- Can't you understand that I did this to protect Clare? Your brother picked on her and was even going to kill her if I didn't give him all the dirt you kept on him!
His mother slapped him on the cheek, and her expression showed that she was acting under the influence of rage.
- If Clare was in danger then you should have told us about it, genius, not act on your own! - yelled the woman, piercing her son with her eyes. - She is like a daughter to us, and we would have done what we could to protect her, but no.... you had to play macho and act on your own. I applaud you, Ian. You led to the fact that now we are all in danger. Do you think he won't want to take revenge on our family? Now we don't even have a way to defend ourselves!
- Sorry, I acted under the influence of the moment. I wasn't thinking rationally. I simply lost my mind after the phone call I received from him. The thought that he wanted to hurt Clare terrified me.
Ian's story wasn't entirely true, but they would rather not involve Felix in all this. They were going to settle it between themselves. The mother was a volcano of anger anyway, worse than the father, who sat on the couch, silent.
The woman finally sighed loudly and pushed her brown hair back. With an already softer eye, she looked at Clare, then shifted her gaze to her son.
- I know that a person in such a situation acts rashly. You were trying to protect your wife. It's understandable.
The blonde embraced Ian's hand, and her face saddened as she noticed how downhearted he was.
- I am sorry to have let you down. I'm sorry that you have such a hopeless son who can't think rationally in such situations. I am not as strong as you, it is possible that in the future I will not be able to cope with the company's problems. Forgive me for bringing you issues," he said. - His voice sounded so sad that Clare's heart broke.
She watched him as he slipped his arm out of her embrace and left the house.
- I'll take care of him, she apologized. - She bowed to her in-laws and ran after her husband. She managed to get into the car he was going to drive away in, without telling anyone where. - They understand you, Ian," she called back to him.
- If they understood me, my mother would not have hit me in the face. She only cooled down when she realized what she had done to me.
- You have to understand why she reacted with such anger. Without evidence, she is now afraid of your uncle, and even more frightened by the thought that he might hurt you. Your parents are worried about you. It seems to me that hitting you was caused by anger that something bad could happen to you because you acted on your own.
- Don't try to justify it, Clare.
- And you start acting like an adult, not a kid!
Driving the car, he looked at her with a sidelong glance.
- Now you are tearing at me?
- You left the house like a prima donna because your mother slapped you in the face? Grow up, man! - She jabbed him in the side of the head with her finger, at which he furrowed his brow.
- Now you are using violence against me?
- Somehow your sick brain needs to be activated. All problems started and are created solely by you.
The brunet snorted under his breath.
- If I am so problematic, why did you marry me?
- Well, that's just it... what was in my head that I didn't run away from the altar?
Shocked, Ian stopped the car on the side of the road and pierced her with his eyes.
- You were going to leave me in front of the altar!
- For a moment such a thought ran through my head when I thought, you're a bastard. After all, this is a decision for life.
- If I'm a worthless bastard, you can divorce me at any time!
Clare could have sworn she saw tears in his eyes. She dobbed him even more...
- Divorce? Don't think to yourself that I'll let you go! Never in my life! You are mine and it's over! - She embraced his face with her hands and kissed him, and when he wanted to move away, she climbed on top of him with her arms around him.
- What are you doing? - He asked when she let him take a breath.
- I'm showing you how much I love you.
He looked into her eyes with a gaze full of pain.
- I really want to change my life, I want to finally be happy with you. I want all the problems to go away and for us to be just us, together for the rest of our lives. I don't need anything else, Clare.
- I know, Ian, I know. - She stroked his cheek with the top of her hand, smiling slightly. - Because I don't dream of anything else, either. I just want to be happy with you.
She cuddled her face into his neck, and he stroked her hair with his hand, looking ahead with pained eyes.
*
The café was filled. The blonde sat at a table with Paul and Rosalie. With a sorrowful look, she watched her friend picking chocolate out of his wife's coffee with a spoon. They had been living in harmony for a long time. They got along so well that they had already managed to travel abroad twice, while Clare was still unable to be fully happy at her husband's side. Constant problems meant that both of them could not enjoy their life together.
- I'm sure those black clouds will eventually leave you," the boy spoke up, looking at his friend with sympathetic eyes.
- The most important thing is that Ian's uncle has given peace of mind to Felix. He doesn't have to hide anymore and can start living a normal life," Rose interjected.
- This is true. I am pleased about it. He has a girlfriend and is happy with her, so I believe that he will eventually settle down in his life. - The blonde sighed loudly. - Just what will happen to Ian's family? I'm terribly worried about him. My heart breaks when I see how strutted he's been walking for days.
- Everything will be fine, you'll see. - Paul tried to comfort her, although he himself doubted his words. Everyone already knew how fierce Ian's uncle was.
- I hope.
Clare's eyes widened in surprise when she noticed that Felix, accompanied by his girlfriend, had entered the café. His face still hadn't healed, though that didn't stop him from appearing in public.
