Chapter 126 My Blood

Chapter 126 My Blood


The morning came too quickly.

Naomi barely slept, her body curled protectively around Charles as if the walls themselves might try to take him away again. Every small sound made her stir. Every shift of light through the curtains reminded her that the world outside had not paused for her fear.

Charles, oblivious to everything, slept peacefully, one small hand fisted in her nightgown.

Lucas lay awake beside them, staring at the ceiling, jaw tight. He hadn’t closed his eyes for more than a few minutes at a time. His mind replayed his grandmother’s voice, calm and cold, the word confirmation ringing like an insult he couldn’t shake.

By seven a.m., his phone buzzed.

He sat up immediately.

Naomi stirred. “Lucas?”

“It’s the lab,” he said quietly.

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

He answered the call without leaving the bed. “Yes.”

There was a pause. Then…

“Understood,” Lucas said flatly. “Send the documents.”

He ended the call.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Naomi pushed herself up slowly, eyes searching his face. “What did they say?”

Lucas turned to her fully now, his expression unreadable, carefully controlled.

“They confirmed it,” he said. “Charles is my son.”

The words hung in the air.

Naomi let out a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Her eyes burned, tears spilling before she could stop them.

“I knew it,” she whispered, clutching Charles closer. “I knew it, but still…”

Lucas pulled her into his arms, pressing his forehead to hers. “You never should’ve had to prove anything.”

She nodded against his chest, crying quietly. Relief and anger twisted together inside her, impossible to separate.

“I feel stupid for being relieved,” she admitted.

“You’re not,” he said firmly. “They put you through hell. Anyone would feel this way.”

Charles stirred, blinking awake. “Mama?”

“I’m here, baby,” Naomi said immediately, kissing his cheek. “Mama’s here.”

Lucas smiled softly at his son, brushing his thumb over Charles’s curls. “Hey, champ.”

Charles grinned sleepily. “Daddy.”

The word landed heavily.

Lucas swallowed, emotion tightening his throat. “Yeah,” he said hoarsely. “Daddy.”

Less than an hour later, Lucas’s grandmother requested to see them.

Not summoned.

Requested.

That alone told Lucas something had shifted.

They arrived at the Bellmont estate in silence, the same imposing gates opening slowly, but this time Naomi did not feel panic. She felt guarded. Alert. Ready.

The grandmother waited in the sitting room, posture impeccable, a thin folder placed neatly on the table in front of her.

She stood when they entered.

Naomi noticed the difference immediately.

No sharp dismissal in her eyes. No cutting remark waiting on her tongue. Just something stiff… restrained.

Charles wriggled in Naomi’s arms, curious. “Big house,” he whispered.

“Yes,” Naomi murmured. “Very big.”

The grandmother’s gaze softened briefly at the sound of his voice before she masked it again.

“Lucas,” she said. “Naomi.”

Lucas didn’t sit. “You have the results.”

She nodded and slid the folder forward. “They came in this morning.”

Naomi didn’t reach for it.

Lucas did.

He opened it, skimmed once, then closed it without comment. “You had your confirmation.”

“Yes,” the woman said quietly. “I did.”

“And?” Lucas asked, tone sharp. “What exactly does that change?”

She exhaled slowly, hands folding together. “It confirms that Charles is a Bright by blood.”

Naomi stiffened.

Lucas’s eyes hardened. “That was never in question.”

“For me, it was,” the grandmother replied evenly. “And now it isn’t.”

Naomi spoke then, her voice steady but edged with something dangerous. “You violated our trust. You took my child without my consent. You reduced him to a sample.”

The older woman met her gaze. “I did what I believed necessary.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Naomi snapped.

Silence followed.

Then, unexpectedly, the grandmother inclined her head slightly.

“You’re correct,” she said. “It does not.”

Lucas blinked.

Naomi froze.

“I crossed a line,” the woman continued. “One I justified because I believed blood entitled me to certainty. I see now that it only revealed how much I’ve lost control.”

Lucas let out a humorless laugh. “That’s a polite way to say you nearly destroyed your relationship with your only grandson.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “It is.”

She gestured toward the folder again. “Which is why I’ve already instructed my attorney to amend my will.”

Lucas’s expression didn’t change. “I’m not interested in your money.”

“This isn’t about money,” she said sharply. Then, softer, “It’s about legacy.”

Naomi frowned. “What exactly are you saying?”

The grandmother looked at Charles, who was now busy tapping Naomi’s necklace.

“I’ve added him,” she said. “As a direct beneficiary. Equal to any other heir.”

Lucas went still. “You did what?”

“Charles Bellmont will be named formally,” she continued. “Protected. Accounted for.”

Naomi’s chest tightened. “We didn’t ask for that.”

“I know,” the woman replied. “This is not payment. It’s acknowledgment.”

Lucas shook his head slowly. “You think a will fixes what you did?”

“No,” she said honestly. “But it’s a start.”

He studied her, searching for manipulation, for calculation.

What he found instead unsettled him more.

Regret.

“I spent years punishing your mother because she refused to bend,” the grandmother said quietly. “I lost my son to pride. I will not lose my great-grandson the same way.”

Naomi held Charles closer, conflicted.

“You don’t get access just because of blood,” Naomi said firmly. “Not after this.”

“I understand,” the grandmother replied. “I won’t ask.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “You won’t?”

“No,” she said. “I’ll wait. If you ever decide otherwise, the door will be open.”

Lucas exhaled slowly, tension easing only slightly.

“You hurt my wife,” he said. “That matters.”

“I know,” she replied, meeting his eyes. “And I am… sorry.”

The word sounded unfamiliar in her mouth.

Naomi looked at her for a long moment before nodding once. “We’ll see.”

They left shortly after, no hugs, no reconciliation, but something had shifted all the same.

In the car, Naomi finally spoke.

“She added him to her will.”

Lucas nodded. “She did.”

“How do you feel about it?”

He was quiet for a moment. “Conflicted.”

Naomi smiled faintly. “That tracks.”

He glanced at her. “Are you okay?”

She looked down at Charles, who was humming softly. “I’m protective. Still angry. But… relieved.”

Lucas reached over and took her hand. “We decide what comes next.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “Together.”

That evening, Naomi sat in Charles’s room watching him sleep, the day finally catching up to her.

Lucas leaned against the doorframe. “He’s safe,” he said gently.

She nodded. “I know. But I don’t think I’ll ever forget that fear.”

Lucas crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Neither will I.”

She leaned back into him. “Promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“No more secrets. No more people thinking they can test our family.”

His grip tightened. “I promise.”

Outside, the world carried on, unaware of blood tests and wills and old grudges softening at the edges.

Inside, Naomi watched her son breathe and felt something settle.

They had survived.

And this time, no one else got to decide what that meant.