Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Leo’s pov

Mom cried a lot, even when she tried to hide it, I always saw. She thought she was being sneaky, shutting herself in her studio, playing sad music, but I heard. I saw her shoulders shaking. She was a mess again, like when Dad left the first time, like after they fought. I hated that.

Dad, he was always shouting, sometimes, not at me or Zoe, not always. But at Mom. He'd call her names, small ones at first, then bigger, "Stupid, lazy, worthless." He'd tell her her art was a joke, that she'd never make any real money. He'd break things sometimes, not big things, just little ones, like a mug, but his face, it would get tight and red. Mom would just get quiet, really quiet, like she wasn't even there.

Then, when Daniel came, Mom started to laugh more, real laughs, not the fake ones she used for people at galleries. She'd hum when she painted. She'd get excited about little things. Her eyes would sparkle. I saw it. Zoe mostly just saw Dad and her plan, but I saw Mom. I saw her when she was happy, and when she wasn't. And she was happy with Daniel.

So when she came home from Daniel's place, sobbing, curling up on the couch like a hurt cat, I knew. He'd hurt her. And I knew why. Because she pushed him away too. She always did that. Pushed away the good things, trying to hold onto the bad, like Dad.

That's why I went to Daniel's house. I didn't plan it, not really. It just happened. I had to try and fix it. Mom deserved to be happy. She deserved that smile.

Now, here we were. The restaurant lights were soft, the music was quiet. Mom looked surprised when I led her to a table that wasn't our usual one, a fancier one. She wore her nice blue dress, the one that made her eyes look even bluer.

"Leo, what is all this," Mom asked, looking around, a soft smile playing on her lips, "This isn't our usual pizza joint. And you booked a table?"

I grinned, puffing out my chest a little. "I'm taking you on a date, Mom," I announced, pulling out her chair like I'd seen in movies. "You look really pretty tonight. Even for you," I nudged her arm playfully, "Your hair's not even messy like usual."

She laughed, a real, light laugh. That was the sound I wanted. "Oh, you charmer," she teased, settling into the chair. "What's the occasion, young man?"

"Just felt like it," I replied, my stomach twisting a little. The hard part was still coming. I just hoped she'd listen.

Mom looked at the menu, then back at me, her smile gentle. "Well, thank you, sweetie. This is lovely. It's nice to just, you know, get out. After everything. Zoe's still so upset."

"Yeah, Zoe's just being Zoe," I mumbled, waving my hand. "She'll get over it. She always does." I took a sip of water. "But you were really sad, Mom. Like, really, really sad."

Her smile faded a little. She picked up her napkin, smoothing it on her lap. "I know, honey. It's just, grown-up stuff. Complicated."

"It's about Daniel, right?" I asked, looking straight at her. I knew it was.

She flinched, her eyes widening slightly. She bit her lip. "Leo, honey, we talked about this. It's not something you need to worry about."

"But I do worry," I insisted, my voice firm. "Because when you're sad, I worry. And you were always sad with Dad. Like, even when he came back, you still looked tired, all the time. Like you were carrying a really heavy backpack."

Mom put her hand over mine on the table. Her fingers were warm. "Oh, Leo," she whispered, her eyes softening. "Is that how it seemed?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, nodding slowly. "But when Daniel was around, you dropped the backpack. You laughed more. You painted crazy stuff that actually looked happy. Even Zoe noticed, kind of. She just doesn't say it."

She squeezed my hand. Her eyes got a little misty. "He, he does make me happy, Leo. He really does. I just, I made some mistakes. And I said some things I shouldn't have."

"I know," I admitted, remembering my trip to Daniel's. "You are sorry, right?"

She nodded quickly, her lips pressed into a tight line. "More than you know, honey. More than you know."

I felt a little buzz of hope. This was good. This was going somewhere.

Just then, a familiar figure walked through the entrance, looking around, then spotting our table. Daniel. He started walking towards us.

Mom saw him, her smile faltering, surprise widening her eyes. A flicker of something, maybe hurt, crossed her face. She stiffened. "Daniel," she mumbled, almost to herself.

He stopped by our table, a serious look on his face. He nodded at Mom, then me.

Mom quickly spoke, her voice a little too sharp. "You've said enough, Daniel. Really. I think we made ourselves clear yesterday."

My heart sank. She was being stubborn. Just like always. This was going to be harder than I thought. I had to step in.

"Mom," I interjected, looking at her, my voice firm. "Don't be like that. You need to apologize. And don't be too stubborn to actually say sorry."

Her eyes snapped to me, wide with shock. She blinked. She looked at Daniel, then back at me. I held her gaze, trying to tell her with my eyes that this was important. That she needed to do this. For her happiness.

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She turned to Daniel, her shoulders slumping just a little. "Daniel," she said, her voice softer, a genuine note of apology in it. "I, I really am sorry. For everything. For what I said. For how I acted. I know I messed up."

Daniel just looked at her, his expression unreadable. He didn't say anything, but I saw something in his eyes, a tiny flicker of something that wasn't anger.

Mom's gaze shifted back to me, a worried frown on her face. "Leo," she began, her voice a little hesitant. "Are you really okay with, with me and Daniel? If, if we were..." She trailed off, glancing quickly at Daniel, then back to me, her eyes pleading for my honesty. She looked scared.

I looked at her, then at Daniel. He was watching me closely. I remembered Mom crying, remembered her being a mess, remembered how she used to be before him. And how she smiled now.

"Mom," I stated, my voice clear. "If he's the one who makes you happy, then I have no issues with that. No issues at all."

The words hung in the air. I saw Mom's eyes fill with tears again, but these looked different. Like happy tears. Daniel's face softened, a small, knowing smile touching his lips. The tension in the air eased. I had done it. I had helped. Now maybe Mom could finally be happy.