They looked around the interior, as if searching for a free table, and that's when they spotted the blonde. She raised her hand up, beckoning them to join her. They just happened to have extra seats for two people.
- My goodness, Felix. How are you feeling? - Rosalie reacted too enthusiastically. She embraced the boy in greeting, ignoring Miley's jealous look. Anyway... Paul wasn't happy with this view either. He swallowed his saliva harder, but stifled his anger.
Miley sat down next to Clare, and next to her on the shore, Felix took his place when he finally managed to free himself from Rose's embrace.
- Let's just say I'm still all sore, but I can manage to function normally. - Saying this, he looked in the direction of the blonde. - How about Ian? How have his parents reacted to all this?
- Let's say they understand their son, but he obviously sees it differently and ignores them. Since that conversation, he would rather not talk to them.
- Is he twenty or ten years old? - Felix snorted under his breath. - In this situation, he should interact with his parents, not ignore them. His uncle clearly has head problems. He killed my mother, he is capable of anything.
Clare pushed her hair back and looked at her phone, which made a message sound. Seeing that it was a text message from her husband, she immediately read it.
"I met with him. We talked. Everything should be fine now."
The girl rose vigorously from her chair, and everyone stuck puzzled glances at her.
- What is it? - Paul asked.
- This idiot met with his uncle and didn't tell me about anything before. I'm going to kill him.
Nervously moving her leg, she put her cell phone to her ear, having previously dialed a call to Ian. He picked up after two signals.
- Have you completely lost your mind! - she hollered at him, ignoring the fact that she was in a public place and everyone was looking at her.
- I couldn't tell you earlier. I know you would have forbidden me this meeting, and I had to talk to him.
- Of course I would have forbidden you. If, I had to, I would have locked you in a room.
- Don't get upset, Clare. Everything is fine.
- Then why doesn't your voice sound like that? - She was concerned about his condition. He sounded sorrowful. - Where are you?
- On a bench by the playground, not far from our house.
- Don't you dare move from there," she warned him. - I'll be there in a minute.
She hung up and swept the others with a furious look.
- What's going on?
- I'm worried about this moron. He sounded really depressed on the phone.
- Should we go with you? - Felix suggested.
- I think you'll need support, so I don't kill him. I'm truly getting axed by him in my twenties.
*
With his head down, he was sitting on a bench when Clare approached him accompanied by her friends.
- Why do you do everything your own way, Ian? - She asked, crouching in front of him. She put her hands on his lap and swept her caring gaze over his face as he finally lifted it and looked into her eyes.
- I had no choice. I had to meet him when he called me. He said this was the last chance he was giving me.
- What happened there that made you so nailed down? Did he do something to you?
Ian shook his head vigorously, and this was the first time he had burst out crying in larger company.
Everyone looked shocked.
- My god, Ian, what's going on?
She stroked his face with her hand, wiping the tears from his cheeks.
- There was something else hiding in the dirt my mother kept on him.
- What was that? - Clare was alarmed to see his sad look.
- My birth certificate and the names of my real parents. It turned out that my mother was actually my aunt, and my uncle was my father. - Rosalie was impressed until she put her hand to her mouth - He killed his wife when he found out that she was cheating on him with his best friend. His sister took me away from him to give me protection. She was afraid that in a rage he would harm me. He, however, decided that it would be better. He wanted her to adopt me and create a normal family for me. He decided that he was unfit to be a father.
- Is that why he always fulfilled your whims? He did so much for you because you are his son?
Ian nodded, and Clare sat down next to him and embraced him, letting him rest his head on her shoulder.
- So you came to an agreement with him?
- He said he didn't intend to hurt his family, he just wanted to get back the dirt his mother kept on him to be safe.
- I'm so sorry, Ian, that you found out about everything in this way.
- He wanted me to know the truth before he left here forever.
The others still looked shocked.
- That would explain your character," muttered Felix, but immediately closed his mouth when Miley poked him with her shoulder.
- Why are you all here? - Ian finally turned his attention to the people his wife had come with.
- She was worried about you, and we were able to defend you if necessary, Felix stated.
- You, being in such a state, wanted to fight? You don't even have the strength to move your arm," Waller answered him.
Clare laughed and rapidly became serious when she noticed the offended look of her ex-boyfriend.
- I remind you, loser, that it is because of you that I am in such a state.
- Calm down. - Rosalie rolled her eyes. - Maybe it's time to put the past behind us?
- Not as far as I'm concerned," Ian stated. - I think I'm in for a long and serious conversation with my parents. And I want you to accompany me," he turned to his wife.
- Of course. - The girl took his hand and forced a slight smile.
Felix looked at them with envy in his eyes, but came to his senses when he felt Miley's intense gaze on him.
- Should we go back now? - he turned to her.
- Yes, we should," she answered him a bit teasingly, embracing his hand. She was no fool and saw that her boyfriend still had hidden feelings for his ex-girlfriend. However, she hoped that quite soon she would be able to make his heart belong entirely to her.