Never Judge

"Where was I?" Emilio Reyes asked as he tried to recall where he had dropped off in his story.

"You were telling us about how Elena had been spiraling." Ayanna reminded her father.

"Ah yes." Emilio said with a nod. "Losing a loved one is not easy, you both know that, of course. But watching someone you love slowly wither away is even more painful."

Cedric frowned as he realized where his father was headed in this conversation.

"I don't want you to blame yourselves." Emilio Reyes said, shaking his head. "It was our choice to keep it all a secret from you. Your mother and I didn't want to burden either of you with that pain."

"You could have at least told us that she was sick, you didn't have to tell us she was dying." Cedric said, finally confronting his father about it. "We could have done something, anything dad."

"Would you have been satisfied with just knowing she was sick?" Emilio Reyes asked his son. "You would have found out eventually because of Miguel, and watching her grow weaker and weaker every day, that's something I never wanted you to feel."

"We would have preferred to have known dad." Ayanna said in a tearful voice. "You and mom chose to hide it from us. Instead of enjoying our last days with her Cedric spent it investigating you. He thought you had a mistress."

"You have no idea how painful it was hiding the truth from both of you. It hurt us just as much as it hurt you." Cedric said in an angry tone.

"The way your mother went was the best possible way, we spoke about it before. . ." Emilio Reyes couldn't go on and mention the word died, making his children look at him with concern.

"Is that why you chose to forgive him? Because you understood where his pain and anger came from?" Cedric asked his father.

"Yes." Emilio Reyes said with a nod.  "I had felt how he felt, I knew the pain."

"Dad, we will support you no matter what your choice is." Adrianna said as she walked up and hugged her father.

"Dad, I know it's in the past, but I still wish you told us about mom." Cedric said as he walked up to his father. "I know as much as I try to understand why you did that I still won't be able to fully forgive you and mom, but I know she wouldn't want to see us fighting."

"I know, son, I know." Emilio Reyes said with a nod as he extended his arms to invite his son to join in on the hug.

Cedric hugged his father and sister, even if their mother wasn't with them anymore she had left such an impact on them and in the world that they lived in. Cedric knew that his mom lived a good life and that she left on her own terms and that was something he just had to accept.

"I don't want anymore grudges and anymore pain between us and the Ortiz family." Emilio Reyes said as he let his children go. "Both sides have lost too much already."

"It's not like I would hurt Benedict or Camilla." Cedric said with a laugh.

"You would if they offended you enough." Ayanna said as she rolled her eyes at her brother.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Cedric asked his sister.

"Ayanna is right Cedric." Emilio Reyes said, shaking his head. "You can be impulsive and vengeful at times. Even the smallest things can tick you off."

"When have I been vengeful at the smallest things?" Cedric asked his father and sister, unable to believe the words coming out of their mouths.

"Your bullies." Ayanna said with a shrug. She never hesitated to speak her mind around Cedric, mostly because she knew her brother needed someone to be real and honest around him.

"They were horrible people." Cedric said, defending his actions.

"They were horrible to other people. They hurt others, yes, but they were not that bad to you." Ayanna told her brother. "It just so happens that the people you go after deserve the fate that you serve them, but the reason you go after them is petty and uncalled for."

"Cedric we are just worried that you will go after someone innocent." Emilio Reyes said in a concerned tone. "What if a young boy bumps your car with his bike? Will you send him to jail for scratching your car?"

"I can't believe you would think that I would act like some spoiled rich kid!" Cedric said angrily. "If I would end up like that then what use was my poverty training? What use were those years that I had to suffer?"

"Cedric, we think that because of your poverty training you might think everyone is out to get you." Ayanna confessed.

"I can't believe this!" Cedric shouted. "The outside world respects me. They see me as a stable and honorable man, and yet my own family, my father and my sister think I'm unhinged!"

"We never said you were unhinged!" Ayanna answered back. "We are simply worried."

"Well I'm fine. I'm sure I'm fine!" Cedric said as he crossed his arms on his chest. "If there is something that should be of concern with my mental health I'm sure one of the Chan siblings would have told you."

Ayanna looked at her father hesitantly, clearly she had something to say and she needed her father's permission to say it.

Cedric glared at them when he noticed their hesitation.

"What? Tell me." Cedric said in a calmer voice as he tried to collect himself.

"The siblings spoke to us." Emilio Reyes told his son slowly. "It's not just the effects of the poverty training that they are worried about. They think your mom's death and other events in your life might have had a negative effect on you."

"Seriously?" Cedric said as he looked at his father and sister in shock. "I am stable, I am fine. I am coping with all of this in my own way. This is not your concern." Cedric said as he turned and walked out of the library, slamming the door behind him.