Love me, regardless

Chapter 6

Heath's POV

"You can't act recklessly, Heath." Yuri stopped me, trying to keep me from walking out.

"And why the f**k not?" I snapped at my cousin. "How much longer are they supposed to keep playing house, huh?!"

"Heath, remember everything you've done to keep the two of them safe. Do you really want all of that to go to waste?" I knew Yuri was making sense. I couldn't let my emotions get the better of me.

But that was easier said than done.

For years, I endured being separated from my wife and son.

For years, I carefully planned everything just to make sure they could live peaceful, ordinary lives without danger or hardship.

But this...

This wasn't what I had envisioned. Every hour they spent with that man, I found my patience slipping away.

We're talking about my family. The family I couldn't even be with because of this damned life.

"I know you want to be with them. I understand that," Yuri said patiently. "But this isn't the right time. Until your bastard father and grandfather are behind bars or dead, we can't make a move. Do you understand?"

"I know that, Yuri." I clenched my fists. "But fuck... it hurts knowing that I should be the one beside them. I should be the one doing all the things Matthew is doing."

I'd seen the way Cyrill and Aries smiled and laughed because of that man.

Especially Aries...

I hadn't even had the chance to hold my own son.

"Just hang in there a little longer," Yuri said. "We're almost finished. Once this is all over, you'll finally be free to tell Cyrill the truth." Silence settled between us. After a few moments, I let out a slow breath and sank into my chair, forcing myself to calm down.

"How's Kaizer?" After everything that had happened, things had become complicated between them.

Kaizer was Cyrill's older half-brother on his father's side. After we explained our plan to him, he disappeared without a trace.

Ever since then, Yuri hasn't been the same.

"He's...out there. I know he is," Yuri forced a small smile before excusing himself and leaving my office.

I didn't know if we could truly trust Kaizer anymore. He could easily destroy everything we'd worked so hard to accomplish.

But I also knew one thing. Kaizer wanted nothing more than to protect Cyrill and Aries.

If he didn't...

He never would have contacted Matthew.

____

Cyrill's POV

As soon as I came down the stairs, the first people I saw were Elijah and the others, busy playing with Aries. It was as if they were the child instead of my son.

“Come on, Cy. Don't worry—we missed you too,” Zero teased while working on a LEGO set.

“My kitchen and pantry certainly didn't miss you,” I muttered with a pout before walking over to Aries and kissing him on the cheek.

“Matthew, could you get some clean clothes for Aries upstairs? He's soaked in sweat because all you've been doing is playing with him.” Matthew immediately got up to fetch Aries some clothes.

As for me, I headed to the kitchen to prepare something for them to eat. This was probably what I always ended up doing whenever the three of them came over to play with Aries. It felt like I had four children instead of just one. Still, Aries enjoyed spending time with them, so I didn't mind.

“Cy, do you need any help?” Elijah asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

“Oh, yes. Could you take this juice to the living room so you all have something to drink? The fries still need a few more minutes,” I replied, handing him the pitcher of juice I had just made.

“Take your time. Zero brought some sweets too, so we're still pretty full.”

“Oh, come on. You gave Aries sweets again? He's going to be hyper until tonight,” I scolded.

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly before carrying the juice to the living room, where the four of them were playing.

“Oh, one more thing, Cy.” Elijah returned to the kitchen. “Aren't you going to enroll Aries? He could be homeschooled instead. I know a few teachers who could help.”

I had actually been considering homeschooling Aries because I still wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of him going to school outside.

“I've been thinking about that too. I'd like to homeschool him, but I don't know if that's what Aries wants.”

Aries was an outgoing child. He loved being around other people. He had inherited my talkative nature, which was probably why his classmates and even their parents had adored him at his previous school.

“Why don't we ask him?” Elijah suggested. “If you're not comfortable letting him go out, the three of us can watch over him.”

“Don't you have work? How are you supposed to look after Aries?” I asked in confusion.

“Huh? Ah... Well, whenever Zero and I don't have any flights, we can take care of him so you'll have one less thing to worry about. Besides, you mentioned that you still need to check on your shop, right?” Elijah explained at length.

“Checking the shop isn't that urgent. I could even do it next month or the month after. Do you happen to know of any learning centers nearby for Aries?” I asked.

“I think it's best if we ask Aries first whether he'd rather be homeschooled or continue going to school.” I nodded in agreement with his suggestion. The two of us walked out of the kitchen together, with Elijah carrying the food I had prepared.

“What happened to your faces?” I asked with a laugh. Zero's and Matthew's faces were covered in marker scribbles. At the same time, they both pointed at Aries, who simply smiled at me with an innocent expression.

“Oh, Aries. You went and drew all over your Totos' faces again. Go wash your faces before those marks become harder to remove.” The two of them rushed off, practically tripping over each other like children, making Aries burst into laughter.

“Thank you, Mommy, for the food,” Aries said as he happily ate the snacks I had prepared.

“You're always welcome, my love,” I replied, kissing his forehead.

A little while later, Zero and Matthew returned, both with clean faces.

“This is exactly why we love you,” Zero said flatteringly as soon as he came back, immediately reaching for the food. I just rolled my eyes at him and continued eating the snacks I made.