Chapter 58


    The Unwanted Bride Of Atticus Fawn Chapter 58


    ~ATTICUS~


    I wanted to speak with Anya before I talked to anyone else. I trusted her with my life, and I wanted to


    believe that she would be honest with me if I gave her a chance to exin.


    I knew there had to be a reason she pretended that we were still together even though she knew I was


    married to Autumn.


    Her eyes brighten when she spots me near the park where I told her to meet me earlier.


    I watched as she ran to me and threw herself into my arms. I stiffened, not sure what to do now that I


    knew who Autumn was to me. This felt wrong. Holding Anya felt like I was making a big mistake.


    “I’m so happy that you came to see me today,” She said as she hugged me tightly. “I couldn’t sleepst


    night. It was hard for me, Atticus; you have no idea how traumatized I’ve been. I’m still shocked by


    what Autumn did to mest night. I can’t believe she’s such a horrible person. I loved her like a sister,


    but she tried to kill me yesterday. I wish it were all a dream. It would be better for all of us if she were


    the same Autumn as in the past.”


    I stared at the ring on my finger, not paying attention to what she was saying. When I woke up on the


    hospital bed, one of the first things I noticed after returning home was the ring on the table near the


    bed. I’d asked Anya about it first since she had joined me in my room that day. She’d told me that this


    ring was something she’d bought for me. Now, I knew it had to be a lie. I don’t know why I hadn’t


    realized it was a lie sooner. When had Anya ever been able to give me something like this in the past?


    I’d been so caught up in my lost memory and everything I was missing to realize that she had been


    lying to me since then.


    How stupid have I been this entire time?Why did it take me this long to go looking for answers? Have I


    been afraid to learn the truth this whole time?


    “You said once to me that you were the one that bought this ring for me.” I finally say, running my finger


    over it. “Is that not true?”


    She smiles, “yes, it was my promise to be yours for the rest of your life. A promise ring. A ring of our


    love for each other. I remember how happy you were when I first gave it to you. It’s a memory I want to


    keep with me for the rest of my life.”


    I nod and stare into the distance, “How could you afford something this expensive?” I ask.


    I was giving her a chance to tell me the truth, and she kept digging a hole deeper for herself.


    I thought that I could trust her. I felt that Anya would at least tell me the truth or something close to it if I


    kept asking her questions. Not once did I think that she would make up even bigger lies to convince me


    that it was the truth. I was both disappointed and angry with her. But I didn’t want to show her my


    genuine emotion. There was plenty that I still wanted to do before I confronted her. She wasn’t the only


    person I had questions for. Everyone close to me, everyone that I trusted, all had exining to do. And


    I wanted to give them all the opportunity to tell me what I wanted to hear.


    Her eyes widen, “what are you insinuating?”


    I shrug my shoulders, “it’s a reasonable question considering your condition. I’m not trying to insult you


    if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m curious about who gave you the funds to get this for me. It doesn’t


    look like a promise ring, either. It seems like something much more than that. It looks like a ring a wife


    would get for her husband.”


    I can see the uncertainty in her eyes as she tries to respond. Was she searching for more lies to cover


    up her other lies?


    I exhaled before taking a deep breath once more. I had to remind myself to stay calm.


    She smiled, “since I couldn’t afford it on my own. I got Damon and Dante to help me. But that doesn’t


    change the amount of love I ced into getting this for you. Look how well it suits you. Who else would


    know exactly what you like?”


    My jaw clenched; she was no doubt continuing to lie to me. This was my f*****g wedding ring. All of the


    articles showed it. Knowing my parents, they wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to get pictures of


    this ring and Autumn’s in the magazines. It hurt to know that Anya could lie so easily to me without


    remorse. It hurt that my entire family could lie to me as well.


    And Autumn.


    I had no idea what to think about her. Could I trust her? She had plenty of opportunities to tell me the


    truth; why couldn’t she tell me that she was my wife? All of the proof was there; I would have believed


    her. My heart would have understood her.


    Instead, they all made me look like a fool. The entire school. Everyone. They fooled me. They made


    me think that I was still with Anya. All this time, my conflicted feelings, fighting myself, feeling guilty for


    wanting Autumn when I should have been with Anya, everything was a sted lie that they all made


    me believe. And I was foolish enough to believe them because I trusted each and every one of them.


    My hands tightened into fists at my sides.


    All this time, I hugged and kissed Anya while I had a wife. A WIFE.


    They let me kiss another woman when my wife was still in my life. The more I thought about it, the


    angrier I got. I’ve never been that way. I’ve never been a f*****g cheater. That was for a weak man. If I


    had gotten married to Autumn, there was no way I would have touched Anya inappropriately. The fact


    that my feelings were still there for Autumn, even after losing my memory, was proof of that.


