Bloody War (NOW PUBLISHED IN PAPERBACK)

An effort of Justification

Rosewood.

Each and everytime, whenever that name was uttered, a vile feeling crept inside Aiden. It made him feel torn between his family, that he cherished more than his own life and his parents. Who probably should have been the one to love him the most, but still abandoned him and his siblings.

He hated his parents the most and this hatred was also shared by this name. Due to this one name, everything shattered into pieces. His parents left them, his siblings lost their innocence, rather than discussing dinner they were discussing whose body will drop dead next. All of this chaos just because of this one name. Granted, his parents weren't saint either.

Infact they were far from it. Leaving a bucket full of guilt for their eldest son to consume, running away from the consequences of their own actions, these were just a few things they aced in. Regret, anger and confusion fazed over his mind.
Rosewood was definitely not a common surname, but it wasn't the rarest. There can be atleast 2 person with that surname, in the area he lived.

But...

What were the chances that the other person will have a deceased father or no family at all? That they would have a mysterious source of money? That there will be no record of their existence before they came to university?

What were the chances that the other person is Agent Frost? One in a billion if we sum up all the other criteria.

The fact that Avery's real surname is Rosewood was not something he was hoping to eavesdrop tonight. But he did, just as she said this to Jason and went away from there. He would not like to admit this but Avery's connection to a man who possibly murdered his brother, her having a history working with him and now sharing the one surname he hated the most is very disturbing to him.

If Aiden was concerned about where Jason had gone so suddenly, he was more concerned now why he returned with her. And this perplexity was enough for him to knock her door in the middle of the night. Ungodly hour? sure, indeed. Did he care? No. Not even for a second.

The door opened to her revealing herself. Sometimes he wondered whether she was that beautiful or did she never slept? Because no one can look that alert and dare he says magnificent just after waking up. Anyway, these thoughts were getting him nowhere. "I think there are some things you need to clear...for both of us."

She opened her door and welcomed me inside. No. Not welcome. It was more of a...formality. "I need to clear things for both of us? What's that supposed to mean? I thought everything was clear already." Her straight face made it difficult to understand whether it was sarcasm or just a dull jab at him.

"I..I came to know somehow that, your surname is Rosewood. It sounds baffling at first but," how does he say this to someone as dangerous as her? How does he profess that there maybe someone of her family who has been killed?

"But? But what? My name is Avery Rosewood and that in itself should have nothing to do with you. What's there to be baffled about?"

"It does. It has a lot to do with me. Okay, 10 years ago was someone from your family was murdered? Anyone with the surname Rosewood?" Her hands were in the pockets of her pajamas but he could still see it clench under it. Her chin rose a little bit high, shoulders became more squared and stiff. This difference was his confirmation if he ever needed one.

"I am not sure I am following." Ofcourse this was her reply. What else did he expect? He crossed his hands infront of him and took a deep breath. Time to be straightforward. "Henrick Rosewood. Does the name sounds familiar to you?"

The words that Aiden pronounced at that moment in front of Avery, weighed way more than he realised for her. Oh how could she not! The man whom she loved like crazy. So much that it pained her from the very bottom of her heart. She cried and cried for years because she could not believe that he was gone for forever now. It took a lot of her courage to even remember that man now without crying her heart out.

"May I know how you have the knowledge of my father's name?" She whispered coming close to Aiden. She gulped back whatever emotions she had displayed in the past minute, as he looked at her. Not now. She thought. "How do you know my father's name Aiden?"

She has never taken his name in front of him. But that's the least of his concern now as he realised what it meant. He was her father! Of all the people that he-he could have been, he was her father?! No. No this can't be. Her father was the one that-that...

"Y-your father was," he couldn't digest the words. Not even in his mind could he say what he was supposed to. ",killed. By-by,"

"By 35 bullets. That belonged to the S.C cartel and 1 bullet that belonged to a person I have yet not found. The gun that person had left, had H.C initials on it. Now how-"

"What if I said that the H.C initials stand for Heather Coleman? My mother? What if I tell you that my parents killed your father?"
I blurt out my thoughts before I can filter them. Avery is stunned in front of me. Her eyes are almost glassy as she studies my face. If before I was feeling intimidated and a little resentment from her, now it was just betrayal. "Because, " after an eternity of silence I finally find my voice to say something

"Because? There is a because on your end? But on my end there's no why?" She looks at me, sternly asking me. What do I say? What have my parents done? "There is. It happened due to a misunderstanding revolving Blain..."

"Blain? That name again? Jason asked me if I killed someone named Blain. Now you are saying that your parents killed my father because of Blain? You are giving me a reason or are you justifying their actions?" Her words cut more deep than the glass piece punctured in his palms that came from the jar that she broke infront of him.

"I am not justifying anyone actions. I am just letting you know what exactly happened. The Blain that you are talking about was our youngest brother. His life was at stake. Somehow my parents got the idea that the culprit was your father and-"

"And they didn't even thought to recheck? Even I recheck my victims before attacking them! My father down to shreds when his body was literally dumped on our doorsteps. My mother was in coma for 7 years due to that shock and then she died. My child hood was snatched from at the tender age of 10, a happy and cheerful family was destroyed and you're telling me to reason it?!" The shove that Aiden got was not what he deserved. His own anger coming to the surface as he thought about his younger brother. Gone was his calm exterior. He was furious now.

"Blain was also killed just 2 years after this incident. Who is to say that you were not the one to kill him? That you didn't kill him and avenged your father's death? That you're just faking about not knowing him?" He exclaimed at her in his own rage.

"I don't know anything else but if it's true, that I killed your youngest brother Blain and avenged my father but somehow forgot about it, than either I have a very rare case of amnesia because I remember everything else or it must have been a real buzzkill to kill your brother!"

"Avery!"

"Leave. You said enough to last me a lifetime."

Nothing more was left there to be exchanged between them tonight. And even if there was, it was not possible. Aiden left her house after hearing her say leave. He came to apologize for his behavior and find out more about her. Instead now he was going back with a wounded hand and possibly a wounded heart too.

While Avery's tears were still not over. She sat on her sofa as she thought about what went down just a few minutes ago. When she opened the door and saw Aiden, she thought nothing good of it. But there was nothing bad too. According to her, there can never be a worst situation if Aiden was around. But the night changed her opinion, too quickly for her to adapt to.

After a long awaited silence, when her tears had left white spots on her face, did she notice someone else's presence beside her. There was a looming shadow over her left shoulder as she gradually turned towards it. She swears she remembers locking the door before drowning in her sorrows. And there she saw..

In all his black leather glory was sitting,,

Nicholas Silas.

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