Abandoned with His Child {COMPLETED}

CHAPTER XXIX

KATHERINE EVY JONES

I swallow and ask in a feeble voice, "Ace...are you alright?"

He doesn't say anything for a minute. Then stirring, he gets out of my grasp and looks at me, quickly wiping the tears off his face.

"I..."he starts hoarsely, "I am alright,"

"Of course you aren't," I whisper and bury my face in my hands. If only I had been more understanding this wouldn't have happened, he wouldn't have to relive those frightful memories again...

"I need to continue..." he says but looks at anywhere but me.

"No," I reply firmly.

"No Kathy...you don't understand...you need to know the truth...I have started...we are even halfway! I can complete this...please just let me do it..." he pleads me.

I look at him uncertainly, there are traces of dried tears on his face but also determination. I answer him, hesitantly, "Okay, fine...do you need a glass of water?"

He shakes his head and again retakes his previous stance- wrapping his arms around himself. He starts in a small voice, "After her death, everything was hazy and unclear. Freya and I were shut in a room, food was brought to us...we didn't touch it, instead we just cried on each other's shoulders...this went on for like three weeks, we hadn't seen mum and dad since then..."

"I would leave some unnecessary parts...Mum and dad, they weren't the same anymore. There was considerable difference in them, mum would not eat anything and dad would just lock himself in his office and...sit there. He didn't chair any meetings or press conferences...due to that the company went in loss, both market and production vise..."

"We were on a verge of bankruptcy...finally my uncle intervened and ordered us to make some changes, the shares did increase but not enough to get us out of this bankruptcy suit...so we went to the last option- merge companies,"

He looks at me and continues, "We went to Kendall's father, he was ready to merge companies but he also wanted me to marry his daughter. At that time, we were literally ready to do anything so my father agreed. A month later the engagement took place and since then she has been living with me,"

"You didn't marry her?" I ask, shocked.

"No," he smiled, "I won't ever marry her...not since I met you, Kathy. Maisie was also one of the reasons I left you Katherine. I was scared," his smile changed into an anxious one, "scared that I would be so dependent on you, that if you leave me...I wouldn't want to live, scared that I would be placing the reins of my life in your hands,"

"I wouldn't have left you, Ace," I whispered as a single tear dropped from my eye. 

But, then voicing my doubts, I asked him, "How is it that none of the media and all do not know about Maisie?"

"We erased all her records," he answered, gulping, "there would be too much controversy revolving around her and we didn't want that...especially not then. We payed some reporters not to publish any material regarding her...she didn't even exist to them...you would only find a few irrelevant mentions of her in seven or eight years old articles,"

"I am sorry," I whispered. He looked at me with a confused expression.

Grabbing hold of his hand gently, I continued, "I am sorry Ace, had I been more understanding...we both wouldn't have to go through the huge amounts of pain,"

He shook his head and answered, "Katherine, I...you can't apologise. It was never your fault. I was the one who thought that lying you would be better than simply telling you the truth,"

I didn't say anything. More like I didn't know what to say...

Suddenly, Ace chuckled quietly and asked me, "You probably didn't miss the disappointed expression on my dad's face?" 

"No," I admitted.

"It was me, he was disappointed with. Me and himself. Me, because I didn't try harder at the moment to get you back, in fact I never did...and you don't know how much the guilt has been eating me for the past five years...and himself, because just for the mere cause of saving his territory, he sold my future to a woman I hadn't even met before," he answered.

"Everybody is living in their own guilt," I answered. 

For the past few minutes, I have been thinking about something. Opening about something that no one except Jordan knows about, not even Kyle. I wonder whether I am taking the right decision or not telling him about this, but it would be better not hiding anything from each other.

"Hey?" I asked him, slightly squeezing his hand.

He gave me a questioning look.

"I...I..." I started hesitantly, "I need to show you something,"

He nods his head but doesn't ask any questions, sensing my mental turmoil, I guess. Because I am pretty sure there would be a thousand emotions written on my face right now.

Sadness.

Doubt.

Guilt.

***

We walk to the biggest church in the city...actually behind the biggest church in the city- to the graveyard. 

I am still holding Ace's hand. It's warm and welcoming. Neither of us speak, lapsing into comfortable silence.

My past trips here have been all alone. This is the first time someone is accompanying me to meet her.

We stroll between the maze of the graves to finally hers.

We just stand in front of the tomb stone. The words engraved there take my breath away every time.

Here lies Marcia Evy Jones.

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