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My chin trembles and I grab the handrail for balance as I slowly whirl around to face him.
Seeing Uncle Henry again is nothing short of being electrocuted. It’s been nine years since I last saw him, but the hands of time didn’t touch his strong bone structure and tall, broad figure.
Even the few white strands give him an elegant edge more than a sense of old age.
But the thing I could never forget about Uncle Henry? The way his green eyes hold the calm of Buddha, the wisdom of Confucius, and the kindness of Mother Theresa.
He made me feel safe.
Until safe wasn’t on the list of things I could have.
“How have you been?” he asks, oblivious to my near freak-out state.
“I’m f-fine.”
“Are you sure? If I make you uncomfortable…”
“That’s not it…”
“Then what is it?” He places a hand in his pocket and I’m glad he doesn’t invade the distance between us. “Last time you saw me, you ran away and I couldn’t find you again.”
“I had to protect my brother.”
“Jayden, right?”
“How… Did Astrid tell you?” She practically gave him a report on the drive here.
“It was Daniel, actually. He called me two days ago, told me he found you and your brother. He also told me that he’s bringing you to London, in case I wish to meet you.”
“He…did that?”
“Yes, and I’m grateful. I’ve been searching for you for years.”
“But why? Don’t you hate me?”
What resembles pain crosses his features. “I never hated you, Nicole. I admit that after I found out Victoria toyed with Jasmine’s breaks, caused her death, and nearly killed Astrid in that hit-and-run, my sole purpose was to make her pay.”
“She…died of cancer after giving birth to Jay.”
“I know. I visited her often.”
“You did?”
He hated her with a ferociousness that scared me, so to say I’m surprised he’s the one who visited her while she was in prison would be an understatement.
“Yes. I wanted to see her suffer. But it wasn’t the imprisonment or cancer that ate her alive, Nicole. It was the fact that you turned your back on her.”
“She turned her back on me first.” I fight the tears gathered in my eyes.
The main reason I let Christopher roam free is because I was scared of her, of the sacrifices she made for me, of how people would see us.
I was terrified of her reaction to even consider mentioning it.
If it was Uncle Henry, he would’ve fought for me. He wouldn’t have told me to swallow the knife with its blood.
“She hurt you when you only took care of us,” I continue in a broken voice. “She made me lose you for good.”
He takes one step forward. “You never lost me, Nicole. The day I let you walk out of my house is one of the worst regrets of my life.”
