Autumn is a second spring

71. Freedom.

Merlin knelt on the ground with her arms wide open as she stared at her son.

Bew hid behind Prem's legs as he peeked at his mother, who he had only seen in the old albums of his elder sisters. 

He was always envious of his sisters for having met and lived with their mother as he never got the chance to do so. He had longed to meet his mother in person himself but seeing her right before his eyes didn't feel any special connection to her. She was just like any other female stranger to him. He didn't feel any excitement either.

"Baby," Prem gently ruffled Bew's hair, making the latter look up at him. "That's your mom." 

He could clearly sense Bew's hesitation. It was never easy for a kid like Bew to be completely defenseless and open to a person he was meeting for the first time.

Bew held tightly onto his Dami's trousers, nibbling on his lips nervously as he moved his gaze back to the lady. His eyes filled with caution and curiosity.

"Go on, baby. Didn't you want to meet your mom?" Boun encouraged his son. But something within his heart ached as he uttered those words. A weird sense of fear started cracking the mask of responsibility he felt towards his sister-in-law. 

Bew slowly let go of Prem's trousers and walked towards Merlin. As the next heir of the Guntachai family, after his Dada, he was taught to face his challenges.

Prem felt his heart turn cold as he watched his baby walking away from him. He felt a hand around his waist, giving him a gentle squeeze of reassurance. He looked at Boun, who was holding him. He could see the same turmoil as he had in his heart in the latter's eyes. He rested his hand on Boun's shoulders, hugging his waist.

Bew stopped two steps away from his mother. He was tense. He wasn't familiar with his mother like his siblings were. He barely had her presence in his life. He barely had any female presence in his life, other than his two sisters.

He had seen his friends from kindergarten interacting with their mothers and had always felt bitter seeing their bond. He wanted to have such a bond with his mother too.

But he was afraid, scared that if he acted the same way as his friends with their mothers, asking for attention and love, his mother who had agreed to meet him this time, would never want to meet him again.

Thanks to the good genes from both the Guntachais and Dechaphatthanakuns, he was a brilliant child who had good comprehensive ability. He was more mature than most kids his age. He stood there weighing the pros and cons of what his next course of action should be.

Seeing her son hesitate to reach out to her, Merlin spoke "Can mommy get a hug, baby?"

Bew's eyes lit up immediately. He hugged his mother without any reservation.

Merlin's eyes overflowed with tears as she hugged her son after so many years. She kissed all over his face. The last time she held Bew was when he was less than a year old.

Witnessing this, Leah let go of Oreo's hand and ran up to her mother. Lyra followed the lead even though she was not as enthusiastic as her twin sister. 

Merlin hugged her two daughters as well. Holding her three children in her arms, she was immensely happy. She never imagined the day she could hold all three of her children in her arms, would come so quickly.

She was holding her whole world in her hands, and she was content, complete.

When she left Thailand to pursue her dreams, she never wanted to leave her children behind, but she had no other option. Being born into a household where a girl child was treated as a commodity that could be married off in exchange for money and connections, Merlin had a miserable life. Anything she got, starting from her education, the food she ate to the things she wore, everything was given to her only to make sure that her value in the marriage market was not low. 

Even the ballet that she loved so much, was taught to her because the daughters of her parents' friends were learning it. Her parents didn't want her to lose out to those girls in the marriage market.

She was groomed to obey and not resist. She was never given the option to make choices or make any decisions on her own.

When her marriage to Alan, Boun's eldest brother got fixed, she was yet to graduate from university. Though she was unhappy about having to have an arranged marriage, she had no say in it.

During her initial interactions with Alan, he had totally charmed her and like every other woman out there, she too started dreaming of a happy married life. Her delusion of finally being free of her family's control and leading a good life with Alan, caused her to ignore all the red flags he had shown her as their wedding neared.

Her marriage with Alan had shattered all the hopes of freedom she longed for. Alan was worse than her family. At least her family never raised their hands on her but for Alan, she was the punching bag to take out his frustrations on.

There were times when he beat her up so brutally that she ended up in hospital. Like the day when Art was born. Alan was pissed that the first grandchild of the Dechaphatthanakun family was not his child but was Kao's. 

He took all the anger out on Merlin, blaming her for not getting pregnant before Shelly, Art's mother.

Following the incident, she was hospitalized for weeks. During these days she begged her family to take her back as they were the only ones who could save her from Alan, but they turned a deaf ear to her.

She felt like a moth that got caught in a spider's web, unable to escape. The only time Alan treated her well was when she got pregnant for the first time. But the good treatment ended right after he found out that the twin fetuses in her womb were girls.

Merlin no longer asked for her family's help as she knew that even if her family helped her, it wouldn't be for good. She didn't have any doubt that her family would start treating her daughters as a commodity just like her.

For the sake of her daughters, she turned a blind eye to Alan's extramarital affairs, or anything related to him. She became a doll to which Alan could do what he pleased.

By the time she got pregnant with Bew, Alan didn't even care. Then, it was Tessa and Ann who had taken care of her. He did acknowledge her after knowing that he was going to have a son this time around but nothing more.

A few months after Bew was born and the child's face started taking shape, Alan threw a huge tantrum, accusing Merlin of having an extramarital affair with Boun behind his back as Bew resembled Boun than him.

This incident left her with fractures and severe injuries. She almost lost her life that day.

When Alan passed away, she didn't have a tinge of sorrow, instead, she felt grateful. She finally got the freedom she wanted since she was a kid.

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Quiet a few of told me that you are still confused about the whole family tree thing. I hope this flowchart of the Dechaphatthanakun family helps.