Aunt Elsie watched as Ryan leaves the house overwhelmed with mixed feelings of shock and anger, the same emotions reflecting in her eyes. She was angry because Ryan had come to take Herzl from her grasp, just like he did to the Lerman's company.
And she was shocked to hear Ryan's confession of his claim as Herzl's father; she still finds it hard to digest his words. She's aware of Ciara's secret marriage with a well-known businessman in States, but finding out that same businessman turns out to be Ryan was something she never expected -not him of all people!
Aunt Elsie was reeling from the revelation. She had no idea that the man who Ciara had married was the same man who now stood before her -challenging her and trying his possible best to take everything she had always dreamed of away from her.
It was all too much to take in. She sat down on the couch, her head spinning. How could she have been so wrong about everything? How could she have not seen the truth before now? How could she be that daft of not take notice of everything?
She had sawed the resemblance between Ryan and Herzl the other day at the hospital, but she ignored it -she had thought it was just a mere coincidence without paying much attention to it; now, it turns out to be the truth!
As she sat there, trying to process everything, a thought occurred to her. If Ryan was Herzl's father, and Ciara had married him, then that meant... Oh, no. Oh, no! It couldn't be! This means it's only a matter of time until she loses everything, just as he had promised!
It was a horrifying realization for Aunt Elsie. If Ryan was indeed Herzl's father, and Ciara had married him, then that meant that Ciara and Ryan had had an affair. Maybe this was the reason Ciara had favored him among every other person. It was too much to bear.
She could vividly remember the day she found out about Ciara having a son from her husband, Kent. Aunt Elsie had asked Ciara about Herzl's father, but she waved the question off, with the reply of not wanting to talk about it. Aunt Elsie felt like the whole world was crashing down around her. How could this have happened?
She stood up from the couch, her legs shaking. She had to get out of the house, she needed to clear her head. Furthermore, she walked to the front door, her hands trembling in angerand rage as she reached forthe handle.
She opened the door and stepped outside, breathing in the fresh air. It was a chilly night, and the stars were shining brightly in the sky. She stood there for a moment, trying to calm herself down. She felt like she was about to explode, like the anger and hurt and betrayal was going to consume her.
Likewise, she started to pace back and forth, her mind racing as Ryan's last words replayed over and over again in her mind. "...I wouldn't let this slide, woman!" He had told her. "...I can't stand seeing my son living under the same roof with an impeccable woman like you -you'll hear from me soon, I promise!"
His words were like a daggerto her heart. She had always considered herself to be a bad aunt to her cousins and that had never moved her, neither had she felt guilty of it -not even for once!
"Impeccable woman", eh? To hear Ryan say it, in such a harsh and accusing tone, was more than she could bear. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinked them back, determined not to cry. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her break down.
She was still pacing, her mind whirling, when she heard a noise behind her. She whirled around, her heart pounding, to see a figure standing in the shadows. Not only that, but she breathed out in relief when the figure came near, a small smile crept up her lips amidst her mixed feelings -it was Herzl.
Like she was being controlled, she rushed towards him, engulfing him in her warm embrace. "I won't let him take you away from me, son!" She sobbed out, the thought of letting go of Herzl ripping her heart into a million pieces. "I won't let anyone touch you nor harm even a strand of your hair!"
Aunt Elsie might be the cause of Ciara's predicament and had caused emotional pains for Herzl -but she had never pictured herself of letting go of a boy as sweet as Herzl. Despite her anger and hatred, the little boy had secretly charmed herwith his sweet, and she couldn't get enough of it.
Herzl hugged her back, his small arms wrapping around her tightly -not having an idea of what had gone wrong or what Aunt Elsie meant by her words, but he was determined to console her, feeling how greatly disturbed she was.
"I don't want to leave, Auntie." He said, his voice muffled by herembrace. "You're the only family I have, and I love you so much. Don't worry, Auntie, no one is taking me away from you. I want to stay here with you."
Tears were streaming down Aunt Elsie's face now, but they were not only tears of sadness. There was also a sense of relief, of hope. "I love you too, sweetheart." She said, pulling back to look at him.
She cupped his face in her hands, gazing into his eyes. "I know you might not understand what's going on right now, but please know that I would do anything to protect you." She told him. "You're my world, Herzl, and I promise I will never let anything happen to you. I will keep you safe, no matter what."
He nodded, trusting hercompletely. "I believe you, Auntie." he said, his eyes shining with love and faith. "I know you would never let anything bad happen to me."
Smiling triumphantly, Aunt Elsie stood up as she grabbed Herzl by his wrist. "Come with me." She stated simply. "Let's go inside, so you'll get something to eat, son."
Instead of doing as told, he craned his neck around, his eyes gazing from each angle like he was looking for a ghost that had vanished from his sight before anyone else was able to see it.
"What's with your behavior?" Aunt Elsie was forced to ask, his attitude not going down well with her. "Are you either looking for someone or something, so, I help you with it."
"Where is he?" Herzl doped out without thinking about his words twice. "Mr. Ryan, where has he gone to? Is he gone already? Why did he leave without biding me goodbye, Auntie?"
If only Herzl had spared Aunt Elsie a glance, he would have clamped his mouth shut immediately without even bothering to complete his statement.
"Yes, he left without a goodbye." Aunt Elsie admitted, her voice cold and icy. "You can see how bad of a man he is, that was why I asked you to stay away from him in the first place -you can't trust someone like him, Herzl."
"But Auntie, Mr. Ryan is a..."
Aunt Elsie did not give Herzl the chance to finish his statement before cutting him off abruptly. "I don't want to hear you talk about that man again -ever, Herzl." She warned him sternly.
Herzl, realizing the urgency in her words and how cold her voice was, he gulped down hard, nodding slowly in affirmation -his eyes burning with unseen tears...