HELENA'S POV:

Finally, after a whole month which felt like ages, I got to feel his warmth. I lost everything, all the anger and insecurities flew away as if they never existed when I could hear his heartbeat while my head resting on his chest while my hands resting on his shoulders due to sudden fall. I raised my eyes to look into his eyes and I got scared, when I saw tears in his eyes. I hurriedly got off from him and moved towards him. "Why are you crying? Hey, are you... are you okay?" I made him sit straight and I thought he must have got hurt due to fall.

But he didn't even look at me and hung his head low while his tears falling over his cheeks. I got panicked to see him like that so I hurriedly sat in between his legs and cupped his face and made him look at me. "Hey, you're scaring me. Are you hurt? Tell me where is it paining?"

"Helena, you go back to home. I'll come back later." He tried to free himself but I had no more patience. "Enough Aiden, what's wrong with you? It's been a whole month. You've been avoiding me, you didn't make a single call not messaged me for once. Neither you picked my call. Do you know how scared I was? Do you know how was I feeling? Who do you think you are huh?"

"An animal! I am an animal." He jerked himself back and I got astonished of his action. I couldn't understand anything, his words, his behaviour. But the tears flowing down his eyes were enough to show how hurt he was. This was the first time I saw him vulnerable and this was the time I had to stand for him like he always did for me.

Without thinking anything, I pulled him towards me and hugged me tightly, making sure he doesn't move away from me. I was rubbing his back, trying to calm him down and I felt his tears on crook of my neck. He didn't move away for a long time, neither did I. "Look at me." I broke the hug and made him look at me. I felt as if someone stabbed a millions of arrows in my heart when I saw his condition. "What's the matter? Tell me Aiden, you trust on me right?" I asked without breaking eye contact while much hands wiping his tears.

"I am... I am sorry Helena. I... I did wrong to you. I tried to force myself upon you, I... I behaved like an animal. Just the way he had said, I turned into an animal." His words were confusing, I just couldn't understand him. Why is he blaming himself and who told him that he'll turn into an animal?" I held his right hand in mine while the other hand was still on his face, "Aiden, tell me everything. Why are you speaking like this?"

AIDEN'S POV:

I couldn't share my fear with anyone till today cause I didn't want anyone to get worried about me. But I just couldn't hold it on anymore. And her words were assuring me that she would listen to me, everything that is bottled up in my heart. After talking a deep breath, I started opening up in front of her.

"Fifteen years ago, my dad.. He was sent to jail. For attempt to murder and domestic violence." Her grip on my hand tightened when I completed the sentence. "Since the very first time I started understanding everything, all I had seen was dad torturing mom. He would beat her, strangle her and I could do nothing. I would run away and come here, at this secret tree house and cry whole night cause I could do nothing as a five years old. With the time, I started understanding everything. My dad had an elder brother and we had a family business but all my father did was to spend money over alcohol. My uncle always saved my dad and us from getting bankrupt. He used to try to help him out of this addiction but how could someone help a person when he doesn't want to help himself?

But the real struggle started when my uncle and aunty met with car accident and they... lost their life. They had a daughter, three years older than me. After their demise, she had no other place to go except for us at that time so mom brought her home. She started living with us and all the responsibilities of business and properties came over my dad's shoulder. And my dad started spending everything upon alcohol. He would stay out all day drinking and would come home late night and would start beating mom and would force himself upon her talking inside to her room. Diana, my cousin and I would try to save mom but he wouldn't even spare us. He'd beat us too, with whatever came in his hand be it his belt or a vase. Mom was feeling guilty for us that she couldn't save us. So she called our grandma, our G when dad wasn't at home."

"What? G.. she's your dad's mom? And Diana... Is your cousin?" I nodded at her and she hinted me to speak. "She asked G to take Diana and me with her to her private villa faking a reason, that is dad and she were busy on business cause she didn't want G to stress out cause it she couldn't still get out of grievances from uncle and aunty's death and her health was constantly deteriorating. She tried to send us away with G but I didn't agree. I couldn't let mom stay alone with dad. So Diana left alone with G.

Dad's torture started increasing every day and our business started collapsing as well. And we came into a condition when he had to get bankrupt and dad would blame mom for no reason. That day, dad started beating mom since early morning brutally and I tried to help mom and in that, I got hurt with a vase." I showed the mark of the sound still fresh on my left shoulder and she caressed over the mark.

"That day, mom was almost dead. Her head was bleeding and so was mine. He would've definitely killed mom, if G wouldn't have come in time with police. Diana had told everything to her despite mom's request and luckily, she arrived on right time. Dad was arrested and G was holding me and G with her hands while mom was rushed to hospital.

G was very angry upon him and cursed him for everything and dad was unhappy with her for not protecting her own son. He even tried to use me as a way to escape, he tried to convince G that I need a father and that's when G clearly said, "He doesn't need a father like you. He don't want him to turn out to be like you."

He was pulled out by the police and the last sentence he said was, "Mom, you think your grandson wouldn't be like me? Huh, HE'S MY BLOOD AND MY BLOOD WILL SHOW IT'S COLOUR FOR SURE." I still haven't forgotten his eyes that day, which left a fear rising in my heart. Fear of being like him, fear of becoming an animal like him. G supported us with a little property she had in her name and mom started with a little business struggling with our education. When I turned out eighteen, I started looking over her work and Diana joined me and here we've reached, with Red Diamond Groups of Companies. Mom wanted to help women like her, so she started an organization. She lived as Georgia Rudolf instead of Georgia Anderson and I followed her. I am, Aiden Rudolf.

All these years, I thought I wasn't like him cause I'm my mom's son. But no I was wrong. I did what he did, I proved him right. I.. I forced myself upon you. I don't deserve you, You..."

Before I could say more, I felt her lips on mine.

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_with maya, safuu❤