"What? Cat got your tongue?" Albee mocked Yago with a sneer. "You don't want to divorce your wife?"
Yago was really speechless. It wasn't that he's unwilling to divorce his wife. It's just that.... he doesn't have one to begin with. And what's with this little boy saying he'll allow his mother to be with him in front of his father? What's happening?
Roy sighed. "Yago, I think with the kids here, we should just calm down and talk about this." he said to him before turning to Arianna. "Go talk to him. I'll take the kids and look for my little wife." Roy then took the kids away. His jaw was still aching but he decided to just let it go. The guy looked pitiful anyway.
"Roy, do you think my mum would be alright?",Albee asked worriedly.
"She'll be fine. Yago won't hurt her." he replied. "But why are you still calling me Roy? You should call me uncle."
Albee looked at him with the same cold expression. "I call Belle mommy because she's my mother's best friend. Why should I call you uncle then? Belle's not even my mother's sister. I'll call you uncle once I started dating your daughter." Albee joked.
"Heh...keep calling me Roy then. Who wants you as a son in law, you cheeky boy!",he grumbled.
Aaliyah looked at the two of them with baffled expression. She didn't understand what their banter was all about.
***
Yago stared at Arianna as they were left seated on the bench. She wouldn't meet his eyes but he just kept staring at her. Roy said he'll go looking for his little wife. What did he mean by that? Seriously, everything here is a rollercoaster ride for him. He didn't understand a thing.
"Aren't you going to explain anything to me? Why did you run away from me? And that boy... why was he asking me to get a divorce?",he asked with furrowed brows.
Arianna sighed. She guessed the child just wanted her to be happy but things aren't that easy... is it?
"I'm sorry about that. I think he wanted us to reconcile and so he thought as long as you divorce your wife, then you can be together with me." she explained. "...but I completely understand that it wasn't possible.. "
"There's no need for a divorce though." he commented.
"Yeah... I know..." she replied. She just kept staring at the ground, afraid that she would lose herself once she stare at those mesmerizing orbs of his.
"You don't understand. There's no one to divorce. I wasn't married." he clarified.
Stunned, Arianna suddenly turned to Yago searching for pure sincerity in his eyes. She still couldn't believe it though! How could such a thing happen? How could they get it wrong. They were sure he was married! She shook her head refusing to believe.
"I heard about it. You married the duchess of Alba!" she blurted out.
"The family head of the clan married her." he rectified.
"You are the family head!" she exclaimed.
"Well... I was... before they told me I have to marry Regina, and so I abdicated and everyone was so furious they decided to banish me once more. I only gained freedom about seventeen months ago." he explained.
Yago didn't marry? Arianna stared in space as her mind started processing those informations. It was too sudden and overwhelming!
"How about you? You have kids. Are you married?", he asked. He wanted to know so much.
"No, I'm not." she replied without thinking.
Yago's face brightened up. If that's so then they can be together again, right? Feeling a surge of hope, Yago grabbed Arianna's wrist and pulled her close. He then hugged her tight as he kissed the top of her head. "Can you consider loving me again? I really missed you so much Rian. I can accept anything as long as you're with me." he whispered in her ear. Even if Arianna already had kids with another man, he can accept that as long as Arianna's heart was still his.
Arianna kept mum. She has been away from Yago from so long that somehow, her heart had gone cold. But with Yago's warm embrace, the ice surrounded her heart started to thaw. Can she really have him? Is she allowed now? As the thruth sunk in to her, Arianna gasped and lifted her arms, putting around them around Yago's waist. Sensing her response, Yago was deeply moved. He lowered his head and leaned in for a kiss.
Arianna's lips were cold but Yago's were hot. The steamy kiss melted the last remaining coldness in her heart as tears began running down her cheeks. It was hot, it was forceful, aggressive, but Arianna still felt like Yago couldn't have enough. She almost couldn't catch up on his pace and stand the intensity.
When their lips parted, Yago took her in his arms once more, hugging her tightly as if he was afraid she would simply disappear once he let go. She sat there without moving, letting him savor the moment, until a while later, Arianna felt drops of water landing on her right shoulder. She patted his back as her eyes rimmed red with tears threatening to fall once more but this time, she looked up and fought her tears. She won't be crying anymore.
"You know... I think you should go talk to Albee. He seemed to have a bad impression of you." she muttered.
Yago let go of her and met her eyes. "That boy and that girl... " Yago mumbled unable to phrase the question in his mind. He wanted to ask, who are their father but he couldn't say it.
"Oh... Aaliyah is Belle and Roy's daughter. Albee is..." Arianna paused as she saw Yago's drastic change of expression. His mouth was agape with the sudden realization and his face went pale. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Are you ill?"
"No, I.... I realized I punched an innocent person. I was very furious, I thought you and Roy...." he answered.
"Oh!", she exclaimed. "You thought I was Aaliyah's mother? Well, I'm not. But Albee is mine." she stated with a smile.
"Who's his father?", he asked with furrowed brows.
Arianna sighed and then stood up. "I don't know. Albee said he has no father. He said he will never acknowledge anyone unless that someone is proven worthy of his respect." she said before walking away to look for her son.
Yago stood and followed her, but his mind was on her cryptic words. What did she mean my 'she didn't know who the father is'?
***
Yago and Arianna found Belle and the kids eating ice cream under a pergola. Belle and Aaliyah greeted them in sync and offered them some but they refused. Yago focused his eyes on the little boy but he wouldn't look at him. He then turned to Roy gestured for him to come out.
"What took you so long? This is our third serving!", Belle teased.
Arianna chuckled. "Well, you shouldn't be letting the kids have so much ice cream, should you?",
"Well... It's yummy!", Little Aaliyah interjected. "Here, have some."
Arianna turned down the offer and glanced at the men instead. They were walking towards a bench nearby. She wondered what they were about to discuss.
"Mamma, did he agree?" Albee suddenly asked. Arianna turned to the boy and met his eyes. "He agreed to get a divorce right? You look happy."
Arianna shook her head. "No. We were wrong all this while. He wasn't married." she told him with a smile as he caressed Albee's short hair.
***
"I'm sorry about the punch. You can hit me too so we could call it even." Yago said with a serious expression.
"Forget about it. It didn't hurt that much." he replied. Have you talked to Arianna? Did she forgive you?" Roy probed.
"I didn't betray her. It was just a misunderstanding." he stated. "I've already explained everything to her, but she wouldn't tell me who the boy's father is."
Roy was so surprised by his statement that he couldn't help but burst out laughing! What's wrong with this man? Couldn't he tell that the boy looked very much like him?
Yago began staring at him coldly as he continued to laugh. There's nothing funny in this. Why was Roy laughing so hard? Noticing his death glare, Roy shut up and controlled his laughter. This guy was still as stoic as before!
"Well, do you mind? Do you mind that she has a child with someone else?" he said instead.
"No. The past doesn't matter."Yago replied.
Roy nodded. "Good answer. I wouldn't too. Now what you need to do now is to focus on getting on the child's good side because he's not as simple as you think. He's smart and cunning, and very protective of her mother. He hated his father for abandoning them while her mother was blind... or so he thought."
Yago furrowed his brows. "What do you mean by blind?"he asked.
"Well, there are a lot of things you didn't know. The accident in the Wei coast five years ago left Arianna blind." Roy revealed.
Yago was speechless. She was blind? Was she violated by someone while in that condition? That's why she couldn't tell who the child's father is?
Yago turned to look at Arianna who was sitting among the kids. She was happily talking to Aaliyah at that moment. Albee however, as if sensing something, turned and looked at him. As their eyes met, Yago could swear his heart suddenly skipped a beat.