17. The run away Aunt

Evan pull a long face after being scolds harshly by his grandmother on the phone. He saw an elder that he recognize and went to greets him. Alas, the elder turns by pulling his elbow out, selling him out by calling his grandmother. He went out to play without his parent's consent, plus Adrian's.

Last night, he secretly send words to his friends to book additional yacht ticket for him. Coincidentally, this yacht belongs to one of his friends' family, Gion.

And, here he was in vacation. Trying to run away from home. Alright, he was being honest here. Yep, he run.

Who cares, anyway? Since Aunt Rose fall into coma, Uncle Adrian loves and cares no longer for him. It's not like he being jealous or anything, just he can't bear to look at how Uncle Adrian barely able to fend his life after the incident. The important of Aunt Rose was much deeper than he expected.

He once heard conversation between Uncle Adrian and his grandparent at the main house. Aunt Rose miscarriage.

The fetus was killed by those vicious men!

To let him escaped safely, Aunt Rose used herself to distracts those men away from him. However, the price were too high. One innocent life gone before it born. They lost the child.

And, he (Evan) lost his future cousin!

That night, he went out to find Uncle Adrian. He saw the man kneels in front of a small grave with two names; Iris Chang/Ian Chang. The man...he cry, silently, murmuring 'Sorry' and 'Father let you down' in front of the grave.

His Uncle still blame himself for not searching them in time. By the time they found her, everything were too late.

Remembering the bloody scene where Aunt Rose hanged on the cross stake with both her hands chained and impaled with thick wooden nails, Evan felt cold and remorse. His beloved Aunt Rose was treated like a sinner.

What was more, those scum even dare to wrote words of taunts and hangs it on her neck.

[Do you like my gift?]

[Do you feels happy?]

[Adrian's ruined property]

[Come look for me!]

Those words stuck in Evan's mind since then. His strong, dependable Uncle, for the first time in his life, crying like a child in front of his half-dead wife. He look so forlorn and in loss, as if half of his soul gone.

To make the matter worst, another blows blown Uncle Adrian other half soul away. She's miscarriage.

He (Evan) almost killed himself twice in those years because of guilt. If not for his mother and great-grandparent, he might already been cold dead.

Evan looked upward, and sighed. The dull pain in his chest won't allowed him to live peacefully for the rest of his life.

Bzzt!

The buzzing noises in within his pant pocket brought Evan out from his stupor. He quickly fished out the phone and saw the name on the screen.

Ah, he screw it!

[Uncle Adrian] is the caller.

Feeling scared, also anticipated from the call, Evan answer it. A monotone sound from the other side sent chill down his spine.

" Where are you now?" No greeting, no nothing. He went straight to his whereabout. Feeling hurt at Adrian's unfeeling tone, Evan pouted.

" Why did you care?" Evan kick a nonexistent thing on his feet.

" Evan..."

" I know, I know. I'm no longer a child or something. Be mature, be honest, be blah, blah, blah..." Evan made a mouth, clicking tongue. He heard Adrian sighing.

" Evan, your Mother, Grandparent and Great-grandparent is worried. If you want to go on vacation, you can tell them. Not go running out alone like this."

Adrian, at another side massaging his forehead. The numbing throbs didn't lessening in these days. Layla was gone, no traces at all. And, now Evan causing trouble.

" I'm not really being alone. I'm with my friends and classmates." Adrian could hear a bit resentment and complaining in Evan's tone of speaking. The boy sulking.

He chuckled, " I'm sorry for not being thoughtful in these years. Evan, your Aunt awake a month ago."

Silent.

Evan stood rooted like a statue at the deck. His eyes widened in shock, and tears of joy fell.

" What...? What did you say, Uncle?" His hands trembled. What did he heard?

" She's awake a month ago, but I didn't disclosed the news to public."

Aunt Rose awake! She's awake!

God, I'm grateful to you!

" That...there's another problem." Adrian leaned at the thick leather chair. He took the wedding photo of them, caressing the face he missed days and nights.

His Layla. His beloved wife.

Evan alarmed, " What problem? Did Aunt Rose know about 'that'?" He referred to her miscarriage. About her unborn fetus.

" No, well...maybe I can't hold the news any longer than I expected."

" She...run away from home."

Evan: "...huh?"

What?

Silence descend in between their conversation. Unexpectedly, his beloved Aunt Rose running away from home just like him!

"...haha...pftt...hahaha..." Evan's face turned red, controlling his laughter.

" Don't laugh..." Adrian felt his face burned in shame. Yes, he helplessly accepted that his wife run away from home.

" Bwahahahahhahaha!" This time, Evan burst out loud. His tears of joy changes into tears of funny.

Adrian coughed, trying to control his shame and anger for being laughed about. " Another thing you should know. Your Aunt Rose lost her memories. Our marriage time memories, she couldn't remember it in meantime."

Evan's crazy burst stopped almost immediately. " Lost memories of marriage time? Uncle, why it becomes cliche out of blue?" Evan teased, but at the same time, felt cold all of sudden. His Aunt Rose lost her memories, and probably didn't remember him.

" She doesn't remember our marriage time, and believing that she still a 18 years old self. That's the only memories she remember about."

" Then, what should we do? Now, Aunt Rose was nowhere to be found." Evan frowned, feeling the sudden loss and thought that this thing becomes tricky. Thinking how intense his Uncle can be, no wonder his Aunt run away from home.

Evan turned when he hear a commotion behind. He saw his group of friends walking towards him with excitement clear on their faces.

" Evan! Guess who we saw earlier?" One of his friend asked. They tried to looked mysterious, but the eyes that yelling 'big discovery' already betrayed their feeling. Evan rolled his eyes.

" Our country Prime Minister? Or the American President?" He joked out. As if those busiest people in the world will comes here to travel or on vacation.

" *Bah! What Prime Minister? What American President? It's more than that!" They surrounded him, poking fun at him. Haha, this bas*tard would be surprise.

" What is it? Hey, talk later. I'm talking with my Uncle right now!" Evan made a shooing sounds and went to continues the chat with Adrian, but his friend won't allowed it.

" Uncle? You mean, Uncle Chang? Teacher Rose's husband?" They asked.

" Who else? Hey, stopped it! What are you doing? Give back the phone! Hey!" One of the girl took the phone away, as the others hold him back.

" Shut up. Let me talk with him." The girl rolled her eyes.

" Um, hello? Uncle Chang?"

" What is it?" His monotone still same as that time. The girl bit his lips, looking quite unhappy.

" Umm, did you not telling Evan about Teacher Rose woke up from coma?" She saw Evan made a weird face.

" What do you mean...? Wait, how did you know?" Evan and Adrian asked almost simultaneously.

" How did we know...? We saw her on the yacht." This time, the girl throws a bomb, that greatly stirred Adrian's heart and soul.

" She...what?!" This time, both Uncle and Nephew asked at the loudest tones, scaring people around them.

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