chapter 28: Closure

Archie's POV

"Where is our granddaughter? We would like to see her." My mother says as she looks at us in anticipation.

"She's in the room, playing. You can see her later." Kian answers her.

She nod at him with a smile but I can't just let this act continue. So, I break the ice and question them what's bothering me, "why are you here?"

My question surprised everyone in the room and they all look at me shocked. Never in my life I have questioned my parents or my siblings regarding anything, not even when they didn't see me as their family. I always choose to stay silent because that's how I developed my behaviour. At the beginning, when they never bothered about me, it used to hurt me and I thought alot about it as what could be the reason. But as time passed by, I grew habituated to it and decided I'll never again think about it.

And I did the exact same. But now that they're here, especially asking for my daughter I'm getting curious. For them, I wasn't a family and that should mean my daughter is the same, she's also no one to them. Their sudden visit and the interest they're showing towards Gia, I smell something suspicious.

"Why would you ask that, Archie? Ofcourse we're here to see you and the others." My father says with a fake smile as others are there in the room.

"That's not convincing at all. You guys never bothered about me, never seen me as a part of the family. The care, affection and love my siblings received from you as parents I didn't get that. Almost four years passed since I left the kingdom, never once you visited me. But now all of a sudden you guys come here saying you wanted to see me. It isn't adding up." I vent out my feelings.

"Archie, what are you saying?" My mother calls out unhappily.

"Did I say anything wrong?" I challenge her.

"Don't you dare speak against your mother!" My father roars at me as he gets up from the chair and walks to me, "you're complaining that we never made you feel the family love and never showered with the love a child gets from the parents, right? But which parents in the right mind love their child who is a mutant? Forget about love, no one would even dare to keep the child. We atleast let you grow in the kingdom and provided you with everything."

"Your abnormality of carrying a child disgusts us. We didn't want your abnormality make us loose the name and the respect we earned in the kingdom. People would laugh at us if they found out you can carry a child and give birth because which men does that? Men are not born to give birth but you're born that way. You were nothing but an embarrassment to us. That's why we never bothered with you or included you in the family. When I got the chance to send you far away from us, I didn't think twice. I immediately accepted the proposal to marry you to Kian so that people in my kingdom will never know about you."

"Because Kian didn't like you or wanted to marry you in the first place, I thought you would never get pregnant. As much as I hate you, I know how honest and sincere you are. You wouldn't allow anyone near you apart from your husband. I thought he would abandon you and thus no chances of you getting pregnant. But never in million years I thought Kian would come to love you and that you actually have a child. Even now I didn't want to see you but your mother wanted to see her granddaughter and that's the only reason we're here." He explodes letting everything out.

When he finishes speaking, the room becomes silent as we all stay still and speechless. For me, now everything makes sense. Though Kian, his parents, Dean, Winny, the people in Dean's kingdom or our people never questioned about me carrying a child and giving birth, I always had this thought in mind as how I could conceive a child? What my father said isn't wrong, men won't get pregnant. But I got, not just once but twice and it's not normal.

My family's unwillingness to talk to me or make me a part of the family becomes clear to my mind. I was nothing but an unwanted being in their lives. But everything that happened, I feel it happened for good. If not, I wouldn't be a part of this great family and kingdom. I'm never ashamed of what I'm and now I have a family who aren't ashamed of me unlike my birth parents.

Kian along with mother-in-law and father-in-law, they never made me feel what I felt with my family. They allowed me into their hearts with open hands. They all but happy when they learned about Gia. They don't see me as a mutant like how my family sees. Now I have a family of my own where I'm given nothing but love. This is where I belong and will be happy forever.

I wipe away that are tears scrolling down my cheeks and stand up from the couch before facing my father.

"Thank you for giving birth to me and for bringing me up. I never knew what I did for you to treat me like an unwanted thing but now that I know, I understand you people. I'm already greatful to you for marrying me to Kian and giving this family to me. Remember this, don't ever show your faces to me again and forget that I was once a part of the family. It won't be difficult because for you people I wasn't one to begin with. Don't even think of seeing my daughter. I don't want her to meet people like you. When she asks me for my side of the family, I'll tell her I don't have one and that you guys are no more." I tell them and walk out of the room.

