So, what now?

The very next morning, Zac and Diaan encountered Kailey on their way to the dining room. She told them that she was in a rush and that she would not be home until late that evening. Diaan and Zac watched as she bolted out the door leading to the garage only to come running back in because she forgot her keys and wallet.

Diaan shook her head in amusement and proceeded to the dining room for breakfast. Zac followed his mother with a bounce in his step. The previous night had been quite exhilarating for him. He actually had siblings and knew who his father was!

Diaan sat down at the table and gazed out of the window, her mood sombre. Zac took the seat adjacent to his mother and gazed hungrily at the assortment of food laid before him. He immediately took a croissant and filled his plate up with sausage, eggs and toast. One of the household staff brought Diaan a berry smoothie as per her request before leaving the Blue’s to dine alone.

“So, what now?” Zac asked with a mouth full of food.

Diaan reached for a blueberry muffin and started munching on it. “What do you mean?”

“As in, what do we do now that we know about your past? I mean I know who my dad and my siblings are!” Zac exclaimed with such excitement that he almost choked on the piece of toast he had not finished chewing.

After hitting Zac’s back a couple of times, Diaan rested her elbow on the table and leaned her face in her palm. She stared at Zac for a minute before sighing and closing her eyes.

“Unfortunately, Zac, nothing changes. As I’ve said last night by the Darcy household, someone might still be watching me. Stacey still wants Samantha’s head on the chopping board and I have a huge suspicion that she’s still using me to get to Sam. I cannot put Carson and the twins in any sort of danger. While Stacey may know who they are to me, she need not know that I remember them. If she suspects that I do know them then she will certainly be confused as to why I have made no contact with them,” Diaan explained as plainly as she could.

Zac deflated a bit and Diaan quickly said, “This does not affect you though. They can come over here as they usually do and you can go over to them as per usual. I’ve spoken to your father and he is making sure the twins know this as well. No attention must be drawn towards me at all. Besides having to deal with Stacey watching us, the paparazzi pop up at the most irritating of times as well. If that happens it won’t be long before people put two and two together.”

“I understand,” Zac pursed his lips, upset.

After a moment of silence Zac then asked, “And dad? How does he feel about all of this? I mean he just found out his wife was alive all along and that he has a long lost son, I don’t imagine this arrangement is easy for him.”

Diaan turned her attention to the window and watched a few of the neighbours stretching before their morning run. When Diaan had this conversation with Carson, she felt absolutely devastated when she saw the hurt in his eyes. He understood the situation but he was not happy about it. While the kids could come over and spend time with her, it would be overly suspicious if he spent even an hour at Kailey’s house as that was not something he usually did.

“Can we meet up then? You’ve got your disguise and I could pretend I’m meeting a business partner,” Carson pleaded with Diaan when he saw her hesitance.

While Diaan felt bad for thinking it, she did not need the distraction of Carson and mending her relationship with him. So many things had spiralled out of control and what she failed to mention to anyone was that the only reason she was even in Drase was because she had discovered that Will had gone rogue.

Will himself did not know that his cover was blown and was unaware of the resentment Diaan felt towards him. Diaan had fled to Drase under the guise that she needed to see Zac. While she did want to see Zac, she also had to get a hold of Sam so that they could discuss what their future moves would be with regards to Will and this entire situation.

Returning to the present, Diaan said, “We’ve agreed to meet up next week and talk things out. As it stands I cannot pursue or fix the relationship between your father and I until the threat of Stacey is gone. As you know, she has recently been released from prison. Her communicating with you out of all people is quite alarming. That opened my eyes to the fact that she is far from done when it comes to using me to get to Sam.”

Zac clenched his fists, “She has ruled our lives for far too long! This entire situation pisses me off!”

Diaan leaned back in her chair and sighed, “No one wants this to end more than me. I’m just so tired, Zac. I want it all to end.”

Zac glanced at his mother’s figure and noticed in that moment just how frail she looked. Her black bags under her eyes seemed to glare at him through her concealer.

“Mom,” Zac said gently, “please do not neglect yourself. Your health is important. You need to eat properly at the very least.”

Diaan smirked as she closed her eyes, “Don’t worry about me, Zac. You just focus on your studies and building a relationship with your siblings and your father.”

“After everything I now know and after seeing your condition I will not stand by as you suffer, mom! I will do everything as per normal to keep up appearances and I will get to know my family but not while you are being disadvantaged,” Zac said adamantly.

When Zac saw the determined look in his mother’s eyes he pleaded, “Please, mom. Please share your burden with me. I’m not that kid that needed to be protected from the truth anymore. While I may not be of much help, sharing one’s burden relieves some of the stress of the situation.”

Diaan graced her son with such a bedazzling smile, he just stared at her in awe, “I honestly won the lottery when it came to children. I love you, kid.”

“I love you too, mom. And I want to be there for you. So let me do that,” Zac said, his convictions firm and very apparent.

“You already are, Zac. You already are.”

©Crimson B