    They’d all betrayed me. They’d all let me down, and for what?


    What was their reason behind it? Why did they think the best thing was to keep the truth from me? I’d


    made a mess out of my life because of this lie.


    Still, I couldn’t find it in my heart to hate them. Still, I partly knew why they did it in the first ce.


    But f**k. This just made everything so much worse. I didn’t understand anything that happened.


    How did I ever marry Autumn when Anya was my mate? How did my feelings for Anya change, and all


    of them suddenly turn towards Autumn? Nothing made sense to me. Thest thing I remembered was


    loving Anya like crazy; I would do anything for her in the past, so what had caused everything to


    change and so quickly?


    I had no idea what had happened before and during the ident. I wish I knew. I wish I could


    remember every single detail that I was missing. There were still plenty of things that were unclear to


    me. And I needed them to fill in those missing nks for me.


    Did Autumn truly have feelings for me? I know the feelings I had for her, but I wasn’t sure that hers


    were real. If she was willing to let me be with Anya even while we were married, what does that say


    about her feelings for me?


    I expected her to try and separate us, to do something, anything to make sure that Anya didn’t take her


    ce. But she stood back and let it all happen. She never said anything when Anya hugged me, and


    not once did she try to stop it.


    Well, that wasn’t exactly true. There were certain times when she showed her real emotions, but I


    never paid enough attention to them.


    The only proof I had of her feelings for me was what she did to Anya yesterday. But I wasn’t even sure


    if that was for me.


    Maybe the signs were there, but I wasn’t looking for them.


    Everything she said when she saw me at the beach party or yesterday when she cried while looking at


    my jeep were all signs of what we shared. If those emotions were real, I wasn’t the only one who cared


    between us.


    Maybe I should at least give her a chance to exin what happened to us. Perhaps I could trust her


    more than I did Anya at this point. Anya was no longer someone that I could trust. Everything that she


    did was suspicious to me now.


    If Autumn also had feelings for me, why couldn’t she be honest with me? Why this big secret?


    Maybe my parents had something to do with it. I knew how influential they were. There’s no telling how


    far they went to keep this secret from me. Did they threaten her to keep quiet, or did she decide to lie to


    me on her own?


    “Atticus?” Anya calls out to me. It was the reminder I needed to know that she was still in front of me.


    I didn’t care what anyone said to me anymore. I didn’t care what my parents had nned or what Anya


    wanted from me. Now that I knew Autumn was my wife, it didn’t matter that I couldn’t remember our


    times together, she was my wife, and it meant that she had to be treated like it.


    “Did you kick Autumn out of your homest night?” She asks.


    Her words cut through me and ignited the anger I felt. How could she ask me that, knowing that


    Autumn was my wife while she wasn’t?


    “Tell me, Anya, why are you and Autumn no longer good friends?” I ask. “She was your closest friend,


    but I can’t help but notice how the both of you treat each other ever since I lost my memory.”


    Her eyes are surprised, and it’s the reaction I was expecting from her. Someone that had plenty to hide


    would react this way.


    “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve only been unhappy with her after she tried to kill me


    yesterday. Did you already forget what happened?” She demands. “It was traumatizing for me, Atticus.


    Do you even know what it feels like to almost die at the hands of someone you used to love?”


    I nod, “I remember, but I didn’t see everything that happened. I only arrived when Autumn was still in


    the pool. I didn’t see you move an inch to try and help her get out. Unlike Autumn, you’re a very good


    swimmer. You could have easily jumped into the pool and rescued her.”


    My body still hadn’t recovered from the shock of seeing her inside that pool. All I could think about was


    saving her. I had never panicked so much about another person in my life.


    Last night I didn’t pay much attention to Anya not trying to help her, but after knowing what I knew, I


    realized that she wasn’tpletely innocent in all of this.


    I thought Autumn had retaliated for no reason, but now I knew I was delusional to believe that.


    “What are you using me of doing, Atticus?” She demands. “I thought you, out of everyone else,


    would know the type of person I am. I can’t believe you would ever think so low of me.”


    Why did I feel like I’d heard words like that out of her mouth already?


    I shook my head. “I’m not using you of anything. I’m asking you to exin so I can get a better idea


    of everything.”


    “The truth. Are you sure you want to know the truth?” She asks.


    I nod, “tell me everything I need to know to understand what’s been going on between the two of you.”


    “I found out something disturbing. That’s why I decided not to be friends with Autumn anymore.” She


    exins.


