CHAPTER 50: 50-I WILL SACRIFICE MYSELF ONCE AGAIN

Kash:

After Iris’ mother walked away in tears, Iris got up to go and check on the children.

I let her be with them for a while because I was conflicted with emotions too.

And that is when her mother came out again.

"I’m so sorry for leaving like that. I shouldn’t have," she explained, even when it was fine.

I could only imagine how she must be feeling, thinking about her lost son.

"It’s alright, you don’t have to explain anything to me," I told her calmly, straightening up on the couch when she sat down right in front of me.

"You see, my son meant a lot to me, and after him, I kind of lost touch with reality. I ended up hurting my daughter with a lot of my decisions too. Of course, Iris would only understand now that her son is in pain. But previously, she accused me of not taking care of her, of not being available most of the time. She did not understand that a mother has to grieve," her mother started to explain.

However, every time she mentioned Iris, it didn’t matter what she had gone through.

I just thought she should have paid more attention to Iris.

If Iris had complaints, she should have focused on them.

I have empathy for mothers who lose their sons. And I do believe that anyone who has had a loss should be given some kind of lineage.

But in her case, things were slightly different. I did not know the whole background story, but I did know that she had sent me pictures behind Iris’ back.

Even intentionally or unintentionally, she has hurt Iris too.

So for her to not understand that, I can only imagine why Iris must be upset with her.

I never saw Iris completely focus on Colin. Even when Colin was suffering, Iris’s eyes kept moving around for Amy.

"Earlier, when I mentioned the Blue Rivers, I think I did not explain myself properly to you, or the urgency behind it," she then continued, making me frown at her face.

I should have known that she was interested in the Blue Rivers the minute she mentioned the sickness.

"The thing is, when my son was sick, I asked everyone for help. The sickness did not appear in the reports. There was nothing they could do. I mean, you are an Alpha King, you can go ahead and ask for help. You can go ahead and get him checked by every possible doctor at every possible hospital. You would come back with the same results I did. There was nothing wrong with my son on paper. But then I heard rumors of a Blue River, and that if the sick drink from the water from the heart of the river, they recover."

She paused to gulp.

And I already knew where she was headed with that.

"That is it. That is all I will say. You are an Alpha King, you understand. I have lost a son. I cannot lose a grandson."

As soon as she said that, my spine straightened.

Even the thought of losing Colin made me feel a fire in me that I could not explain.

"I don’t even remember who I came across in the past, but I was told that maybe my son could survive if I got him the water from the heart of the river. Now that you say it is not possible, I don’t know what will happen to Colin. I’m really worried for him," she whispered.

But she had struck a nerve in me.

I couldn’t respond, even when she gave me a weak smile, stood up, and began to move away.

As soon as she left, I pulled my phone from my pocket, staring at the screen and all the messages Lara had sent me.

I had planned to stay here with my son, but now I realized how important the water was.

I needed to fix it. I needed to fix it quickly.

Earlier, I had time.

Now, I don’t know how much.

I also had a vague idea about Iris’s family.

This sickness, or whatever it was, ran in their family. I had to work harder than before.

With that in mind, I dialed Lara’s number, swallowing my pride and hiding my true intentions.

"Hello?" she answered, sniffling, immediately letting me know she had been crying.

"Hey, you’re still crying?" I asked, trying to soften my voice for her.

"Should I not be? You were supposed to come and see me. You were supposed to be here with me, but you decided to ignore me." She cried, and I squinted one eye, annoyed.

I paused, forcing myself to calm down.

"Baby, I was in a very urgent meeting. I didn’t know how serious it was. Don’t you think I would have come if I had known how upset you were?" As soon as I said that, I bit my tongue.

It was so hard to tell her all that.

Even when we had dated before, I could never feel comfortable with her after Iris entered my life.

"So you’re coming over or not?" she asked.

Hearing me talk so softly must have made her feel something because she immediately stopped crying.

I took a deep breath and rose from the couch.

"Of course I’m coming over. Not only to check on you but also to remind your father that he isn’t the one who can cancel our wedding. I can’t live without you, and I won’t let anyone come between us or decide that the wedding won’t happen."

As soon as I said that, I clenched my fist.

Deep down, I knew it was wrong to lead someone on like that.

But then I remembered everything that had happened in the past and decided that if the cause was right, it was justified.

Everything was fair in love and war, and now, it wasn’t only love but also a war that had begun.

I needed to get close to that river more than ever, and Lara believed me.

She ended the call happily, telling me she would wait for me.