Chapter 104 Shattered Truths.

Chapter 104 Shattered Truths.
Maureen’s POV
~continuation~

I immediately stood up, my chair scraping softly against the tiled floor as instinct took over. I wanted to run after him, to grab his arm, to beg him—if not to forgive me, then at least to calm down and listen to what I had to say. My feet had barely taken a step when Mrs. Alexander’s sharp voice sliced through the air like a whip.

“Where do you think you are going to?” she asked, her tone firm, authoritative, the kind that brooked no defiance.

Without hesitation or explanation, my body obeyed before my mind could protest. I sat back down slowly, my movements stiff and mechanical. Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill, while my mouth felt too heavy, too numb, to form any words. I pressed my lips together, tasting salt even before the tears fell.

“How despicable of you,” she continued coldly. “You think you can bring another man’s child into my son’s house? You always claimed to love him, didn’t you? Yet you couldn’t bring yourself to tell him about that bastard you call a child.”

“You…!” I snapped, the word tearing itself out of my throat before dissolving into silence. My chest heaved as I struggled to breathe. “You will not refer to my child as a bastard,” I said, forcing firmness into my voice, though the tremor betrayed me.

Her lips curled into a slow, cruel smile. “So, what is he then? A child whose father you do not even know?” she said, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.

The strength drained out of me all at once. I bowed my head, squeezing my eyes shut as my hands clenched into fists on my lap. My heart ached so badly it felt as though something vital was being crushed inside my chest, stealing the air from my lungs. This was not how I had planned for Liam to know about Sam. I had rehearsed the moment countless times in my head—his shock, his questions, my explanations—but his mother had beaten me to it, twisting the truth into something ugly.

Without saying another word, I stood up carefully, my legs unsteady. I picked up my purse from the table, my fingers brushing against the cold surface as if grounding myself, then turned to leave.

“Let this be the last time I see you anywhere around my son, you harlot,” she spat.

I stopped dead in my tracks. My fingers clenched tightly around my purse, so hard my knuckles turned white. Slowly, deliberately, I turned back. I walked to the dining table and placed both hands on it, leaning forward. My eyes met hers directly, refusing to flinch.

“So….are you happy now?” I asked quietly, my voice hoarse and stripped bare.

“Happy?” she laughed softly. “Happy is an understatement, darling. I’m enjoying every bit of this.” She picked up the glass of wine in front of her and sipped it leisurely, her eyes never leaving mine, her lips curving into a smug smirk.

I scoffed bitterly and turned my face sideways, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from falling. “I wonder what kind of mother enjoys seeing her son in pain,” I said. “I had planned on telling Liam about Sam tonight, but you ruined everything with your callousness and insensitivity. Don’t you see? You didn’t just ruin me….you ruined your beloved son too. Congratulations anyway. You deserve to be awarded best mother of the year.”

“Shut the hell up, you bitch!” she snapped, her voice rising sharply.

“Oh, and now the almighty Mrs. Alexander is rattled,” I said bitterly. “Let me tell you something you don’t know. I intentionally didn’t want to tell Liam about my son because I knew you would come after him just to get at me. That is how petty you are.” With that, I turned and walked away, not stopping this time, not listening as she continued to curse and threaten behind me.

Outside, the cool night air hit my face as I hurried down the steps. I stopped abruptly, bending slightly as I tried to catch my breath. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I lifted my head, scanning the driveway, hoping—foolishly—that Liam might still be around. But his car was gone. He was gone.

A broken sound escaped my throat. I clamped my hand over my mouth to silence myself, my shoulders shaking violently. Digging into my purse with trembling fingers, I pulled out my phone and dialed my driver, asking him to come pick me up.

He arrived not long after at Mrs. Alexander’s estate. I slid into the back seat without a word, shutting the door softly. I could feel his concerned gaze on me through the rearview mirror, but I stared straight ahead, watching the city lights blur past the window as tears slipped silently down my cheeks.

Back at my house, the moment I opened the door, small arms wrapped around my legs. “Mommy!” Sam’s tiny voice rang out.

I froze, then bent down quickly, wiping the remaining tears from my face as I forced a smile. “My baby,” I said, pulling him into a hug, trying to keep my voice steady. “How are you?”

“I’m fine, Mommy,” he replied, peering up at me. “You look sad. What is wrong?”

I swallowed hard. “Mommy has a little headache,” I lied softly. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine, okay?”

“Okay, Mommy,” he said, then ran back to his toys.

I stood there, watching him play, joy and sorrow colliding painfully inside me as tears streamed freely down my face.

“What happened? Did you guys fight?” Linda asked quietly.

I turned to her, my vision blurred. The moment I opened my mouth, a wail escaped instead. I quickly covered my mouth and rushed into the bedroom, dropping my purse on the bed before locking myself in the bathroom. I turned on the shower and let the water drown my sobs. I cried until my chest hurt, until my body shook with exhaustion.

When I finally opened the door, Linda was there. She listened as I told her everything.

“That woman is so mean,” Linda said angrily.

“I should have listened to you…..I should have told him from the beginning,” I sobbed. “I was only trying to protect him.”

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “This is not the moment to feel guilty. We’ll find a way to explain everything to Liam.”