    “And what did you find out that made you make that decision?” I ask.


    “I found out that Autumn has feelings for you. I realized she was only friends with me to get closer to


    you. I felt betrayed because of it, and I decided to let go.”


    I stiffened. It’s thest thing I expected her to say to me.


    She was lying. Once again, Anya was lying to me.


    I knew that she was.


    I would have believed her if I didn’t know I was married to Autumn. My marriage to her best friend is


    most likely what caused the drift between them. I gave her the opportunity to tell me the truth, and she


    still chose to lie.


    “Is there anything else that you think I should know?” I ask, giving her yet another chance toe


    clean.


    She looks at me suspiciously, “why are you asking all of these questions so randomly?”


    I shrug my shoulders, “am I not allowed to be curious? Things have changed plenty since I woke up


    after the ident. I’m allowed to ask questions. Why are you so threatened by them?”


    She crossed her arms over her chest and red at me, “I’m not threatened by them. It’s just surprising


    to me that you’re asking them today. I thought you would be more concerned about what type of


    monster Autumn was. The power that she contains is not normal. That kind of power is not something


    you’ll see every day. Why aren’t you questioning her instead?”


    I was aware that Autumn’s ability to control Anya yesterday was not normal, but finding out she was my


    wife was more shocking to me. I was trying to deal with one thing before moving on to the other.


    “I’m in a rtionship with you.” I reminded her even though I knew the truth now. “You’re the one I have


    to question. Not her. Unless there’s something else that I should know about Autumn, is there?”


    Her eyes widen, “of course, nothing else concerns you. I’m sorry. I’m just surprised by your questions.


    That’s all. You can ask me whatever you want to; I will answer all of them withplete honesty.”


    I nod, “I have plenty more questions, but I’ll leave them for another time.”


    She smiles, relieved, “are you taking me for dinner tonight?”


    I shook my head, “I want you toe home with me tonight. I may have a small gathering with all of


    my family members present. Since you’re close to me, I want you to be there too.”


    Her face brightens, “I’ll be happy to join you.”


    My jaw clenched; it wasn’t the gathering she was hoping for. Tonight she would find out why I’d invited


    her.


    . . . . . . . . . . . .


    ~AUTUMN~


    “Are you okay?” rissa asks me. It’s the next day after the party, and I’m still feeling gloomy.


    I haven’t seen Atticus since I attacked Anya. It still bothered me how angry he’d gotten with me. He


    doesn’t realize what she’d try to do to me. He still trusted her, and it frustrated me that he didn’t


    remember anything. If he remembered even a little about our past, he would know she wasn’t someone


    he could trust. Instead, he chose to believe the lies she was constantly feeding him.


    My ns to bring us closer together were not working, and it hurt. Why couldn’t he believe me? Why


    couldn’t he see the truth right in front of his face?


    I wasn’t able to sleep at allst night. The disgusted look on his face after I almost killed her was


    constantly haunting me. I couldn’t get the image out of my head. I hadn’t intentionally tried to hurt her.


    Just maybe a little, but my intention was never to kill her. I didn’t want to stoop as low as her, but


    something dark came over mest night. The fact that she’d tried to hurt me first triggered the dark side


    inside of me.


    I wasn’t even sure a dark side existed until yesterday. I was still hoping that I was nothing like my


    father, but it would seem that I couldn’t hide from my past no matter how much I wanted to. I couldn’t


    hide from the sins of my father either. It was out to destroy my life, and I wasn’t sure what would


    happen when the truth was revealed to everyone else. It was clear that everyone around me who knew


    who Azai was would freak out when they discovered he was my father.


    How much longer could I hide it from them? Carter and his teammates knew I wasn’t normal, and now


    Anya also knew the truth. She hated me passionately; she could easily make my life a living hell.


    “Autumn?” rissa asks. “Are you okay? You didn’t answer me the first time. I’m very worried about


    you. Please talk to me; I’m here to help if you need anything from me.”


    “Not the best. I’m terrified of what my future has in store for me.” I confess. “Is Atticus upset with me?


    He never once returned to see whether or not I was okay after almost drowning. He was more


    concerned about Anya than me.”


    I knew he was only acting that way because he’d lost his memory, but that didn’t make it any easier for


    me.


    She sighs, “Atticus never came homest night.”


    Her words have managed to shock me to the core. How could he not have returned? Where could he


    have gone without letting anyone know of his whereabouts?


    I stopped walking and turned towards her. “He didn’t return homest night?” I repeated her words to


    ensure I’d heard her correctly the first time.


