Akira is Innocent

BACK TO PRESENT

Akira woke up in an unfamiliar room. She was shocked at the room she was in after she stirred up.

No no no.... this can't be happening. For the three torturous years in marriage, she had enter this particular room only once. Even then she was punished for entering.

In the whole Miller Mansion, the only places she's familiar with is her small room, if you can even call that a room. And the kitchen since she has to cook everyday for the whole family despite having tons of maids.

No one in the Miller house liked her. To the extent of even some maids bully her except Mel's sister, Melissa.

For some reason Akira doesn't feel comfortable around Melissa despite she is the only person in the house who smiles at her. Yet still, Akira always feel uncomfortable around her.

It's not like she doesn't know how to retaliate when she's being maltreated, in fact for the whole seven years she went on a ran, if there's something she learned from it, then it's would definitely be "defending herself and her son".

But this is a case that they consider her a murder . The fact that Rayner brought her to live in the same house with them instead of rotting in prison irk each and everyone of them.

She has defended herself several times and pointed at Evelyn that she was the one who killed Mel, but no one believes her.

In fact it's even added more to her punishment. For this whole three years in loveless marriage, she can only grow to get use to their hate and maltreatment.

Akira shot up and sat on the bed abruptly. " Oh my God, I even slept in his bed... Akira you are dead for sure." Akira is someone who always think out loud. She might be thinking something in her head but subconsciously voice it out. She had been trying to stop herself from doing that because it's brings her nothing but trouble.

Tristan also stirred up when he heard his mother's movement. "Good morning mom.." he greeted her.

Akira flinched from not even realising that her son was also on the bed with her.

" Oh my God Tristan, how did we get into this room? Oh No no no no.... Mr Rayner is surely going to kill us." Akira said and immediately got out from the bed only stumbled but before she fell, a strong and warm hand circled around her waist to hold her still.

"I'm going to kill you, you said? Do I look like a murderer like you..?" Rayner said but this time it was different. His tone clearly showed he was angry, but it's also sounded without hate.

Akira immediately wiggled herself from his arms.

"I.. I'm so s... sorry Mr Rayner. I swear I didn't come to your room by myself. I don't know when or how I ended up here." Akira apologized with her heart thumping violently.

" Is he going to punish me...? But I didn't come to his room by myself and oh God help me, I need someone to knock some sense into this man brain. How times do I have to tell him I'm innocent.

Hmmmmm.... I think he just enjoys punishing me though he knows I'm innocent. What a cruel and a heartless man. So what if he's handsome...? A handsome man with dark and cruel heart. He's more wicked than those Alphas I've been reading about in novels. He......"

Akira went on and on voicing her thinking out loud without realizing until Tristan called for her.

" Mom..... you are thinking out loud again. " Tristan smacked his forehead being amused about his mother bold thought of the man in front of her.

" Huh? Did I do it again..? " Akira asked feeling frightened from what she said and the gloomy face of the man.

"Yes you did... And mom, I can say you are quite bold. I'm proud of you..." Tristan went to his mother and whispered so that only both of them can hear but unfortunately for them, it was loud enough for Rayner to hear.

"And by the way mom, have you forgotten you lost conscious in the rain yesterday..? You didn't come here by yourself, Uncle Ray brought you here." said Tristan.

Akira gasped at what his son said. Rayner brought her to his room..? How? Why? Not in a million years did she ever hoped of that. The man hates her to his inner bones, so why would he go to....." her loud thought was cut off again but this time from Rayner.

" I don't have all day to listen to your garbage, now if you are well enough to walk, then get out from my room." Rayner hissed at her making her flinched.

Akira heaved a sigh before picking up Tristan and turned to leave. In the whole house, the only person she feared was Rayner. She won't make him repeat his statement again since it will add more to her punishment.

Akira stopped at the door and turned around to face Rayner who was just staring back at her. Their eyes met and Akira couldn't deny how those beautiful Ocean like eyes look. So sad she can't admire them.

She gathered her courage to say the word she had never said to him.

" Thank you Mr Rayner..." Akira said and flashed him a beautiful smile.

Rayner immediately turned his face to the other side to avoid being caught how his heart was accelerating from her smile.

" How mean..." Akira said before finally exited his room. She has already grown use to everything about the man.

******

" What the fuck is wrong with me..? Rayner questioned himself and raffled his hair out of frustration. It's been like this for almost five months now.

It's all happened five months ago when he punished Akira. Akira hold his hand and whispered through her tears.... " I am innocent Mr Rayner. What you are doing to me is not fair. I don't deserve this. You might regret later and I might not ever want to forgive you." said Akira.

Rayner didn't miss the innocence in her eyes. The truth in her voice. Everything on that day made him think he was actually wrong. But how? He's only taking revenge for his late wife.

Ever since then, his heart has soften towards Akira. In the beginning, he used to punish her and in more severity without any emotions. But now, his heart ache whenever he sees her cry or even the mere present of her makes his heart beat accelerate.

Rayner just doesn't understand why. He's supposed to hate her right?

He went to took his bath and get ready for work. After his regular morning routine, as usual he always drop Tristan at school. He was about to knock on Akira's door when he heard Tristan voice.

