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"I wanted my gift to remind you of the time we spent together," Michael said, reading the unasked question in her eyes. Hera blinked rapidly, willing to keep the tears at bay. Everything Michael said made her emotional, and a few tears of joy found their way out. 

"Happy birthday, baby girl," he said, running his knuckles down her cheeks, wiping her tears away. Her watery smile made him pull her into a warm hug, and he kissed the crown of her head. 

Michael took the gift out of the box, and Hera held her hand out, giggling in excitement. His gift was a wristwatch, and Hera could tell it was a men\'s watch, but she loved the gift anyway. The black round dial of the analogue watch completely engulfed her wrist, but Michael pulled the adjustable belt tighter to fix the size. 

"This watch is a reminder of all the time we spent together. You\'re not allowed to discard it even if it stops working, and I\'ll kill you if you ever lose it," Michael warned in all seriousness, and Hera giggled gleefully, nodding her agreement. 

She kissed his cheek to show her gratitude, which made him grimace in disgust, and he immediately brushed the heel of his hand over his cheek, erasing the evidence.. "Thank you, Mike," Hera said, laughing at his scowl. 

"Not that I\'m complaining, but you bought me a men\'s watch," Hera pointed out, her eyes admiring the inside of the dial. "It looked good when I held it against my wrist," Michael replied, shrugging his shoulders. Hera hummed her response, and they both stared at the sea for a while, lost in their thoughts. 

When she noticed Michael seemed calm and collected, Hera cleared her throat to get his attention. He glanced at her face once and lifted his eyebrows, gesturing for her to ask away whatever it was. Hera smiled, but it was hesitant. 

"Now that you\'ve upgraded my status as your sister and consider me like family, I can ask you something personal?" Hera asked hesitantly. Michael\'s lips twitched into a crooked smile before he nodded. Hera turned her face to look at him properly and when she spoke. "You don\'t talk about your family, like ever. Why is that?" she asked. 

Michael nodded to show he heard her but didn\'t answer immediately. Hera studied his face for any inconvenience or distress but found none as he kept his expression blank, void of any emotions. 

"How much did Ace tell you?" he asked after a few seconds. Hera bit her lip, giving him a sheepish look. "He didn\'t tell me much, said it\'s not his story to share. I only know that you lost your biological family, and you\'re his adopted brother," Hera said. Michael nodded, and Hera waited until he collected his thoughts. 

"My mother turned out to be a heartless bitch," he spat out the words with such venom, it surprised Hera. "She didn\'t waste much of her time on me after my father," Michael choked on a sob and left his sentence hanging. Hera instantly felt guilty for asking about his family, but it was too late to take back her words. 

"She had an affair and was cheating on my father from day one. The man she was sleeping with behind my father\'s back was someone from his family, his cousin to be precise," Michael revealed. Hera felt sad but knew Michael wouldn\'t appreciate her pity. She scooted closer and put her arm around his shoulder in a side hug. 

"That bitch left me on my own, and I was barely three at that time. If it weren\'t for Ace\'s parents, I don\'t know what would\'ve happened to me. I don\'t know how I would\'ve survived in this cruel world," he confessed. Hera leaned closer when he rested his head on her shoulder. He didn\'t speak for a while after that, and she let him take his time, silently offering comfort. 

Hera silently cried with him. She didn\'t want to say it was okay, nor did she feel it appropriate to say she was sorry. She could relate to what Michael felt. After all, she was abandoned by her father too. 

"Ace\'s parents are lovely people. My fairy mummy is wonderful, and you\'ll love her. Our mom is truly an angel," Michael said. Hera didn\'t miss the pride adorning his every word. She could detect the smile in his tone. "You and Eric speak so highly of her," Hera pointed out her observation. 

Michael agreed with a fond smile playing on his lips. "You would know when you meet her. She\'s the best mother anyone could ask for, you know," he stated. "Why don\'t you come with us? Ace and I are going home soon," he revealed only to surprise Hera. 

\'Oh, I didn\'t know. Hunter didn\'t tell me.\'

Hera felt an unpleasant twist in her gut. Hunter was going home, and she would be left alone. Her lack of response alarmed Michael, and he lifted his head off her shoulder to look at her. "He didn\'t tell you yet?" he asked. Hera smiled half-heartedly and shook her head. 

"Tell me about your father," she asked, attempting to change the topic but immediately regretted her choice. He spoke only about his mother because it was clear he was avoiding telling her about his father. Hera mentally cursed for her stupidity, but Michael surprised her when he spoke. 

"Ace had a sister, you know?" he asked, a faraway look marred his facial features. Hera didn\'t know. Hunter never spoke anything about having a sibling. She always thought he was an only child. "You said had, as in past tense?" Hera asked unsurely. He nodded in reply. 

"My father worked for Ace\'s father. He was in charge of her security," he paused again, seeming thoughtful. "Something happened, and my father got severely injured while protecting her," he revealed, and Hera knew he didn\'t tell her the whole truth. There was more to the story. 

\'What does Mr senior Hunter do? Why does he have so many enemies?\'

Hera wondered. 

She remembered how a few days back, Hunter got attacked and almost got himself killed, and though Michael didn\'t elaborate, Hera could guess Hunter\'s sister was in danger too. 

"I hate her, you know. I lost my father, my family, because of her," Michael spoke, bringing her attention back to him.

"My dad sacrificed his life for her in the blink of an eye. He didn\'t even think about me once. I\'m glad she is gone because I hate her so much, Hera. It hurts every time I think of my family," Michael confessed, letting out all the pain he had kept inside for years. 

His choice of words stung, and Hera didn\'t know why. His tone held absolute hatred. Though Hera felt sad for him, she was glad she wasn\'t on the receiving end of his hatred. 

"If it\'s not for her, my dad would be with me today," he accused. Hera flinched at his harsh tone. It reminded her of the old days when her aunt and uncle blamed her for ruining their happy family. Michael\'s sobs demanded her attention, and she brushed off her own sufferings to console him. 

"What do you mean by she was gone? Missing or dead?" Hera asked, curiosity lacing her tone. "I don\'t know for sure," Michael shrugged, unsure of his answer. "I hardly remember anything because I was barely three, and I don\'t care either," he admitted. 

Hera held his hand to offer comfort while he silently cried his heart out. 

After a while, when she felt he had let out all his pain, Hera spoke in a soft tone. "Are you okay, now?" she asked. He had stopped crying and attempted a smile for her, but it was a sad one. 

\'Time heals all wounds, they say.\'

Hera wanted to say that out loud, but she knew it wasn\'t true. Some wounds never heal, and even if they did, they would leave an ugly scar behind as a reminder. So instead, she said, "Hey, enough of this sad episode. It\'s my birthday, and my favourite brother is not allowed to be sad on this special day."

Michael smirked at what she said. "Favourite, huh?" he asked in a pleased tone. "But Eric would fight me over that title," he said. Hera giggled at that. There was no trace of disappointment anymore in his eyes, and she was glad he was fine now. 

"And Danny would fight for it too, hopefully someday in future," Hera said. 

Michael smiled at her, a genuine one filled with warmth. He pulled her closer by her neck and kissed her forehead. 

"Happy birthday," he said. "Now go back to my stupid brother before he panics. I\'ll join you in a few minutes," with that said, Michael stood up, dusting the sand off his pants. Hera watched while he jumped into the water, swimming in the sea fully clothed.