Chapter 72

Heather groaned as she felt an unnerving headache. Everything still felt dazy to her, and for the moment, she expected herself to wake up in the cell where she was falsely imprisoned by Diadem's family.
“Heather, honey, are you alright?” She heard a familiar feminine voice.
Even though her eyes were still closed, the voice's familiarity gave her a sense of relief. She was still taking it all in and wishing fervently that the night before had not been a nightmare.
“Yes,” she said as she slowly opened her eyes while trying to get up.
“Be careful,” The male voice spoke as he helped her sit up.
When she finally opened her eyes, she saw two familiar figures looking at her with concern.
“Mother, father,” She whispered.
Even though last night was nothing short of a nightmare to her, it also brought joy as she finally remembered everything, especially her parents, but with that also came the betrayal of Alexander.
The person she always held in high regard, the person she had desired to marry, and who betrayed her trust in the most egregious way.
However, the couple were teary-eyed. They have waited for this moment for more than two years now, and finally, they have their daughter with them. It may not be under the best circumstances, but having her close to them filled their souls.
“We are so glad that you finally remembered everything,” Mabel said.
“Me too, mother. I have missed both of you so much. Even though I did not remember any of you, I yearned to be with both of you. That, however, still leaves many things unexplained." Heather mumbled.
“We are aware, honey. We cannot stay here for very long, though. We need to go to a safe place. We are no longer safe in Warsavor.” Arkin said to his daughter with a heavy heart.
Heather could hear the urgency in her father's voice, and Arkin's heart tightened at the thought that they should all hurry to a secure location rather than explain everything to Heather.
His family's safety was of the utmost importance to him.
"Why? And where are we headed?” She asked her father.
“Our home. We have already talked to Hans, and he has arranged a carriage for us.” Arkin said it with a sad smile. “I know this is all sudden, but your mother and I will explain everything to you once we depart from here.”
Even though Heather had lots of questions, she knew that going to a safe place was of the utmost importance.
“I suppose Diona will also join us?" Arkin asked. It was not really a question, more of a statement.
Looking at her cousin, Heather remarked. “Yes, father. We cannot afford to leave her here. She has a lot of explaining to do.”
It was the first time she actually looked at Diona, and it was apparent that she did not look good. She was a far cry from the self-assured woman Juan introduced her to.
Diona Gonzales appeared to be frightened and reserved. She also noticed that throughout the entire time, she had been crying in silence. She had not slept through the entire night, as shown by the black circles under her skin.
Heather was not sure whether her folks had a word with her cousin when she was asleep, but her silent question was answered by her mother.
"Diona did not speak, but she wept in response to each of our questions."
Heather nodded, and in response to her silent question, her father responded, "I cannot say for sure, Heather, but Diona might be just as much of a victim as we all were."
He knew Diona the same as Heather. Both cousins have always been tight-knit, so it was rather hard for both him and Mabel to accept that Diona was behind the ploy.
“She, however, is the one who took my memory away,” Heather stated. Though she did not speak harshly, the hurt she felt at her beloved cousin's treachery was still audible in her voice.
“That's what we assumed. But we need to have a proper conversation with her to reach a conclusion.” Mabel told her daughter as she squeezed her hand in reassurance, and Heather nodded in acknowledgment.
Momentarily, they all took a carriage and brought Diona along with them, who was sitting opposite Heather with her eyes looking down.
During the voyage, Heather had her intense gaze on Diona throughout.
“I apologize,” Diona whispered softly.
“I do not believe you, Cousin. You have betrayed my confidence. You deceived me in the worst way conceivable and in several different ways despite the fact that I trusted you and treated you like my own." She spoke firmly.
Although Heather's heart was suffering, she kept it from coming through in her voice.
“I do not blame you, but I was given no other choice. I did not intend to disrupt your life like it happened. I did not want to hurt anyone, but I had to go against my better judgement.”
Even though Mabel and Arkin wanted to interrupt, they knew that this conversation was destined to happen between the two sisters. So, they chose to become silent spectators and analyze the situation. They were certain that their daughter would take the right call.
“You made me lose my memories, Diona. Even if I forget your engagement to Alexander for one moment, I cannot disregard the fact that you were the reason I had to stay apart from my family for more than two years. You tried to break my family apart. You have no idea how much suffering you have caused me. Furthermore, you nearly got married to my fiance... ex-fiance. What puzzles me, though, is how, in the world, people do not remember me. I can digest that I forgot my life, but why did everyone fail to recognize me? Additionally, why now and how I suddenly came to recall my life, and now that I do, people still do not recognize me?"
Before Diona or her parents could respond to any of her queries, they felt turbulence in the carriage. They made an effort to remain motionless, but they could feel the movement intensifying with each passing second.
“What is happening?” Heather asked, looking around, alarmed.
“We are being attacked.” Diona panicked.
Arkin made an effort to peer out the carriage, only to find guards marching on the horse with swords in their hands. But he knew better than anyone that this turbulence was part of extra-celular power.
“Diona is right. We are under attack, and we are outnumbered by them,” Arkin claimed, fearing for the safety of his family.
“Then we will have to stop them,” Heather said with determination.
“Heather, are you certain?” Mabel worriedly questioned her daughter.
As the carriage came to a stop, Heather said, “Mother, I remember everything. I know my capabilities, and I have also recovered fairly. Let's demonstrate to them the might of the Crown Gonzales family.”
Heather commanded, "Diona, you stay inside," but her cousin resisted.
“But…”
Heather interrupted her, saying, "I do not trust you. I cannot take the risk of you joining them against us. And if you are a victim just like me, I cannot also take the risk of you getting abducted by them or getting hurt in any way.”
Despite her hesitation, Diona nodded and made the decision to remain indoors. Given her strength, Heather will be able to repel the assault.
Heather noticed that there were ten guards on the horse surrounding them as she stepped onto the ground. It was rather ridiculous for them to even think that by circling around them, they would have been able to intimate anyone with them.
In a swift moment, Heather closed her eyes before turning her fiery stare at the males, knocking them to the ground. She made an effort to avoid hurting the animals because they should not be made to pay for the sins of their rider.
It was unjust.
“That was quite simple,” Mabel said, shrugging. “You have grown stronger,”
“Just like you,” Heather said with a smile.
Again, there was turbulence on the floor. They all tried to look at the cause, but they could not see one but could sense someone causing it.
Diona tumbled out of the carriage, only to fall. It was getting harder to maintain the balance, making Heather and her parents hurl on the land.
Something was off, and Heather was able to sense it. She quickly noticed blazing black smoke. She had never seen anything like it before.
They were unable to breathe or hear anything since everything around them was enveloping them in a thick black cloud. Both Diona and Heather could feel the impact of the invisible hits, which was only making the situation worse for them.
Heather tried to take control of her mind and clear the air, but it was not very visible until she saw Diona gasping for air.
She scuttled over to her. She could not see who was fighting, but she could feel someone trying to choke her cousin. Heather put in all her effort, but both the sisters were thrown sideways, and everything became visible.
However, before anyone could have comprehended anything, Diona shouted.
“Juan!”