****

"Mommy, why do uncle Ray hates you so much. Not only him but everybody in this house..? " Tristan asked his mother when she was preparing him for school.

"Uhm my love, I don't know how say to this but uncle Ray doesn't hate me. He's just upset with me." Akira didn't want to tell the small boy the truth.

"Oh come on mom, I know uncle Ray hates you so much, that's why he always punish you. And everyone too. Remember when they poured hot water on your legs? Uncle Ray was on travel that time. You lied to him when he asked you after his return because you were afraid he will punish you." Tristan said pitifully.

Rayner froze at what he heard. In fact he was about to turn around and leave when he heard what Tristan said. "My family poured hot water on Akira? " He was shocked because the first day he brought Akira into the house, his first warning was no one can harm or touch Akira except him.

He has been busy with work that he couldn't even noticed his family were also maltreating her.

" So mommy, tell me why do they all hate you. " Tristan persisted.

Rayner paused and brought his ears closer to the door like a maid eavesdropping on her master.

Akira heaved a sigh before starting....

" Uhm... how should I start...? Everything started when I was 17 years old. My dad was a drunkard and a gambler. He will always come home drunk. I and my brother Mike had to take care of him all the time because.... well our mom was also sick.

My Dad then owed a bad man some money and he couldn't pay it, so the bad man asked for me in return.

Of course my family will never do that so they helped me ran away through the window. But unfortunately, the bad guys followed and wanted to kidnapped me.

That was when I first met Mr Rayner and his wife Ma'am Mel with their baby......" Tristan cut her off with his questions.

"Oh so uncle Ray has a wife and a son aside from you? Where are they? Why are they not here? I can play with his son right mommy..? "

Akira's eyes stung. She just stare at Tristan who was having a wide smile on his face. A lump caught in her throat of what she was about to tell the boy.

"Well son, they are.... they are no more my love. They are... actually in heaven. The bad woman killed them." Akira couldn't hold back her tears remembering Mel's last moment.

Rayner who was standing behind the door felt his heart pained remembering his late wife and son.

" Oh really? So sad to hear that. Can you continue mom..? " Tristan said sadly.

" Mr Rayner and his wife saved me from those bad guys. I met your Aunt Cristal at the train station in other for us to run away. But the bad man caught us and took us into an abandoned house. He locked us up in a dark room with a little of food and water for almost almost month.

The bad man will always asked me to marry him if I want to be set free but I always refused and reject him, so he will always beat me up.

One day the bad man brought Mr Rayner's wife and son together with a bad woman...." Tristan cut her off again.

" Why was a bad woman with uncle Ray's wife?"

Rayner just stood at the door listening to the story. He had never asked Akira what happened before. He only based on the kind of information he got and judged her.

Now that his feelings is being mixed up, he badly want to believe she's really innocent. And if she's really innocent, then he won't have any guilt towards his late wife if he want his marriage with Akira to work out.

He knew well enough that the bad woman Akira is referring to is no other person than Evelyn. He fisted his hands into balls, anger surging through his body. He had asked his best buddy Rafael to do some investigation for him. He's just waiting to confirm it. But for now, he's going to listen to Akira's story. He believes she won't lie to her own son.

" Uhm son, the bad woman is a friend of uncle Ray. Well she never liked Mr Rayner's wife because she believes Mr Rayner belongs to her.

Thus she will always pick up a fight with Mr Rayner's wife even when all us were kidnapped.

The bad man wanted to kill Mr Rayner's wife because he was hired by another bad people.

In short, Mr Rayner's wife really had a difficult time back then. When our chance to escape came, the bad woman stabbed Mr Rayner's wife and son...." Tristan cut her off again.

" Oh that's so evil of the bad woman. I feel bad for the mother and son.... By the way, what's the name of the bad man and the bad woman?"

Akira gulped down her saliva, she hate to say Lucas name and doest want Tristan to have problem with Evelyn since she's the only one who knows Tristan real identity.

" Hey boy.... Enough of the questions. Let's get you to school. " Akira tried avoiding his question.

" Yeah yeah I know mom. Trying to ditch my question. " Tristan scoffed making Akira laughed.

******

Rayner immediately went to his room and called Rafael...

" Hey buddy..." Rafael voice came in.

" Tell me what you've gotten so far...." Rayner said curtly.

"Oh wow.... someone is in a hurry. I was just waiting to tell you everything when you get to the office, but for now, let's me summarize everything l for you in short.

" AKIRA WAS NOT THE ONE WHO KILLED YOUR WIFE!!! In fact she didn't have anything to do with that fucker Lucas. She was actually also kidnapped by Lucas at that time." Rafael informed him sternly.

" WHAT??? What about the information we got back then?" Rayner asked almost his heart wanting to come out from his chest with anger and an unknown guilt.

" I'm coming to blow you there.... WE WERE FOOLED RAY!!! It's seems like someone faked everything back then. The person shifted the blame on your wife.... I mean your current wife Akira. " Rafael said sadly knowing how much his friend is going to blame himself for everything. He had witness Rayner punishing Akira almost every day, even at work. And now that half of the truth has revealed, he doesn't know how his friend is going to take it.

" SOMEONE DID WHAT????" Rayner asked feeling miserable, frustrated, angry , regretful and remorseful. What the heck is happening in his life?