent.
Zack bit his lips, seeing the determination burning in Ewan’s eyes. "You are lucky, Ewan. But don’t push past your boundaries."
"What do you an by that?" Ewan asked, his voice taking on a higher note.
Zack sighed, beating a slow rhythm on the table with his fingers. "She loved you, before I made the deal..."
A pause.
"I think that’s why she would rather forgive you, than . I preyed on her weakness."
Ewan lost his anger for a mont. "What are you talking about, Zack?"
He of course knew that Athena had loved him at one ti, but he had always thought the love had happened during the course of their marriage, not before. He had thought, even now, that she had served him out of duty during their first year.
Zack leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. "Do you rember the eting that was held in the council hall, where all the heads of towns and families were summoned over so barbaric killings happening in our communities?"
Ewan nodded. That was two years before his marriage to Athena.
"Do you rember I ca with Athena to the eting?"
Ewan pursed his lips, ruminating on this, allowing his mind to roam and find this mory. His brows thinned when he found it—he rembered seeing Athena, he rembered thinking her shy. Too shy and timid, and wondered why she had co for the eting in the first place.
He rembered noticing her beautiful countenance, he rembered being entertained by the way she moved her lips while trying to understand what the older n were saying.
Ewan paused, surprised at himself, realizing that he might have still gone after Athena if Zack hadn’t tried to force her down his throat, if Fiona hadn’t tried to force herself in his.
"You rember then." Zack said, nodding his head. "Well, she noticed you too. Worse, she fell for you. She claid it was love at first sight. But my wife laughed it off as a re crush, saying it wasn’t love at first sight if it wasn’t reciprocated."
A pause.
"Well, she proved us wrong. She fantasized about a union with you a lot, more than she even read. I once walked in on her writing a letter to you. Of course she had explained she wouldn’t send it, that she was just tasting her writing spirit..." Zack exhaled loudly, lowering his head a bit.
"And I ssed it all up, toying with her emotions. When you started showing interest in your father’s land, the stupid plan reared its head in my mind. A land for a son. The only reason she agreed was because I told her you fancied her too. Told her that you would be cold at first, but that with love and ti, you will thaw. Well, that advice wasn’t worth it eh..." He chuckled sorrowfully, shaking his head. "Now, I lost everything."
"You deserve it." Sandro said through gritted teeth.
"Of course, I see that now. I deserve everything. My wife warned , but I didn’t listen, consud with greed."
"Good for you." Sandro comnted, relaxing into his seat, darting a glance at Ewan. His friend was deep in thought. What was he thinking?
"You’ve got nothing to say?" Zack spoke after a few beats of silence. "Sothing in the lines of ’I deserve it too’?"
Ewan inhaled softly. "No need. I understand things more perfectly, can see why you advised not to push boundaries. It will be almost impossible to reach her now. I shattered her devotion to ."
Zack nodded. "True. Just like it is for . We will just have to accept whatever crumbs she throws to us. We were the one that started the ga after all, by making her feel unwanted first."
Ewan nodded slowly, taking a sip of the coffee, his expression totally bland. "That by the way..." He said, keeping the mug on the table. "We actually ca here to ask you so questions concerning Athena’s accident."
Zack shook his head, before Ewan could even continue.
"What’s the problem?" Sandro asked, raising a daring brow.
"I’m afraid you gentlen wasted your ti coming here then." Zack answered.
"And why is that?" Ewan clasped his hands on the table.
"I don’t know anything about Athena’s accident."
Ewan reclined into his chair, and gave Sandro a confused look, before reverting to Zack. "What are you talking about? How can you not know? Didn’t you keep her indoors till you thought she was better before letting her out?"
Zack nodded. "I did."
"So..."
"But I don’t know what misfortune befell her." He interrupted Ewan.
"Explain Zack."
Zack inhaled and exhaled loudly, starting the slow rhythm again on the table.
"Athena was always bright while growing up, very active, very curious, so curious that she sotis grated on my nerves. Why would a child want to know everything? But my late wife thought it better to allow her so amount of freedom to explore her interests, so I did."
A wistful longing flashed across his eyes. "I miss her, you know, my wife, even though my actions sotis negate that."
"Mmhm, continue the story..." Ewan asked, not ready to be sidetracked.
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