    She nods, “we tried calling his phone, but he never answered. No one knows where he is or where he


    wentst night. He was very secretive about it.”


    Fear coursed through my veins.


    “Do you think something happened to him?” I demand. “Shouldn’t we be looking for him?”


    Maybe he went to see Anya and chose not to tell anyone. I don’t know why he would want to keep that


    a secret.


    “Damon and Dante went looking, but they never found him. Damon said that he looked suspicious


    when he leftst night. No one knows why he chose to leave.” She answers. “I don’t think anything bad


    happened to him, or we would have heard about it by now. It must be hard for him not to remember


    anything. I think it’s affecting him negatively. I knew my parents should have told him the truth from the


    beginning. When Atticus learns what happened, he’s not going to trust anyone. He will feel betrayed. I


    always knew that this would happen. When he remembers that you’d been missing and they still chose


    to lie to him, he will lose his mind. I hope that they’re prepared for his wrath.”


    “I’m not sure we’re doing the right thing.” I agree. “I feel we’re doing more harm than good by not telling


    him.”


    At first, I was too afraid to hurt him. But that wasn’t my only fear. I’ve always been terrified that he


    would choose Anya over me. I’ve seen him do it all my life; I was scared that he would still do it even


    after knowing the truth because he’d lost all memory of me and my feelings for him.


    “I can talk to my parents again.” She says. “I can convince them that it’s time for him to know the truth.


    We’ve waited far too long. What are they waiting for? For him to ask Anya to marry him? They’re


    ying a dangerous game, and they don’t realize how wrong it is. They’re trying to protect him, but


    they’re choosing the worst way to do it.”


    Her words have increased the worry inside of me. She was right. If Atticus didn’t remember he was


    married to me, there’s no telling what he would do for Anya. She was crazy enough to ask him for a


    wedding.


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    It was time that we made the hard decision and told him the truth.


    The look he gave me yesterday shes before my mind. I swallow.


    “I’m not sure that would make a difference after yesterday. You should have seen the way he looked at


    me. Like I was a monster. And maybe I am one. After all, my father was a crazy maniac greedy for


    power.”


    I wanted to see Atticus today, but I was also worried about how he would react after what he’d seen


    yesterday.


    “Atticus could never think that way about you. He was most likely just startled by what he saw. Besides,


    Anya deserved everything. She pushed you into the pool and watched you fight for your life. You


    wouldn’t have retaliated if she hadn’t hurt you first.”


    “Have you seen her?” I ask as I search our surroundings.


    I’m sure she would have plenty to say to me after what she saw. Her hatefulments would only get


    worse from now on. I was prepared for all of them. Her opinion of me did not bother me; the only


    person whose opinion mattered the most was Atticus.


    “She won’t be here today,” rissa answers me. “ording to Damon, she’s not feeling well and


    chose to skip the academy. Her not being here is already a sign that today will be a good day.


    Hopefully, Atticus shows up as well.”


    If Atticus never shows up today, I could only assume he chose to spend the day with her. He was


    probably still trying to soothe her.


    My Atticus would have done the opposite. He would have taken care of me instead.


    I needed to remind myself that he was still inside of him somewhere. I couldn’t give up.


    rissa’s face brightens when Damon approaches us, “aren’t youte for your ss?” He asks her.


    She nods, “I amte, but that’s fine.”


    He sighs, “let’s go to ss, rissa. You’ll have plenty of time to speak with Autumn afterward.”


    She pouts, but after I also agree with him, she goes without insisting on staying back.


    I watch as Damon walks her to ss, and I’m left alone in the ssroom until he returns. Dante was


    not present either, he was probably out searching for Atticus, or he could also be with Anya.


    The rest of the ss passes quickly, most likely because Atticus never showed up. Not seeing him had


    certainly dampened my mood.


    I’m just praying for everything to pass quickly so I can return home. The guards were the only thing


    keeping mepany at this point, and even they didn’t try to speak to me. They couldn’t. Our family


    was strict about that.


    rissa and I are reunited at the cafeteriater in the day, and I’m relieved to have her next to me


    again. Something about her always managed to calm me down.


    “How were sses?” She asks.


    “Boring.”


    “Same.” She tells me as her eyes scan the cafeteria.


    She looked over at me after, and I could tell she’d seen someone or something that made her


    concerned about me.


    “Atticus is here.” She finally says.


    My heart skipped a beat at her words. I followed her gaze, and she was correct; he was, standing next


    to Damon. They were deep in conversation, but something about Atticus didn’t seem right.


    “He looks angry,” I tell rissa. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him be that way around Damon before.”


