But, it was clear that he wasn't going to let me go so easily. His firm hand on my arm told me so. So, I recoiled as soon as the smell of wood and amber, which reminds me of the cedar tree at the entrance of his house. The pungent smell brings back many memories, mostly painful ones. So, I quickly turn away from him, feeling how his touch has hurt me deep in the recesses of my mind."I don't want you to do this. I know no one bosses you around. But please don't come and ruin my life a second time. I don't want my children to have to watch me pick up the ruins you leave of me" I say coldly. "Aitana...""I came here because I wanted the kids to meet you. Especially Ariana.""So, the girl's name is Ariana" she whispers sitting on the edge of my desk."She asked me about her father every night and I didn't want to keep lying to her. I wanted them to meet you, but, what you did last night, made me regret it." I whisper and he lowers his gaze to the floor."I'm sorry. Anger came over me a
With directions, I make my way to the cafeteria where the three guys I had worked with raise their hands so I can meet them. The cafeteria is noisy, but, as soon as I arrive, all is silent and eyes are fixed on me."It's bad to leave without your lunch companion," Helmut says and I find that their gazes focus on the man next to me."I thought you had lunch at an important restaurant" I say and he sighs deeply."I just want to eat with you. Even if you want to eat in the middle of the road, I'll follow you" Helmut says smiling at me and I sigh deeply and walk over to the guys who clearly look uncomfortable with Helmut being with us."I didn't think you'd come, sir" says one of the guys."Why didn't you think it possible?""This is a cafeteria, their food is good for average workers, but, for the higher ups, it must be terrible. So, we thought he would go to lunch at the fine restaurants nearby." Says the guy and I look at Helmut waiting for an answer."Sir, here is your lunch" says Dyd
Fortunately, Helmut manages to control himself and just nods and moves away in a chair where, no doubt, he fights with himself to control his anger. As I stand there, I feel uncomfortable, but, I try my best not to notice he is there and work."What's my son's name?" he asks and I take a deep breath."Albert.""Aitana, Ariana and Albert" Helmut whispers softening his voice."Yes, that's my children's names" I murmur."Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?""I went looking for you after I saw you with that woman and said I was giving you my last chance. I wanted my children to have their parents together, but what was your response when I told you about having children? You told me you would make me abort them.""I was speaking without knowing. I am not that unhinged to do something like that with my offspring" says Helmut and I smile."You showed me many times that if you were capable of the worst. Besides, I saw you too confident, for you to now come and tell me it was a lie.""I
A week laterHelmut hadn't shown up since the day I gave him the recordings and that was good for me. I had a fruitful week at work and my children were back to normal. There were no more threats or hostile words.So, everything had calmed down until I received an envelope from Dyder. I take a deep sigh and wonder if Helmut is immortal and therefore, still sending messages the way they were sent over a century ago. "Doesn't Helmut know what a cell phone is?" I ask and Dyder smiles."He knows how to use it. But, he still thinks important things should be delivered in a more formal way" Dyder says and I sigh deeply."It's just dinner" I merely say and Dyder smiles at me."Sir doesn't see it that way. he wants to win back the love of his children and for that, he is making an effort" Dyder says and I nod understanding."I'm glad he's making an effort. We'll be there then" I say and Dyder nods happily at my answer."Thank you, ma'am. Thank you for coming back safe and sound" Dyder says a
I had no idea what Helmut had planned and seeing him being nice even to me worried me. The last time he was, I ended up pregnant. So, I had to be careful."What are you up to? I need to know what you have planned to do to prepare me" I say staring at him."I'm so sorry. I am so sorry that you have to be so cautious with me because of the damage I have done to you" Helmut says and I doubt his apology. Helmut is a violent person, more so when he doesn't get what he wants, so, I have to take everything he says and does with caution. He may be distracting me away from my children.Alarms went off in my mind and I walked towards my children, that's when someone hugs me from behind, scaring me. "Thank you, Aitana. Thank you for having me present for every single thing the kids did, even though I didn't deserve it for how I treated you" Helmut says."You treated me badly. Our relationship was the one that ended, not yours with your children. They are something else and it will be up to you
Ariana complains about her father for losing because of his intervention and demands a rematch from Albert which he smartly refuses, because he knows he is going to lose. So, Helmut carries his daughter on his leg and gives her jumps for her amusement, although that scarcely pleases him."Dad, I can only be happy when your son accepts that he didn't win fair and square" Ariana says and Helmut opens his eyes as I do.'He called him father. Ariana has called him father.' I say to myself mentally.'She has called me father' Helmut whispers emitting some sound. I nod in surprise and Ariana climbs off her father's legs, to climb onto mine crossing her arms, as she begins to complain about losing. So, I entertain her by eating with her. This is how we have dinner while Albert talks to his father about finances, while he cuts his sister's meat, causing me to entertain my daughter about princesses. Dinner ends and as soon as dessert arrives, Ariana gets off my chair and goes to her seat to
