Memories

It was 11 pm when Aiden was dropped off at the house. He hadn't even touched the door knob before the door was suddenly pulled open from the inside and Derek stood in the doorway. He was clearly still worried and asked,

"Are you alright? Was everything fine?" Aiden smiled and reached up to pat Derek on the head.

"Everything's fine. It was just a meal. Now, can I come in or am I sleeping in the front lawn tonight?"

"Oh, sorry." Derek stepped back, making room for Aiden to get inside, then closed the door. "Did you find out what he wanted?"

"No," Aiden shook his head. "There wasn't really anything in particular. There were only three other people there besides your grandfather and I."

"Who were they?" Derek asked.

"Someone named Dean Willaby, his nephew Jason Buckley and another guy named Issac Atwood." Derek seemed to be contemplating something for a moment before he spoke again.

"Dean being there makes sense, since he and my grandfather have been friends for ages. I suppose it's also not strange that he'd take his nephew along. After all, people say Dean treats Jason like his own son. But I don't understand why Issac would be there."

"Are they not close?"

"They know each other well enough as some of their business dealings will occasionally overlap but, as far as I know, that old man's never gone out of his way to invite Issac to any private gatherings."

"Well, it's not like anything bad happened so try not to worry about it." Aiden took Derek's hand in his and squeezed lightly. Derek nodded and returned the gesture.

"Alright. It's late, you should rest."

"Not just me, you need to sleep too." Then, Aiden led Derek up the stairs. He glanced around, making sure no one was nearby, before hugging him tightly. Derek briefly hugged him back before Aiden backed up, said goodnight, and headed towards his room.

Meanwhile, in a manor just outside the north end of the city, Issac sat by a large window under a beam of bright moonlight. Sitting in his palm was an old silver pocket watch with a picture inside it. The photograph was of a beautiful young woman with long wavy white hair and a radiant smile. A half empty bottle of alcohol and an empty glass sat on the small table next to him. He had a pained and sad look on his face as he stared at the photograph.

"...Elara, why didn't you tell me?" Issac took one last long look at the watch before closing it and putting it back in his pocket. Then, he filled the glass with alcohol again and drained it in one go. What was he supposed to do?

Many years ago, when he was young, innocent, and naive, Issac fell in love with a beautiful and mysterious woman named Elara. He never even knew her last name but, to him, it didn't matter. No matter what, he absolutely adored her. For several blissful months, the two of them had the relationship of lover's. She was his everything and he wanted to marry her in the future. He believed they'd be able to live the rest of their lives together in happiness. Unfortunately, things didn't work out the way he wanted them to.

The daughter of one of Issac's father's friends, Amelia, had set her sights on him. She desperately wanted Issac to marry her and her father agreed to try and persuade his friend. Since both families were wealthy with powerful backgrounds, it was decided they'd be a perfect match. In the end, everyone was pushing for Issac to marry a woman he hardly knew even when his father knew full well that he was already with someone.

Issac stood his ground and wholeheartedly refused to marry her. He thought that was the end of it but he was sorely mistaken. One night after a fundraiser event Issac lost consciousness. He didn't know what caused it until it was too late. He woke up the next morning in a nightmare.

It turned out that he'd been drugged and spent the night with Amelia. At first, he refused to believe he'd actually done anything and thought she must have framed him. However, a month later, she was pregnant. Everyone insisted it had to be his although he was still in denial. He wouldn't believe it until the child was born and a DNA test was performed. Still, the damage had been done.

Amelia's father threatened all kinds of retaliation if Issac refused to take responsibility. He was left with no other choice but to agree to the marriage. The only comfort through it all was that Elara agreed to stay with him despite the marriage. As month's flew by, Elara started acting strange.

It started with her being more distant. She also seemed more and more depressed with each passing moment. She would often cry or stare blankly into thin air. Issac thought it was due to the approaching wedding and the emotional stress they both were under. Soon, he found out how wrong he was.

The day after his wedding with Amelia, Elara vanished leaving only a short letter behind. It gave him no explanation or excuse and only told him not to look for her if he truly loved her. He frantically searched for answers to the many painful questions that formed in his head after her disappearance but he found none. He never saw her again after that. It was only after her death that he got to visit her but she was only a grave by then.

By that time, his son was already three months old. DNA confirmed his blood relationship with the boy and it also cemented his fate. He did his best to treat the child normally as he wasn't at fault for his mother's actions but he was still distant. Any time Amelia was anywhere in sight, Issac's mood would hit rock bottom. He couldn't stand to be anywhere near her and when she spent time with their son, it only reminded Issac of what she had done and what it cost him.

After so many years had passed, he finally learned he had another son. The person Isacc loved most in the world had given him such a precious miracle. But the boy knew nothing of his father. Was he supposed to tell him or let him live his life in peace? How would he explain why he was never there for him and how would he ask for forgiveness? He also had to worry about what Amelia and her family would do if they learned about Aiden. After all, anyone who knew both Issac and Elara would be able to see the resemblance.

It was because of that that he was even made aware of Aiden's existence in the first place. William noticed his appearance and contacted Issac to verify it. After seeing him in person, Issac had no doubt about the boy. He was the spitting image of his mother except his eye color and the slight change in features because he was male. Aiden's eyes were almost exact replicas of Issac's own eyes. They were a trait frequently passed down in the Atwood family. Although his first born son didn't inherit them.

Setting the empty glass back on the table, Issac stood up. He staggered a few steps and opened the door, slowly making his way outside. The light from the full moon shone down, lighting up the ground. He sat down in the grass and stared up dreamily at the night sky. Stargazing was something Elara loved to do. Somehow, Issac found it comforting to look up at the stars whenever things felt like too much to handle.

"Elara, what should I do? He's our son. Yours and mine. He's so beautiful, just like you. Will he be happy if I tell him? I wish you were here to tell me what's the right thing to do." He continued to sit there and gaze into the sky for a while.

"Sir? You should come back inside. It's too cold out for this. What would you do if you ended up getting sick?" An elderly man helped Issac to his feet.

"Gerald, what are you still doing awake?" Gerald was technically an employee but he was more like family in Issac's opinion. He had looked after him when he was younger and acted as everything from a driver and nanny to a nurse and a guardian. He lived in the manor with Issac, Amelia, and their son and helped in any way he could.

"I could ask you the same sir. Come on now, let's get you inside." The old caretaker was quite used to collecting Issac from the yard whenever he was having a difficult time. Dealing with the intoxicated man had become commonplace.

"Mm." Issac nodded and, with the help of Gerald and one last glance at the night sky, staggered back inside.