wintumn - their love.

26.

In the quiet aftermath of the birth, the tension in the room was palpable. As Clara—Autumn—stood there, tears streaming down her face, the gravity of her return hit her with full force. Her heart raced as she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

Reece, still grappling with the revelation, looked at Clara with a mix of confusion and concern. Before he could fully process the situation, Autumn—her true identity finally revealed—suddenly closed the distance between them. She flew into Reece's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I'm so sorry, Reece," she cried, her voice breaking. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I thought I was protecting everyone, but I didn't know how to come back."

Reece held her tightly, his own emotions raw and conflicted. "It's okay, Autumn. Just tell me what happened. Why did you leave?"

Autumn clung to him, her body trembling with each sob. "Our father... he found out about the takeover. He threatened to hurt everyone I loved. He made me leave to keep you all safe. I thought if I disappeared, he wouldn't find you. I didn't know what else to do."

Reece's eyes widened with shock and concern. "You were trying to protect us?"

"Yes!" Autumn's voice was choked with emotion. "He was almost going to hurt everyone. I didn't want that to happen. I thought this was the only way."

Reece's heart ached as he listened to her confession. He could feel the depth of her fear and the weight of her sacrifice. He gently pulled her back to look into her eyes. 

"You should have come to us. We could have figured something out together."

"I was afraid," Autumn admitted, her tears continuing to flow. "I didn't know who to trust. I thought I was saving everyone by staying away. I was so wrong."

Marjorie, still recovering from the delivery and witnessing the emotional exchange, approached with a gentle touch on Reece's shoulder. "It sounds like you were trying to protect us, Autumn. But we need to figure out how to move forward from here."

Autumn nodded, her face streaked with tears. "I know. I'm so sorry for everything. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to keep you all safe."

Reece's expression softened, a mix of relief and sadness in his eyes. "We'll work through this. We need to focus on the present and making sure we're all okay."

Autumn took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm herself. She clung to Reece's shoulders as she looked around at the people she had hurt and tried to protect. "Thank you, Reece. I'm so grateful that you're here. I just hope that we can find a way to heal from all this."

The room was filled with an emotional quiet as everyone processed the revelations and the pain of the past. Autumn's return was bittersweet, marked by both a reunion and the weight of unresolved issues. For now, the focus was on understanding and healing, taking one step at a time to rebuild the connections that had been strained by her disappearance and the threats she had faced.

As they embraced, the healing process began—a journey of forgiveness, understanding, and the slow but steady rebuilding of trust. As the shock of Autumn's return began to settle, the room filled with a tense silence. Marjorie, still processing everything, knew there was one more person who needed to know the truth. With shaky hands, she pulled out her phone and dialed Winter's number.