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"what are we gonna do now?" Alethea asked while sitting at the cold sand of the seashore under the sky of dawn with the setting sun something down the sky, the cool wind blew making Maverick shut his eyes momentarily.
"things will still get tough," he sighed after saying that, "we just have to be one." he completed while looking into her eyes, her lips gentle curved into a small smile. "when does your birthday comes?" alethea asked Maverick making his smile fade away.
"m-my son, my love, you-your d-dad.." before bella could complete her breaking voice sentence, she bursted into tears into the chest of her 8 years old son.
He was just trying to process things but he was too young for this bitter truth.
"where's dad? where's my birthday gift, mom?" she bursted more into his not so hard chest while he could not stop his eyes releasing tears down to his cheeks.
"Maverick?" , "Uh- yeah.." He gasped out from the flashback after she shook him a little, "my birthday?" she nodded excitedly, "1st january." her eyes widened, "you mean tomorrow!?" she yelled out of excitement and he nodded.
"but i don't celebrate." her eyes were confused after hearing his words, he was looking down at his crossed legs on the sand ground. "why?" she asked him politely, he looked up the wave of the sea water before curving his lips into a small smile.
"my father left me on that day, my birthday is his death anniversary." his words made Alethea's heart wrench as they were hurtful for real, she regretted asking him about the most mournful day of his childhood and maybe from his whole previous life.
"I-I'm sor—" , "No! It's okay." he cut her off in between and smiled at her, she smiled back at him wanting him to comfort. "we should go home now, i guess." Maverick said glancing at the sky which was already dark and filled with diamonds.
she nodded her head in agreement before standing up, Maverick waved at Alethea after she was sat in the car and drove away after that. Maverick also sat in his motorbike and drove away from there towards his house.
—
The house was quiet as if everyone were out or resting in their bedrooms, he walked upstairs lazily and when he reached the upstairs lobby, he stopped entering his bedroom and looked at the door of his step-brother's room's door, He thought he should thank him atleast.
He was about to knock on the door of his step-brother's bedroom, when suddenly a voice made him stop in between of the process.
"Don't wake him up, he must be tired tonight." it was Alba's words, Maverick turned to face his step-sister who was dressed up in her night gown. "What do you mean?" Asked Maverick confusingly to his step-sister.
"Come with me." with that Maverick followed Alba to the kitchen downstairs, she turned on the lights and started to heat the food for her younger step-brother. "He wasn't the Andrew, you knows." Alba said smiling internally while Maverick was sitting on the stool beside the kitchen island.
"He was so caring and loving, just like i wanted him to become. The most interesting part is, he fought for you with dad." Alba said after turning around and putting the plate filled with spaghetti in-front of Maverick on the marbled island of their kitchen.
"Andrew?" Alba nodded her head with a proud smile over her lips, which made Maverick feel so soothing.
"Even when dad was about to hurt mom, Andrew grabbed his hand and yanked him away and—" a sob escaped from the mother-like-sister's mouth, she was so happy after seeing her brother like this, a brother whom she cared about like her son.
"Sister.." Maverick whispered softly with worried eyes towards his step-sister, she wiped her tears with her palm roughly before looking into the worried eyes of Maverick. "—he fought for you, and i know after seeing this our mom will be very happy while sleeping in her grave." her lips trembled when she completed her sentence.
Maverick quickly got up from his stool, and held her into his warm embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist and bursted more into his chest making him stroke her hair in order to calm her down and even he pecked her head to make her calm down as soon as possible.
—
"so what." william uttered unbothered after seeing his daughter investigating her father and raising her voice at him while asking the question, it was the very first time probably that she raised her voice at his father even when he always had been imposing his orders on her.
"so what?" alethea repeated the words of her father, "you were telling me to stop meeting Maverick because YOU wanted me to get married to Andrew!?" she yelled with disgusted face.
"So, what's wrong in this? i want secure your future, that's it." he said unbothered again, making Alethea roll her eyes. "h-have you asked me what i wanted and what i want?" she asked with tears streaming down to her face.
"Ale—"
"No, no, this time i want you to see and hear what's going on in my heart and my mind, dad," she said cutting off her father, her granny watching the moment with wrenching heart seeing her granddaughter crying was the worst thing she didn't wish to see in her life.
