Lost in their Past

Chapter 73:- The Secret

"Well, it's wrong because I gave birth to her!"

"Well... only Ailsa's records agrees with you."

"Of course they do cause that's when she was born!"

Charlus clenched the sheets of the bed. He wanted to witness how long Grace could continue her lie. "James died on January first... that was the day we met at the pub in Kanto... didn't we?"

Grace stopped stretching for a moment.

Where is Charlus getting with the questioning? she asked herself.

"Maybe," she cleared her throat, "I don't remember."

"I do," he answered, "this was the pub James and I went to when we were younger, it was our tradition, I was drunk and kept expecting him to walk in, but that day, you came in search of Delia but you found me."

"I-I don't-"

"We had a drink and toasted James and his memory."

"Where are you-"

"You told me you had liked me back in the academy, I said I did too, we had a laugh or two and then I-"

Grace turned back, "Stop it," she warned.

Charlus didn't heed her warning. "-I kissed you, you kissed me back. We took a room at the-"

"Stop it Charlus, I mean it!" She raised her voice.

"-at the Little Bee inn, we had sex-"

"Charlus, stop!" She advanced towards him but he quickly got up, walking backward to avoid her rage and claws.

"-I woke up the next morning but you had disappeared, next I saw of you was at the Raider Manor where I met your daughter-"

"Charlus stop!" She leaped towards him but Charlus was quicker, he dodged away.

"-you said she was nineteen, Ashton said she was twenty, my bitch of a mother said nineteen even Delia says nineteen—"

"That's because she is!"

"Now I keep asking myself, why would Grace lie? Because of course, if she was twenty then she would've been conceived around January, the day you and I met. Of course not for you, not in your language, right? Because it was shameful to you, wasn't it? Don't worry, I had erased it from my memory too."

She threw her hands up in the air, "What nonsense is this?" She cried, "what are you getting at? I met Mark the next year!"

Charlus still couldn't believe the pixie cut woman in front of him. He had shown her the cheat sheet yet she still refused to acknowledge the wrongdoing. That enraged Charlus, more than anything.

"She's mine, isn't she?" He said in a monotonous tone, "Serena Charlene Van Black... Charlene-Charlus, sound familiar?"

Grace clenched her fist, the bottom of her lips twitched as she parted her eyes. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Serena is my daughter," he repeated, "and you kept that from me for twenty years.... how could you do that to me?"

"She's-she's not your daughter. She's blonde."

"So is my mother, oh I should've seen it months ago, she looks just like she did when she was young," he said firmly, "admit it Grace—" he grabbed a hold of her wrist, "tell me that she's my daughter or else—"

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'll tell her what's going on with you... that you're dying."

Grace kept her silence, she didn't agree but neither did she deny.

A wave of adrenaline rushed in his body as he collapsed on the bed. Charlus's brain was heavy with burden and several emotions he couldn't quite point out. Of course, it made sense that Serena was his daughter, he'd felt a strong connection with her since the day he saw her at the Raider Manor. So sweet and pure like an angel, he couldn't help but wonder how come such a sweet child could have come out of Grace, the epitome of evilness and deceit.

One thing was clear, he never hated Grace more than he did right then.

"Why?" He was shaking with rage, "why didn't you tell me?"

Grace didn't answer.

"WHY THE FUCK YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"

The ebony-haired was taken aback by Charlus's sudden burst of anger. It was a lot of information to be processed, that being the sole reason she kept her silence.

But she was Grace, the daughter of Ragus Van Black and the sister of Lysander and Helios Van Black, the child of the night, she wasn't going to stand still like a barbie while a man took his anger out on her as if she was his property.

"What the fuck was I supposed to do then? Huh?" She advanced towards him.

"Tell me!"

Grace scoffed as she grabbed a hold of Charlus's collar, yanking him to and fro, "Tell you and wreak your marriage? Tell Serena that she was a bastard and a homewrecker?"

Charlus was taken aback.

"That's right," she was laughing, there was a certain pain in her voice, "I saw your wedding ring in your pocket the morning after, you... you were fucking married, Charlus! What was I supposed to do?!"

The brunet had a speech but right then, he was speechless. Suddenly, the night came rushing back to him.

Charlus had a drink too many, his speech was already slurring, that drink in his hand should've been last but it wasn't. The bartender had called in a cab for him, to take him home to his wife who was waiting for him to tuck in baby Gary.

But then his gaze landed on Grace and her short black hair. She wasn't wearing her rings and piercings anymore, she looked gorgeous, just like the last time he'd seen him.

At James's funeral.

A year ago from today.

James was dead.

Because of him.

Charlus finished the drink and slipped his ring in the pocket as he asked the bartender to give her a drink.

Grace's eyes were watery, her body was feeble yet she kept shaking him, screaming the words 'what was I supposed to do?'

"But why Mark?" He croaked as she sank next to him, "why him?"

Grace scoffed, "He asked me whether Serena was his, I didn't deny. I may not have liked him but he wasn't married like you, he was a nice man... he stuck around and loved Serena, she loved him too and while you... you were a terrible father."

The brunet wallowed in his sadness, his eyes darted towards his feet, unable to face Grace. "It was my mother... wasn't it?"

The ebony-haired didn't deny.

"Of course it was, that bitch never wanted anything good for me, ever."

That was the last straw for her. Grace got up with barely enough energy to keep her standing without collapsing.

"You don't get to walk around as a victim," she turned back, her eyes still watery, "and blame me or others your fucking choices. We all lost someone, but your integrity, humanity and you yourself, fucking died with James."

Charlus Oak pondered on her words long after she'd left the room. His choices and the people he'd hurt. Of course, Grace was right, she always was. And Charlus, well, he was a monster, not by making but by choice, he was the first man who made Grace Van Black cry.