Chapter 135

**Acacia Point of View**

"Another uncle?" I nodded.

"He is called Uncle Damien?" I nodded again, seeing my son evaluate Damien with his scrutinizing eyes.

Damien seems to be enjoying the attention as well so he kept giving Igses gentle smiles.

"He is your best friend?"

"One of my best friends, yes." Igses heard me and turned to Damien. He circled him a couple of time and after ten minutes of silent examination, a full blown smile snaked on his little face.

"It's nice meeting you, Uncle Damien. My name is Igses Dawn Winters. I'm my mamma's son and the love of her life." He introduced himself respectfully but with a highly friendly grin.

Love of my life? Indeed he is but where did he learn to be such a narcissist all of a sudden?

"Hello Igses. It is nice meeting you too. I couldn't come and meet you earlier, I'm sorry." Damien rubbed igses head and tapped his nose with his finger.

"Not a problem, Uncle Damien. Adults have so many things to take care of, I understand." Damien's eyes widened slightly when he heard Igses words. He glanced at me briefly, telling me silently that my little guy is brilliant.

"Yes. Adults do have a lot of things to deal with." Damien sighed and picked Igses up to sit him on his lap.

Although it was just a reply to Igses's previous statement, I still knew Damien meant about the things I have been handling all these years.

It took Liam a whole day to tell the whole situation and the past to Damien. If I were to tell it, I wouldn't be able to because there are a few things I don't want to revisit them even as a memory recollection.

Liam knew this so he took up the charge of clearing out every doubt and confusion time has presented to Damien. Surprisingly, after getting to know the truth, the few memory potholes that Damien has, had been filled and he recollected all the memories of us from back then.

It was only then did his earlier state of mind was synced well with the original memories and he was able to believe everything.

What I was most grateful of was, Damien, being the ever most sensible guy, did not ask, question or checked with me about what he heard from Liam. He did not even mention it to me and only talked about our own memories with our group in the past.

Sigh! If their memories were not tampered with, would he and Ruby be together already? Would they have been in a solid relationship or perhaps married?

"Uncle Damien, are you an architect like mamma?" Igses asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Yes. Your mamma and I have three more friends. Of which, your Uncle Carter, Aunt Anne and I started a firm in our final year of our graduation." This got me surprised!

Back then, we all planned out to start our own firm in the final year. I didn't know they still realized that dream even without me and Ruby.

On one hand I am genuinely happy for them while on the other hand, I am sad that the dream we saw together did not included me and Ruby.

"Alright, go on and complete your homework now. Didn't you say you have a spellings test tomorrow?" I waved at Igses and pointed my finger at the clock. Igses noticed that it was pretty late and still have to complete his homework so he hurriedly ran out after telling his 'byes'.

After Igses left, I turned to Damien and got him a cup of coffee and tea for myself before getting back to our conversation.

"Igses seems to be very protective over you. The way he scanned me earlier and only after he did not feel anything strange from me did he return back to his normal mood."

"Don't even talk about it. He is too cautious about people around me." I chuckled when I remembered about all those times he grounded me as punishment for not dealing with the bad guy immediately.

"Anyways, where is your firm? How are you all doing? Are you still single or in a relationship? What about others?" I rained him with questions which, he answered patiently.

"It is called 'Dream Architects', in Charleston for now but the plans to have branches in few more cities is still in process right now. Carter and Anne are doing more than fine. I am still single because I was busy with work and also, for some reason, I did not feel like dating anyone yet."

"May be because somewhere deep down, you - felt for Ruby." I said carefully not wanting to pry too much or say too much.

"Maybe, maybe not."

"I'm sorry. I am partly, indirectly a cause for your separation with Ruby. If not, you would still remember Ruby and maybe, you would have a different life now." No matter who did it and for what reason, I am partly the cause.

"That is true but it might not be a happy different life."

"Hmm?"

"We had a few differences between us that year before you went missing. We would have been in an unstable relationship or perhaps not have been together anymore today because we had many misunderstandings that year."

"But it did not seem so? You both hid it well."

"Thinking about it now, I feel like we both overreacted over simple things. I was not as reasonable I should be and she was not as active as should be." We were not as matured as we are now. At that age, ego and pride plays a huge role in influencing our emotions.

It is no wonder if they have some differences. But I still think they should've overcome them anyhow. But now, they were just classmates and no more than strangers.