The children look happy, so happy that I doubt they will sleep tonight and I don't find it pleasant. Excited Ariana is exhausting and if you add Albert to that, woe is me. So, I stare at Helmut, the cause of this."What made you think of all this?" I ask in surprise as I watch the kids play with the props in the box."I analyzed every single thing the children liked and knew I couldn't have all that in one room. Since they have different tastes, I chose to make a house for each of them. That way, Ariana wouldn't complain if her brother took one of her things and Albert wouldn't be upset if his sister invaded his personal space.>> Also, I did some research on what they were doing in China and I found out that Ariana is very good with numbers and languages. So, in addition to everything being castle-like, I also left an area for her to hone in on what she's very skilled at.""In a nutshell, you're giving them what they like and also, what they can develop so they can continue to be the
It was obvious what he wanted, so, so as not to fall into his game, I approach the children and speak directly to them without caring that I am rude to the man who is trying hard to be a good host."Children, it's already late. We must go home and prepare for tomorrow's obligations. So, put those things away and let's go" I say and they both groan looking at me pleadingly."This place is magnificent, we should stay a little longer". "If you want, you can stay tonight in the main house. I'm sure tomorrow in the sunlight and with everything you advance at work tonight, it will look even more amazing." Helmut says, thrilling the kids, and I deny."No, of course not." I say immediately."We've never been sleeping away from home and this time, it's not going to be the exception. Besides, their uniforms are at home and from here, school is farther away. So, we can't stay here. Less when Eugene is waiting for us" I say and the children lower their gaze sadly."Who is Eugene?""The man who l
Fifteen years laterThe world continued its course, my pack had been consolidated thanks to Ariana's contributions. Albert, today he was returning home after fourteen years studying at the academy. Although he always saw for special dates or the anniversary of his mother's death, this time his return was different, because he saw to stay.Ariana gave orders to her people, while I had become a gardener who kept the garden where Aitana rests beautiful. Although to be honest there is little I have to do, because the islanders take turns every few hours to take care of the flowers and bring new ones in honor of the woman who fought to the end.So, I am almost all the time exercising, answering Ariana's tough questions so my brain doesn't rust and going to medical checkups at the insistence of my children.But, today, I would not be the boring man in his monotonous routine, today I would see my son. That one who had succeeded in that academy that now had t
Everyone on the island begins to show their respect for Aitana, while I watch as everything we experience here passes like a few seconds in a trailer. Remembering how I despised her and she wanted to leave here, throwing herself out of a window, makes me realize how much we have changed.Because it is in this place where she wanted to escape from, where she now wants to be forever. One by one they leave, leaving only Cleotilde's family and my closest men, those who knew our story.The night arrives and the castles are illuminated, at Aitana's request, we enter the one that was my castle, where the memories of my mistakes slap me so hard that I find it complicated to continue, however, a warm hand is placed on my hand and invites me to continue."Collect all the pain in here, I want to take it with me." Aitana says and I swallow hard."Aitana...""I am an expert in bearing pain, let me pick up all that pain clinging to those memories, I will take them with me
Six months laterWe had spent the time the doctors had given Aitana and although I wish that was the sign that they had made a mistake with the diagnosis, that was not the case. She had gotten much worse. So much that it hurt.There were times when she didn't remember who she was, others, where she didn't know how to move and at some, she would become so violent as she screamed for them to end her life. She would vomit, many times she would soil herself because she couldn't even warn them.Other times, she would wake up not knowing how to talk and with each step, her brain cancer would take over so much that we had to put the videos and photos we had taken on each walk, because many times she was suspicious even of the children.Today, for example, she did not speak, she did not move, it seemed that she was in a vegetable state, but, it was because her brain was barely functioning, being invaded by a tumor that looked like something full of spikes that were even
We had to let go and I was glad that even remembering all that we had lived and not remembering how well we had spent these months traveling, she decided to move forward. I couldn't say that I decided without knowing what I was doing, because Aitana knew it and I was glad she didn't hold a grudge."I want to leave here. I want us to resume our family trip today" Aitana says and I try to process what's going on."I understand, we will be leaving today" I say trying to get up."Although I don't remember what happened these past few months, there are pictures that give me an idea of it. Also, a few days ago, I had started to write down my thoughts of what I had experienced and although I left a general idea of what I had experienced, I know that I have enjoyed it. That we have been happy" says Aitana and I nod."We really have been. Even though we have measured time, we've spent time being happy the four of us." I murmur and she holds out her hand, which I take.
