Chapter 148
Chapter 148
He never expected Hestia to be this final.
"I didn't mean it!" Gilbert's eyes went red instantly, his pride shattered to pieces.
"Whether you meant it or not doesn't matter anymore." Hestia withdrew her gaze, her voice flat as still water. "Gilbert, I'm no longer your mother. From now on, your life has nothing to do with me."
Gilbert stared at Hestia's impassive face.
No anger. No disappointment. Just complete, total indifference.
A tidal wave of hurt and panic crashed over him.
Tears burst free. He scrubbed his face hard with his fist and screamed, "Go away! I don't need you anyway! I'm going to find Ms. Webb! Ms. Webb is a hundred times better than you!"
He hurled the words like grenades, then bolted for the door.
"Gilbert!" Aaron's face drained of color. He spun around to chase after him.
The studio door slammed open, then slowly drifted shut.
Hestia stood where she was and tossed the towel aside.
She turned to the dancers, who barely dared to breathe, and clapped her hands.
"Music. Keep going." Her voice was perfectly steady. "From measure three."
---
Gilbert ran out of the studio crying.
Aaron looked at Hestia's cold, resolute back and knew that anything he said today would be futile. He clenched his jaw and went after his son.
"Gilbert!" Aaron caught the boy at the end of the hallway.
Gilbert's face was drenched in tears. He struggled wildly to wrench free.
His pride had been demolished by Hestia. He was drowning in hurt and rage.
Aaron's frustration was boiling over, but he forced it down, scooped the boy up, and held him tight. "Stop crying. We're going home."
---
Inside the studio.
Hestia watched the door close, then turned to the front desk assistant.
"Notify security downstairs." Her voice carried no inflection—cold, hard, iron. "From this point forward, Aaron and Gilbert are banned from setting foot in this studio. If they force their way in, call the police."
"Yes, Ms. Sharp." The assistant nodded immediately.
Hestia looked away, picked up her towel, and wiped the sweat from her neck. The Harvey family's fate was no longer her concern.
---
Meanwhile. The run-down apartment on the outskirts of the city.
Clio hid in the dim room, curtains pulled tight.
Police were searching the entire city for her. She had nowhere left to run.
Claire had cut her off completely—discarded her like a dirty rag.
Her only remaining lifeline was Aaron.
She bought a prepaid burner SIM card and dialed his number.
Aaron saw the unknown number on his screen. The moment he heard Clio's voice, his expression went dark. He hung up.
Clio called again. Aaron blocked the number.
Clio gripped the phone until her knuckles turned white. Something unhinged flickered in her eyes.
If Aaron wouldn't answer, she'd force him out.
---
That afternoon. The international preschool.
Clio wore a baseball cap and a black face mask, dressed in an oversized dark coat. She navigated the security camera blind spots and positioned herself outside the school gate.
She'd been Gilbert's unofficial stepmother. Every teacher knew her face.
Aaron, buried under the chaos of recent events, hadn't yet revoked her pickup authorization in the school's system.
Dismissal time. Clio walked to the pickup zone.
"Ms. Webb, you're picking up Gilbert today?" The teacher thought nothing of it.
Clio kept her voice low, feigning calm. "Mr. Harvey has an emergency meeting. He asked me to come."
Gilbert walked out with his backpack. The moment he spotted Clio, his eyes lit up.
He'd just been rejected by Hestia. He was desperate for comfort. He ran straight to Clio and threw his arms around her legs.
Clio took Gilbert's hand and left quickly.
---
Half an hour later, Aaron received a call from the school.
"Mr. Harvey, Gilbert was picked up by Ms. Webb."
Aaron's face went white.
Clio was unhinged. Cornered and desperate—there was nothing she wouldn't do.
His phone buzzed. An anonymous text.
[Want to see Gilbert? Cedarspit District, the old shipyard. Come alone.]
Aaron floored the accelerator. The Maybach tore toward Cedarspit District like a bullet.
---
Cedarspit District. The abandoned shipyard. Cold wind howled between rusted shipping containers.
Aaron threw open his door and strode forward. Clio stood in the wind, holding Gilbert's hand.
"Clio!" Aaron's eyes were murderous. He rushed over, pulled Gilbert behind him, and fixed her with a knife-edge stare. "What do you want?"
Clio watched his defensive stance and let out a bitter, broken laugh.
She pulled down the mask, revealing a face ravaged by exhaustion and despair.
"Aaron, you think I'd hurt Gilbert?" Her eyes rimmed red, voice choked. "No matter how far I've fallen, I would never hurt him. I just wanted to see you one last time."
Aaron stared at her without a shred of pity. "See me for what? You're a fugitive. You should be turning yourself in."
"I know I was wrong." Clio's knees buckled. She dropped to the ground right in front of him.
She looked up at him, tears rolling down her cheeks, her posture stripped of every last shred of dignity. "Aaron, I'm sorry. I lied to you. I hurt Hestia. I did terrible things. I've already paid for it. I have nothing left."
Aaron's face was blank. If anything, he felt nauseated.
"I came today just to apologize." Clio wiped her tears, her tone earnest. "I'm going to leave the country—disappear from Seaside City forever. I promise I'll never interfere with your life or Gilbert's again."
Gilbert stood behind Aaron, watching Clio kneeling on the ground, and his chest ached.
He didn't understand the war between adults.
All he knew was that Hestia didn't want him anymore, and Clio had always been nice to him.
"Daddy!" Gilbert tugged at Aaron's sleeve, his small voice cracking. "Please don't make Ms. Webb leave! She's not a bad person—she used to buy me toys and play with me!"
Aaron's brow furrowed deeply. He turned and snapped, "Be quiet! You don't understand any of this. She's a liar and a criminal. You're never seeing her again."
Gilbert flinched at the shout, shrinking into himself. Tears pooled in his eyes.
Clio seized the moment, rising quickly and taking Gilbert's hand. "Gilbert, sweetheart, don't upset your daddy. This is my fault. I made mistakes, and I have to go."
She turned to Aaron, her eyes brimming with supplication. "Aaron—for the sake of the five years we shared—let me take you both to one last dinner. After that, I'll leave. No more trouble. I swear."
Aaron looked at her haggard face.
Five years of feelings had been built on lies, but the habits forged in that time weren't entirely fake. And Clio was about to vanish for good.
He weighed it for a moment, then answered coldly. "One meal. Then you're gone."
"Okay." Clio nodded. Her lowered lashes concealed the dark calculation stirring in the depths of her eyes.
---
A secluded restaurant.
The private dining room was dimly lit.
Clio ordered several dishes she knew Aaron and Gilbert loved.
She was quiet. No tears, no drama, no mention of the past.