    “I think you’re right, but I doubt you’re the one he’s angry with.” She whispers. “I don’t see why he


    would be upset with Damon either. Something else must be happening that we don’t know about.


    Maybe it has to do with why he went missingst night.”


    Even though my feet were itching to go to him, I decided that the safest thing to do was to stay next to


    rissa and let him approach me. If he wanted to talk, he woulde.


    I knew things had worsened after yesterday, and I didn’t want to push him.


    I close my eyes and fight back the pain I felt in that memory.


    Everything that I did was to get Atticus back, help him regain his memory, and bring him closer to me.


    I knew that Anya deserved what happened to her after pushing me into the pool, but I wouldn’t have


    stooped to her level if the power hadn’t consumed me. I wish Atticus knew this. I hope he knew the


    type of person that I was.


    I was fearful of myself. I was scared of how much of my father I had inside me.


    My body shook with worry. I didn’t know who I could speak to that would be able to help me. The only


    person I could think about was my biological mother, but I had no idea where she was or how to find


    her. I wish she would show up. I wish she would see me at least once and help me get through this.


    “Hey,” rissa whispers. “Do you need anything? You’re shivering.”


    I tried to stay calm next to her, but it was bing difficult. The fear was consuming me. I knew I


    should fight it; it was possible that it could be the power inside of me trying to scare me, to be


    dominant.


    “I’m okay.” I lie. “I just need some time to recover from yesterday.”


    She nods, “you don’t have to force yourself toe to the academy. Everyone knows you’re going


    through plenty. You can—”


    She pauses, “they’reing.” She warns me suddenly.


    I followed her gaze, and she was right.


    Atticus and Damon are walking toward us. I tried to prepare myself mentally, but even that wasn’t easy


    to do at this point.


    Something about the way he’s looking at me makes me uneasy. I feel like he knows more than he did


    yesterday. Did he somehow find out who my father was? Was that where he had disappeared to? Did


    he go searching for answers about who I was?


    I was surprised that there weren’t headlines about what I’d done all over the school by now. Anya


    wasn’t someone that liked to keep anything to herself. Something that made me look so horrible; I


    thought she would have rushed for the opportunity to expose me.


    Maybe that’s why she didn’te to the academy today. She was plotting her next big n to get rid of


    me.


    She wasn’t the only one. Now I also had to watch out for Skyler. In every direction I turned, my life was


    in danger, and still, my main concern was bringing Atticus back to me. I didn’t care what was happening


    around me; I didn’t care that my life was in danger; all I wanted was a chance to bring my Atticus back


    to me. I missed him dearly. I wish I could have what he had in the past. I fought for him for so long, and


    I’m still fighting.


    I wanted to feel his arms around me, to feel his warmth engulf me.


    I missed having him next to me, and I was tired of having to see him with Anya. I was tired of watching


    her use his memory loss to her advantage.


    “Are you sure you want to be near Atticus right now?” rissa asks me as she looks for a way to help


    me escape.


    “It’s okay,” I assure her. “I have to face him eventually. I can handle whatever he has to say to me.”


    She nods, and not too long after; they’re both standing a few inches away from us.


    “Where have you been?” rissa asks Atticus, not giving him a chance to say anything. “Dante and


    Damon looked everywhere for youst night. Where did you run off to? It’s unfair to everyone else that


    you just chose to disappear without saying a word. You don’t think we would have all been worried after


    thatst incident that almost took you from us?”


    He doesn’t look guilty at all. Instead, he seems almost irritated by her questions. His actions were very


    disturbing. Atticus had to know something that he wasn’t telling us. He wouldn’t react this way without a


    perfectly good reason.


    He looks directly at me then, and my breath gets stuck in my throat, “I had some answers that I needed


    to find. I disappeared to get them.”


    She quirks a brow, “and did you find those answers?”


    I can feel the tension increase at his words.


    His jaw clenches.


    “I found some answers.”


    That was all he said. His responses were short like he didn’t want to tell us.


    His eyes travel to my hand, and I’m unsure what he’s looking for.


    He looks even angrier now, “I invited Anya over tonight for a family gathering.” He announces suddenly.


    My body goespletely still at his words. I was right. He had been with Anya all this time. He was


    comforting her while I’d been worried about him like crazy.


    It didn’t make me feel any better.


    “Shouldn’t she stay home and rest?” rissa asks, annoyed.


    “No.” Atticus snaps. “She will be there. I expect all of you to be there as well, including Autumn.”


    I gasp. Did I hear him correctly?


    Including me?


    Why did he want me there as well?


    What was Atticus nning?


    Did he want to expose me in front of his entire family?