“What are you leaving out?” I asked, feeling like he didn’t exactly want to tell me what I most likely have already figured out on my own. I let my eyes meet his.
“It’s only a theory,” Zachariah drawled out. “I have no idea if it’s even possible, as it needs more investigation, much more, but I’m thinking that your parents are not your biological parents.”
“You think Rachel and Aaron are . . .” I trailed off, knowing it sounded, and looked like a possibility. Even in my own eyes, it seemed like it. It was the same thing that he had been considering just the day before when he punched the cupboard. There were no pictures of the man in question, so the evidence would be hard to come by after all these years.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “Blood tests could confirm, but I can guarantee that neither of your parents will consent to anything of that sort. Aaron is hiding from a drug deal gone bad, as far as I know. Though he may be closer than any of us think, and it’s likely he is after you, now that he knows, or thinks he knows, who you are.”
“Isn’t it possible that maybe he doesn’t even know where I am, or who I am?” I asked, thinking outside of the box. Father hated when I asked things that he didn’t think were right, but here, surprisingly, I felt like I could.
“That is one of the other possibilities,” Jonas answered around a drink of coffee.
“What are you going to do then?” I asked, my mind racing. Who knew who I was anymore. Maybe I wasn’t even related to anyone that was laid out before me.
“Well, that is where you come in,” Zachariah said, leaning back in his chair. “Since I have you here, and your parents won’t give up looking for you that easily, I’ll let you go back to them.”
“You want me to find out the truth,” I deadpanned. Surprisingly, I wasn’t shocked at that. I had been wondering what the truth was for far too long on many things. Doing this now seemed like a good idea as anything else.
“It would make things easier on my end,” he replied. “I promise that no harm will come to you, whatever you choose.”
“If I don’t . . .” I hinted.
“You will be mine either way,” he stated, hiding a smirk. “I’ll find the information I need one way or another, but you deserve to have the choice. I want to do the right thing here, as I’m not a complete heartless monster.”
I didn’t want to know what would become of me, as I wasn’t sure I’d live much longer. I refused to live like my mother, in a loveless marriage with nothing to live for. That was no way to live for anyone.
“I know you don’t know what I do, or who I am,” Zachariah went on after a few moments. “And that is the main reason I am allowing you to choose. If you knew exactly what I was capable of, I’d run away to marry you right now. Although I may still do just that.
“You deserve to let your parents know you are okay, and that life will go on as they plan, sort of. For now,” he ended. Did he know what my parents were like? Nothing was okay any longer.
“Even with being marked as yours?” I asked, looking at the mark that was now just a slight scar and not all that noticeable unless someone knew what to look for.
“Yes, Avidya,” he spoke. “And no one will dare touch a hair on your head. I have things in motion for that no matter what you decide.”
I knew there would not be another chance. Zachariah wouldn’t hurt me, and he had more than enough chances to do so. I had nothing to lose. Ineededto know what was real in my life and what wasn’t. If I didn’t, I would always wonder.
I was strong enough to do this. Not just for him, but for me. After everything, I could have time to plan my own path to get out of what I knew my parents wanted for me. It would be a cold day in Hell for that to ever happen.
“Alright,” I sighed out, looking up at Zachariah through my eyelashes. “How am I going to do this?