I could not understand what was going on. The woman who had been hostile when I asked her to come back, was now kissing me. I didn't understand what was going on and although I wanted to kiss her, I pulled away feeling that I was taking advantage of her confusion."Is something wrong?" asks Aitana and I stick closer to the back of my seat, to be away from her."I don't want you because of your mental confusion to feel like I'm taking advantage of you by kissing you" I say and she smiles."I'm the one who started the kiss.""But, I have my memories and I know you didn't agree to come back with me before the surgery or after you didn't have all your memories of the past like you do now." I murmur and she smiles."You are so cautious now. You don't look like the man who kissed me on our wedding day, just because I had another man's scent near me" she murmurs.I immediately, blush for having been so bold knowing I had a curse that could have killed he
The following dayWe had not been able to leave Amsterdam as we had planned, because Aitana was still not awake. Fortunately, the doctors said it was exhaustion that had her sleeping and not something serious.Exhausted from almost no sleep, thinking that she would wake up, I go out to have some coffee and with the computer working on the door of her room, I wait for the hours to pass. However, I have barely managed to sit up in the chair, when I hear a groan.Fearing that something bad has happened in my absence, I open the door to the room, which makes my legs weaken. The woman, who had not woken up, moans slightly as she tries to get up."I'll help you" I say running to her.Gingerly, I help her to sit up and I stand watching her, waiting for a scolding for allowing her to fall, an apology for scaring us or anything. I don't care if it's an insult, what matters to me, is that she speaks.That she tells my mind that she's alive. Because just seeing he
After the words he had said, the boys tried to be strong, but, again they walked away and in front of the pulpit they cried begging for strength to face this, I felt the same way.In silence I cried and when we ran out of energy, we looked at each other and I felt it, the connection of father and sons had been formed, there was no way for anyone in the world to deny or doubt that they were my sons, because this calamity, had consolidated the attempts of connection that in the past had been tried to be made.Something good had happened among so much suffering, but, I did not like the way it had happened. It was painful, we were united, but, it was painful to see my children suffer and me not being able to do something to be able to alleviate their pain."What should we do now?" asks Albert"Show strength to their mother. She suffers a lot, but, she keeps it quiet because she doesn't want you to realize what is happening. But, she didn't want to do that
The hours pass and we are finally allowed to see Aitana after several tests were done and confirmed that she was out of danger. Relief overcomes us and the boys thank God audibly as they wait to see their mother.Happy that my children are not violent like me, we advance to the room where the woman is still not awake. The doctor watches me and I understand that the time to know everything is now.So, I nod for the doctor to come to us and help me to tell what is happening with Aitana. Because I know that alone I can't and I can't disturb more Aitana who tries to look strong, although she suffers a lot."Guys..." I say calling their attention, after they both take their mother's hand, to then kiss this or her forehead."Is something wrong?" asks Albert when he sees that the doctor doesn't leave."I want you to hear your mother's health report. But, before that, I want you to tell me something, are you guys tough guys?" I ask and they look at each other"
I felt that the hourglass that showed me that I had little time left with Aitana, had run out of time from one moment to the next and it was all someone's fault. So, I run towards the people trying to run away from me.Seeing how they run, the desire to hunt takes over me and I run transforming myself into the wolf that never loses a prey. The beast that appeared when the curse caused me to only see my prey to kill it.I run after my prey and many people present scream when they see me turn into an animal, but, I don't care about that. My wife had been hurt and they had to pay for it. Without any fear that the man would die on the spot. I throw myself at him and he falls down with his face looking up at me."S-sir, please. Don't hurt me" the man says in a whisper, while in his gaze there is a fear I can't describe, the only thing that surprises me is that he didn't wet his pants because of the fear he feels.He knew how to do it. Just one bite, one scratch and hi