From the moment Atticus and I stepped into the Academy, all eyes were on us. I'm guessing That they all expected to see him with Anya.
They were all in for a shock, especially since he held my hand in his as we walked through the hallway.
When we reach my locker, Atticus surprises me as he leans into me, trapping me against the locker and him.
What was he trying to do in front of everyone?
"Everyone is looking," I whisper.
I needed to remind him that we were in public surrounded by many people. And everyone was indeed still looking at us. They hadn't stopped
since we stepped into the hallway together.
"And?" he asks, not the least bit bothered.
What did he mean by that? How could it not bother him that they were staring at us?
"What are you doing?" I ask as I try not to look around us nervously.
It may be easy for him to Ignore everyone else, but it wasn't for me.
"I want to remember you." He says brushing his lips slightly againstmine. "I want to do everything we did in the past, I want to try everything possible to remember every second I spent by your side."
My breath hitches, it's the last thing I expected him to say. Why did he choose now? when we were in front of so many people, to tell me something like this?
"They're still looking," I whisper.
"Let them look." He growls. "I'm allowed to kiss my wife."
I don't have time to ponder his words as his lips cover mine. His kiss was rougher than last night, and I wrapped my arms around his neck for the support as my legs felt jelly. I needed his support to keep myself standing.
I wanted him to remember me, also. Every single second we spent together was special to me.I didn't want those memories to be gone for good. But so far, there were no signs that Atticus remembered anything from our marriage before the accident.
"They're taking pictures." I gasp between his k!sses.
"I don't fucking care." He growls. "l want them to."
He swallows my next words as he deepens the kiss, and all I can do is hold onto him.
He wanted them to take pictures of us kissing. Why?Was he intentionally doing this in front of everyone? Did he have a purpose for it?
"Why?" I ask, almost breathlessly, as he moves from my lips to my neck.
"Because I want the news to spread. I want them to treat you like a Fawn, like my wife, I want them to respect and protect you. I want them to know that what I had with Anya is over, even if I can't remember our marriage. This is the best way to get all of that done."
He tells me as he nibbles my jaw and his lips move to my mark. I gasp when he bites down on it, "I want them to know that you're my mate. I don't remember marking you. All the feelings were there,
and it was the only reason I had a clue-my scent on you. My feelings for you. The way I couldn't walk into a room without wanting to pick you up and have my way with you, it all shouted the truth to me, but I kept thinking that something had to be Wrong."
Even I didn't understand how our bond worked.
At first, I thought that Anya was his mate, but I had no idea when that changed. All of the feelings were there for me, but nothing made sense.
Damon and Dante were still mates with her, then why did Atticus bond with her break? That wasn't something that could easily happen.
I gasped when he leaned forward and kissed my forehead, "I'm sorry for not recognizing you as my wife sooner."
He didn't have to apologize. He didn't have his memory. He was not to blame for any of this. It still surprised me that he chose to stay with me after finding the truth.
It turns out that even though Atticus didn't have our memories, all of his feelings for me were definitely still there. That's the main reason for his shocking behavior.
I gently touch his cheek and fight back the tears, "I'm scared." I confess.
"Scared?" He whispers a frown appears on his forehead."Of what?"
"Of losing you again."
His eyes widen in shock, "you never lost me."
"You still don't remember anything." I remind him. "There always seems to be something or someone trying to separate us."
His hand gently closes around my neck and he rests his forehead against mine, "I'm not going to let anything separate us. I promise you this. I'll fight for you always. Even without any of my memories I will make it my business to protect you. We will make new memories. Together."
I want to be positive, but it's hard knowing the many challenges we still have to face together. This was far from over.
"There is plenty I want to ask you." He says suddenly. "I still don't know the details of the accident. I don't know what caused it except that you were in danger. I want to talk more about that. Not right now, but I definitely want to know who was responsible for hurting you on that day."
I was terrified of speaking to him about it. Atticus didn't know that Azai was my father. I never got the chance to tell him, and I didn't even know how to begin to explain this to him.
Would he think that I was a monster because of who my father was? On the day that he saw me almost k!ll Anya, I felt that even then, he was disgusted by my behavior.
However, how he behaved with me last night and today said something differently.
I was ashamed of my father, I was angry that out of everyone in this world, he was the one that was responsible for my birth.
I was angry with what he'd done to my mother, he was why I hadn't met her. He's the reason that I may never find her in this life. He's the reason why I could never meet my siblings. I felt sick to my stomach thinking about it.
For the rest of the day, everyone kept looking at Atticus and me together. The news was already spreading everywhere now that he was with me again. They were all asking for Anya. I'm not sure where she was, but again, she'd skipped the Academy.
"Damon and Clarissa will drive you home today," Atticus tells me right before we walk into the parking lot.
"Where will you be?" I ask, curious and a little upset that he would be away from me.
"My mother just called. She wants me to look after something important for her. I'll be home right after. I promise."
I smile, "drive safely. I'm waiting for you."
He walked over to me and surprised me when he lifted me into his arms and hugged me tightly in front of everyone else.
"I regret not remembering you. With feelings like this, I know that you must have flipped my life upside down in the best way possible. I promise you that I'll do everything in my power to remember what we had."
I felt weak in my stomach from his words. I could barely move when he put me back down on the ground and rushed over to his vehicle.
"You are blushing." Clarissa teases me. "I have to say that Atticus surprised everyone yesterday. At least he is talking to you, he isn't talking to any of us. The only words he's said to us for the day was to drop you home."
