Unexpected Encounter: A Second Chance at Love

With Brian's help, Lisa managed to elope and get married to Frederick.

For the first few months, they went into a hideout. Later, they settled down in Frederick's hometown, Elisberg City.

Because of the Collins family's high status and Brian's protection, the Volkov family couldn't touch them. And since the Petrov's were involved, they couldn't act recklessly.

After cutting all her ties with her family, Lisa continued living a peaceful and happy life with Frederick. A year after their marriage, Andrew was born and life couldn't be more wonderful. But little did she know that fate had different plans for her.

Lisa's sudden elopement was a huge blow on Simeon's ego. He couldn't accept the fact that his own daughter had not only eloped with a man but had also taken help from an enemy.

He felt not only humiliated but also betrayed. And the fact that he could do nothing killed him.

Brian Petrov had exercised the power he had in hand to keep them away from contacting or meeting Lisa. In fact they couldn't even enter the city without his knowledge.

Though Simeon could use other methods to get to his daughter, he refrained himself from doing so as it would create another conflict with the Petrov's which would bring him no benefit but loss.

So he decided to patiently wait for the right opportunity. And fourteen years later, he managed to grasp the opportunity he had been waiting for.

…

Rachael placed her hand on Andrew's arm when he stopped talking. She could see the deep emotions in his eyes.

Keeping quiet for a while, Andrew continued. "Mom contacted her mother on her birthday to wish her. Both of them got very emotional and promised to stay in touch. One week later, she received a call from her father saying that he misses her. He told her he had already made his peace with her marriage and wanted to give them his blessings."

"Mom was sceptical at first but when her mom told her that her dad cried every time because he missed her, mom was very moved," he added.

"Since then, she started contacting them quite often. Grandma and grandpa even sent gifts for us from Russia. Mom was very happy, I had never seen her like that before." He smiled. "Though she never said it out loud, dad and I knew she missed her family a lot."

"A week before my thirteenth birthday, mom and dad told me that my maternal family from Russia will be attending my birthday too. I was very excited as that would be the first time I would meet the mom's side of my family."

Andrew closed his eyes and sighed. Only if he had known what would happen after the Volkov family stepped into their house, he would have asked his parents not to invite them over.

"Did they come over?" Rachael inquired.

He nodded. "Three days before my birthday, my uncle, Owen's dad and grandpa came over."

"What about your grandma?"

"She didn't come, mom told me she couldn't make it because she was sick."

Pausing for a while, he continued narrating the past events. "The first day went well, we all had lunch together. We even went out to the mall to have fun. Everything seemed perfect but—"

"The very next evening, mom and grandpa got into a huge fight," he added.

"Why?" She frowned.

"He wanted to take me to Russia with them, he wanted me to do what my mom didn't, take over his business. He told mom that she had to give me up if she wanted all three of us to stay alive," Andrew answered. "Dad was furious and asked them to get out of the house. He told them to stay away from his family and that he wasn't scared of them."

"I remember coming out of my room to see what was wrong when I heard my dad shouting. But as soon as I stepped out of the room, I heard a loud gunshot followed by my mother's scream. When I quickly ran down the stairs, I saw my dad lying lifelessly on the floor covered in blood."

"I was about to run towards my mother, but he pulled the trigger again and shot my mom too."

Rachael pursed her lips and tightened her grip around his arm. She was devastated and speechless. She had no idea that Andrew had witnessed his parents' death.

"Your grandfather—"

Andrew nodded. "He killed both my parents."

Rachael pursed her lips and looked down as she tried to control her tears. She couldn't believe that his grandfather had killed both his parents.

How could a father be so cruel? How could he kill his own flesh and blood?

Her heart broke as she thought how Andrew must have felt living under the same roof as his parents' killer.

Life was so unfair with him. Her heart ached for him.

Without saying anything, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Though she had just heard the narration of the incident, she was devastated. She could only imagine how he must have felt when he witnessed it.

"I am so sorry—" She said in between her sobs. "I didn't know, I—"

"How would you know when I never told you?" He hugged her closely.

…..

[Midnight, Balcony]

After Rachael fell asleep, Andrew stepped out on the balcony for some fresh air.

It felt a little light after sharing his past with her. The suffocation he felt had dissipated a little.

But what he had shared with her was just a fraction of his past and not the entire thing.

There were many things that had happened that night and after, but he didn't mention it to Rachael. He didn't want to bombard her with too much information in one go.

There were things that were better left unsaid. He knew she would eventually find out on her own in the coming years. He just had to wait for the right time.

…..