"On our wedding day, your dad asked me to always be by your side. He was vulnerable that day. He wasn't the stoic billionaire he portrays himself to be. He is an equally love craving father." Amayra said.

"You're nothing but a misuse of our family fortune!" Dad growled.

"I'm so-sorry dad." I cried out.

"Sorry for what? Being weak and surrendering to all those things I taught you to stay away from?" He yelled.

He taught me to stay away from 3 things: drugs, crimes and failures. Of course he's talking about failure here.

"It's okay Alex. Your entire clan had been Acers. It's just your dad unable to comprehend that failures aren't big deals. Losers can still breath, darling. Cheer up." Aunt Malisa hugged me to sleep at night.

Loser. That's what I am.

"Who was the informer?" I asked her, trying to brush off the thoughts of my past.

Was it Ethan who lied about me? Didn't he say he loves me? Or was it some teacher who cooked up something to feed my parents and get money from?

I saw Amayra opening her mouth to reply when another voice boomed into the room.

"It was me." Aunt Malisa stood at the hallway.

"Aunt Malisa?" Of course not! She can't do that to me. Never.

"Yes. It was me Alex. I informed your parents that you were involved in an illegal circle of drugs. I told them your aloofness and physical weakness was due to all those drugs consumption." She said looking down.

Aunt Malisa never looked down. She said only guilty people look down while speaking to a person.

"I just cooked up about your disease too. You were perfectly fine. All those years, I instigated you against your parents." She whispered lowly.

A tear slipped from my eye. I could never think of her being a betrayer. Anyone but her. How could she do this to me? Didn't she herself witness me going through all those mental traumas? How I criticised myself to be weak, pathetic and a fucking disappointment? I thought she was the mother figure of my life.

"Why?" I chocked out.

"Because I was freaking childless. I was an infertile. My husband was financially broken. He never loved me. He loved that mistress of his. While I was suffering in all fields, your mother was living in a fucking paradise! She had a supporting husband, a loving family and most of all a healthy environment." She broke down.

"I had nothing! I just wanted a child. I found you being close to me. How could I let you go away?! So I lied. I lied about all your disorders. Fuck, you never even failed in any exam. I paid the school teachers to not get you promoted. I lied your parents about you being a misuse to their fortune. Your dad never believed me. But your mother was too vulnerable and weak for our love and friendship. She trusted me blindly." She cried out.

"I instigated you to move out on your birthday because James had planned to sit and discuss everything with you."

"No Soph. We can't let Alex go on the way he is going." Dad said to mom.

I was there. Eve's dropping at their door.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow. Let him enjoy his day. I'll make everything clear tomorrow." He said.

Make everything clear? Is he planning to disown me now?

I ran to Aunt Malisa. She would guide me through everything.

"Aunt. I heard dad saying that he wants to clear everything out with me. What's this about?" I asked her. I was hella nervous.

"Oh uhmm... H-he is planning to dis-disown you. Yeah. He is planning to disown you for you not being competent to handle hos businesses. He'll be passing down everything to Ethan then." She said.

My heart broke. Not because Ethan would be inheriting everything. They could do hell with their fortune. What I wanted was their love... And they plan to remove me from the family itself?

"I want to runaway Aunt. Away from everyone. Away from London. Can you help me?" I whispered.

"Sure. I'll book a flight for Manchester. You can take your card with you. I'll handle everything here." She smiled at me reassuringly.

So it wasn't about me being weak. My dad never planned to disown me. It was Aunt Malisa all this while.

"Trust me I never intended to hurt you. I thought I could keep you happier and under my wing if I pretended every thing to be wrong. I needed something to distract you with. I never wanted to hurt you, Alex." She cried out.

"Don't. Don't call me that." I said.

"I predicted you to be a motherly figure." I whispered.

"You're nothing but a selfish pathetic bitch. If you didn't like seeing my mom happy, you could have left. If you wanted a child, you could have adopted one. If your husband did wrong to you, you could have divorced his cheating ass. If you wanted money, you could have earned it." I said.

"You were wrong. And you made me do wrong. I can never forgive you for making me live in darkness for 18 fucking years!" I yelled.

"I can never forgive you for making me say all those pathetic things to my parents. Because of your psychotic brain, I couldn't stand their site! My own blood's site!" I yelled.

"Xander calm down." Amayra rubbed my back.

A series of knocks reverberated in the house. Opening the door revealed cops.

"You said you won't take legal actions if I confessed everything!" Aunt Malisa screamed.

"The heck I would. You made my husband suffer both mentally and physically. You passed on wrong diagnosis. Moreover you are a mentally disturbed citizen. I ain't handing you over to the law for all your deeds. But you need to spend some time in the asylum so that you don't harm others. Officers, please proceed." Amayra was calm.

God knows what I would do without her.

Once Aunt Malisa was out, the house got its silence back.

"Xan-" Amayra tried calling me out. Before she could say anything, I ran away and locked my room.

All the events were too much for me. I was experiencing emotions that I didn't feel for years.

Betrayal. Guilt. Anger. Sadness. Frustration. Happiness.

Betrayal? Of Aunt Malisa ofcourse. I loved her like my mother. And she decided to blindfold me and make me believe rubbish all these years.

Lesson learnt? Don't depend on anybody blindly.

Guilt? For my parents. They were innocent. They were worried about their son being an addict. But they loved me all these years.

Lesson learnt? Learn to trust your loved ones.

Anger? At myself. I shouldn't have let her have full control on myself. I should have trusted my parents. I should have talked the problems out.

Lesson learnt? If you feel something is wrong with someone close to you, talk to them about the issues.

Sadness? About everything I've missed all these years. I could have gone to school and college like normal people. Could have had my heart broken because of failed relationships, not betrayal. Could have met Amayra and felt in love with her. Even before getting married. Could have participate in family dinners. Could have been frustrated with the media and curse them out sitting in the porch with my family. Most of all, could have avoided all these darkness.

Lesson learnt? No matter what, don't give up your present and your relations.

Happiness? Cause I can make my present and future bright atleast. I can now atleast imagine of having a normal future with Amayra. I can imagine flying to London every month to have some time with my parents. Only if they decide to forgive me.

~~~