"I'm sure that he would eventually forgive all of you. It's still plenty for him to come to terms with." I assure her.
She nods, "If everyone had listened to me from the beginning, we wouldn't be in this situation."
"Did he give you a hard time last night?" Damon asks me. "I know he must have been upset with for not telling him anything."
I nod, "He was angry, but eventually, he calmed down. And then we fell asleep after talking for a little while. We have more to talk about today."
Clarissa looks at me with concern in her gaze, "Does it have to do with your father? Are you planning on telling him the truth?"
I nod, "I'm terrified of his reaction, but I know it has to be done. Maybe then I can find a way also to break the news to his parents."
Clarissa sighs, "They're not going to make it easy for either of you. I don't know, if telling them a good idea."
"We've already seen what happens when you choose to keep a secret in this family." I point out. "I should at least try to talk to them."
"Whatever happens, just know that I'll be there to support you every step of the way." She promised me as she held my hand in hers.
"What is Anya doing here?" Damon asks as he spots her car outside his home.
It's the last person I wanted to see today. We'd just pulled up to the house, and unfortunately, this was the first thing that we saw.
She shouldn't be here right now. No one invited her. No one wanted her here.
Did she skip the academy today so she could come to our home? What the hell was she thinking about doing now? If Damon nor Dante knew that she was here, it could only mean trouble for the rest of us.
Clarissa and I both tensed at his question. She had no reason to be here when her mates were not home.
"I don't think this is a good sign," Clarissa whispers as she looks over at me. "What do you think she's up to now?"
I didn't know how to answer that question. There's no telling what scheme Anya was planning again. I was tired of her interference in my life. She needs to know when to give up. Atticus made it clear that he did not want her anymore, what else did she need to leave us alone?
After she'd tried to drown me, I can safely say that she was most likely planning on something much worse than that.
"I wish I knew the answer to that question, even I'm worried about her next move. Anya doesn't take no for an answer. The more Atticus pushes her away, the more she tries to claw her way back into his life."
We rushed out of the jeep and practically ran inside. The Fawns were already waiting for us at the entrance, judging by how they looked at me, I could safely say that she'd told them something that could not be good news for me.
What did she tell them? Did she mention how I'd almost killed her after she'd pushed me into the pool and tried to drown me?
I'm not sure how far she'd gone while trying to make me look bad, but I was not ready to
be confronted by the Fawns.
"Autumn, would you come with us, please." His mother says in a stern voice. "There are a few questions we would like to ask you."
Clarissa looked between us, and I could see the panic on her face, "What is this all about?"
"This does not concern you, Clarissa." Mr. Fawn says. "We want to speak to Autumn alone."
"Father." Damon cuts in. "Whatever this is, you can say it in front of us. Atticus asked me to keep an eye on Autumn whenever he wasn't around. I don't want to do anything to disappoint him any more than I've already done."
"Very well," his father responds. "If it means that much to you, then stay."
"Is it true that you and your parents have been lying to us this entire time?" His mother asks me.
"Before you answer, remember that we have trusted both you and your parents blindly, if you try to lie to us, there is no turning back. You are married to Atticus, I would hate for us to have a strained relationship."
I was shocked by that question. If they knew that my parents had been lying to them from the start, they somehow knew that I wasn't their biological daughter.
How could they know this? Since Anya was here, I guess she had to have told them. But how did she now this? How much did Anya precisely know about my family and me?
Judging by the look on her face, things were about to get a lot worse than this. It wouldn't make sense for me to try and lie to them. I had to tell them the truth before things got any worse. I know this wasn't going to be easy for me, but it had to be done.
I swallow, "There may be a few details that my parents have kept from you, but they've also kept those details from me. I've only recently found it out. I'm not sure if it's the same thing you're referring to."
They both get tensed at my words, and I can see that it wasn't the answer they were hoping to get from me.
"Is it true then that you are not their daughter?" His father asks me with narrowed eyes.
Anya is smirking behind them, and I would love to slap it out of her face. She was determined to make my life miserable, and she would be even more desperate after Atticus told her that he didn't love her.
"Answer us, Autumn." His mother urges me."Are you not their daughter?" I take a deep breath before finally nodding my head.
His mother closes her eyes, and all the color fades from her cheeks.
"How could your parents do this to us?" She asks. "We've been loyal and honest to them this entire time. Do they take us for fools?"
"They don't!" I insist, trying to defend their actions. "They only lied to you to protect me. They never wanted to disappoint or betray you. I'm sure you know how much my parents value the relationship they have with you. They would never intentionally try to jeopardize it."
"It doesn't seem that way to us anymore." His father disagrees. "They have indeed betrayed us"
Mrs. Fawn held her hands up to prevent me from saying what I wanted to say next.
"Is it also true that your father is none other than the great sorcerer, Azai Reign?" His father demands.
My eyes widen at his question. Then it was true, Anya had somehow found out who my birth father was.
How did she come across that information?
Who would have told her the truth? I looked at Damon, I knew that Clarissa did inform him and Dante of my secret, but even he looked surprised that his parents knew this little detail that could destroy my life.
I can see that they don't want to believe it's true, but the fact that they asked me meant that they already had proof.
I look to Clarissa for help, but to my surprise, she's not there. When did she even leave?I never liked admitting the truth out loud, it made me feel worse whenever I did that.
"Answer us!"
I close my eyes and fight back the pain in my chest as I open my mouth to say,
"It is true. My father is Azai Reign."