"Is she -" Damien realized what I wanted to ask so he smiled wryly and nodded his head.

"Last time in the class reunion party an year ago, she announced that she was engaged and will be getting married in a couple of years if everything goes right. It's said that it was a match arranged by her family and she was satisfied and happy then when she was announcing the news."

Now I'm more than just guilty. Why should things turn out this way?

If whatever happened between them was their choices, then it would still be fine but this all happened because of one careless act of wiping out my identity.

I cannot help but feel pain for him. With memories, those past feelings should've resurfaced too. He can neither proceed nor retreat now.

What a pickle of a mess it is!

"Damien, I am truly -"

"Leave about me. Think that it all happened because of fate. You tell me, when you came back to this world, you have no identity then how did 'ID Designs' come to existence?" I was thankful for his obvious try to change the topic.

"I first got an identification card from an illegal dealer and sat for high school exams again. A few months after I passed it, my friend pulled out some means and I sat for University graduation final exams from New York University. As soon as I got the degree for Architecture, I and Aviva, my friend, started our own firm."

"Liam said that before establishing the firm, you used to do some odd jobs and errands for living and hardly earned anything for yourself. It must've been hard on you with a child and nothing in hand." He tried to cover up the sympathy and pain but he still spilled it out a little in the way he frowned.

Although I did not like others to feel sympathy for me, it still made me happy that Damien at least understood me without judging me randomly.

That was enough!

"Hard, but Igses made everything worth it. Aviva was great help too. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here as well."

"Hmm. So what should we do about Carter, Anne and Ruby then? Should we tell them the truth?" I shook my head, straight away rejecting the idea.

"It's a waste of time and effort. They will not believe it. Not at least before they get back their memories too. The whole thing is not a simple issue; it involves something supernaturally unexplainable and believable. Now is not the time. Since you remember me, the same way, one day they might remember me as well."

"That's true." He sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration. I chuckled at his attempt to simply the new information in his mind and get in terms of it.

"Then what about - him?" From the hesitation, I could tell that the 'him' he was talking about is the Jerk.

"Nothing. He came to this world an year or so ago, we only met few weeks ago, his powers are restrained his so he can be counted as a normal human. He has been trying to enter my good books but I am not interested in it." I shrugged, summarizing everything briefly.

"Why not?" Now this question is unexpected from him.

What does he mean 'why not?'?

"Of course I don't want such a man in my life. He is nothing but an animal to me." I said with a frown.

"Do you hate him so much?"

"I despise him and so does my family." I looked at Damien and he was already staring at me as if I am a child who needs enlightenment.

"You know, as much I hate him for what he did to you, he is not completely so bad." I'm sorry?

He is not completely bad? He is bad to core.

Damien, did you lose your mind in these past few years?

"You must be joking right?" I laughed out, waiting for him to say 'it's just a joke'. But that never came. He was actually staring at me seriously.

"I only know what Liam told me. So I will tell you what I feel based on the very little information I have. You were abducted. Imprisoned, had to carry his child and many more but I did not hear Liam say that he forced a marriage on you. Did he force you marry him?"

His question, although simple, stumped me.

"No." I answered without thinking.

"Did he try to separate you and Igses?" I thought about it and shook my head again.

"Then did he impose any rules and perimeters on you to make your life hard?"

Jerk was a big jerk and had many rules in kingdom. While I did have to follow a few, I was still spared from those that made it hard for me to live.

So in answer, I shook my head.

"Did he hurt you physically or apart from the time you were locked in the castle, were you implicated emotionally or mentally?"

"I was but not as much or not at least directly by him. But he did use me and Igses as bait to kill his enemy."

"That is unforgivable. But apart from that, I don't think he is not inflexible. He can be taught. He was powerful man, Acacia. He was a king, a person who ruled a whole realm of supernatural race. He was born and brought up in a certain way that he has to be selfish. But he was still considered to have gone very easy on you after Igses was born. Didn't he? He let you have your own independent life somewhere else and did not interfere much."

"So you mean, I should forgive him?" I exclaimed, looking at Damien in shock.

"No. He now has neither magical powers nor his kingdom, he is taking steps in learning different way of life, why don't you take this opportunity to act while the iron is still hot?"

Huh?

Act while the iron is hot? Act on what?

**~*~*~*~*~*~

Hello Sweeties,

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