Heading back to our chamber, I get into the room and find Gia sleeping as rema stood beside the bed and watching her.

"My queen, you're back. I'm waiting for you to get back so that I can ask you and take little princess back to her room." Rema says when she sees me walking in.

"She might get disturbed if you take her now. Let her be here, rema. I'll look after her, you can leave." I tell her and sit next to sleeping Gia.

"As you wish, my queen." Rema bows at me and leaves the room.

As soon as rema leaves, Kian enters the room and worriedly walks to me.

"Archie, are you fine?" He questions concerned.

I smile at him before getting up and grabbing his hand in mine and walking us towards the window where chairs are arranged. Making him sit in one of the chair, I make myself comfortable on his lap as I wrap my hands around his neck and he holds me securely in his hands.

"I'm perfectly fine." I whisper while resting my head on his shoulder.

"Are you really fine? Your father spoke all those harsh words to you and you're unusually calm after everything." He comments, gently rubbing my back.

I pull my head off of his shoulder and stare into his eyes as I speak, "Kian, I always wondered why my parents and siblings were very distant to me. That thought always bothered me. But now I know the reason why, I'm not effected by it anymore. Knowing about it actually made my heart feel at ease as if a heavy burden has been lift off of me. Now that I think about it, I was not bothered by how they were being with me. I only bothered why they were that way, the reason was more important. And now that I know, I'm not going to worry about it anymore."

"But your father said all those strident words, don't you feel bad about it?" He asks, seeming more hurt than me about what my father said.

"I'm not hurt by his words, Kian. You know why? Because I didn't mean anything to him and the last ounce of respect and love I had for them, died right after he spoke, that's why his words didn't effect, I don't feel any kind of pain. Instead I feel relieved after knowing everything. But if I were to hear those kinds of things from you, I would die." I respond to his question.

"Don't talk like that, Archie. I'm never going to say anything like that to you." He claims immediately.

"I know that, Kian." I tell him with a smile.

"Oh, by the way, your mother was pleading me to make you see her for once. She was crying and said she feels sorry for everything that had happened. And that she wants to apologise to you." He states as he remembers, "do you want to meet her? I won't let it happen if you don't want to."

"I'll see her one last time." I reply and put my feet down as I stand.

Along with Kian, I go to the guest room before telling rema to look after Gia again. I see the same four people once again.

"As you asked for, I brought him here." Kian speaks earning their attention.

This time, I don't sit down instead I just stand in the middle of the room with Kian beside me as I wait for my mother to talk. She takes few steps forward until she stands in front of me with tears in her eyes.

Any child in the world would feel nothing but love towards one's mother. Because others do or not, mother's always shower the child with all the love in the world. But my mother never made me feel like that. For her, I was just a child whom she carried for nine months. Even with her standing so close to me, I feel nothing towards her.

"Archie," for the first time in many years she calls my name, "all I want to say is I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything we had never done to you as our child. We never fulfilled our duties as parents when it comes to you. We made many mistakes towards you which can't be corrected. I just want you to know, I'm regretting for treating you the way a parent should never treat their child. I want you to live happily with your family. I'm sorry, Archie."

She cries out apologizing. My father comes forward, grabs her shoulders and gently walks her out of the room. With them, the bond we shared leaves me.

"Archie, are you okay son?" Father-in-law queries me worriedly.

"Everything is fine now that I have you people, father-in-law." I reply smiling at them.

Mother-in-law and father-in-law nods with a smile as tears pool in mother-in-law's eyes. She moves to me and pats my head in a proud manner.

"That's all we want, Archie. You're wellbeing and happiness." She says heartfully.

Kian places his hand on my waist and pulls me to him in a secure embrace. I feel content and happy and a heartfelt smile breaks out on my face. This is all I ever wanted. A life partner who loves me more than anything in the world. In-laws who show me all the love that I never received from my parents. And a family that I can proudly say mine. That's all I ever wished for in life.