Chapter 60 Chapter 60
Silence
A deep silence followed Sophia's words.
Lucien froze in place, and Aurora clutched me tightly, I could feel her heart beating against mine. I wasn't surprised by Sophia's words. I already saw it coming.
"For you, I am ready to raise this girl" she pointed at Aurora "but I cannot allow her around you" Her eyes snapped at me.
Lucien kept staring at me while I was waiting for him to take action.
"Yes, Lucien. Sophia is right. The girl is your blood. She can stay here. We will give her the life she deserves, but Cynthia has nothing to do with you and your life. She must leave. Give her a check for giving us an heir, let her buy a life somewhere far from here, and let’s get on with the announcement." Alister Vaughn said coldly.
Do they really think I would accept money in return for my daughter?
Pathetic!
I felt Aurora flinch at the coldness in Alister's voice. My blood began to boil and my jaw clenched tightly, but I kept my eyes on Lucien. I bite my inner cheeks to keep myself silent.
I was waiting for Lucien to take a stand for us, something he never did in the past.
But Lucien remained a statue. His jaw was tight but he didn't break his silence.
"Lucien!" Sophia screamed, losing her composure. "Say something! Tell this woman she is nothing! Tell her she is a guest in my house and her time is up!"
"Sophia, enough," Lucien muttered, but there was no fire in it.
"Enough?" Sophia laughed hysterically. "It's your drama that's enough!" She spat "Just throw this woman out or..."
"I can't!" Lucien cut her off.
"Aurora is too dependent on her. She is still small. She cannot stay without her mother and I can't let my daughter go." He breathed "Cynthia is staying here until at least Aurora grows up"
A moment of silence spread between us. Sophia's eyes narrowed at Lucien. She cocked her head and stomped towards Alister.
"Mr. Vaughn, do you see this? A mistress paralyzes your son! If she stays, forget about the merger. I will walk out that door, I will call every news outlet in the city, and I will tell them that the Great Lucien Vaughn is keeping a pet in his attic while trying to marry me. I will ruin you, your son, and that illegitimate brat!"
The word illegitimate hit me like a physical blow.
Aurora began to whimper. That was the moment something inside me snapped. I had been waiting for Lucien to take a stand at least this time but I realized then that I was waiting for a ghost to come to life.
"Don’t you dare," my voice was filled with so much rage that it silenced Sophia mid-breath.
"What did you say?" Sophia sneered, turning her venom on me.
"I said, don't you dare use that word for my daughter," I stepped forward, sensing Lucien finally look up, but I didn't give him the satisfaction of a glance. "And don't bother with your threats, Sophia. You want this house and this man. You can have them because both are clearly hollow just like you"
I inhaled a sharp breath.
"I was never interested in coming back. I was here only for my daughter. But it seems like she is not safe here. So I am not going to stay in this house even for a second"
Before I could step ahead, Lucien spoke. "Cynthia, wait..."
He reached out for me but I stepped back.
"Wait for what, Lucien? For you to ask your father’s permission to speak? For you to check the stock market before you decide if your daughter is worth defending?"
He swallowed hard, begging with his eyes to understand him. I have already melted for him in the past but not anymore. Now I am not alone. The little soul clinging to my chest is dependent on me.
"I have nothing to do with these two" I said "but you... You are the biggest disappointment here, Lucien"
I swallowed down the lump of emotions forming in my throat.
"I cannot stay here as a secret or a hidden woman so the 'real' family can eat breakfast. I’ve lived in the shadows for five years, Lucien. I didn't come back to live in yours."
A deep silence followed my words. No one moved from their respective places but I did. I held my daughter tightly against my chest and walked out of the house full of cowards and monsters.
Opening the door of my car, I settled Aurora inside, tucked the seatbelt, and closed the door to walk around the car and take the driver's seat myself but before I could reach there, Lucien came in between out of nowhere.
"Cynthia, stop this," Lucien growled, stepping toward me. "I am trying to fix this. If you leave now, I can't protect you."
"I don't need your protection, Lucien! I am and always was enough for myself and my daughter"
"Cynthia, stay. Just stay." He held my arm. This time there was firmness in his request, something that I wanted when he was talking to his father "I will settle the merger, I will handle Sophia, just give me time!"
I looked down at his hand on my arm, then up at his face "You had 5 years Lucien and still you are silent. I will not let Aurora grow up thinking that silence is what love sounds like."
Slowly, I removed his hand from my arm.
"Cynthia," he sighed "it was not me who signed the deal that ruined your father's business. It was my father"
I fell silent for a second. Letting him understand that I have heard what he said.
"You are too late in confessing that, Lucien" I folded my arms to my chest "I already know that and your silence has already ruined our lives"
"You ... You ran away with him..."
"Did you try to reach out?" I asked cutting him off "Did you question your father why he did all that to my family? Why once you tried to step out of his shadow and take a stand for your love?"
He licked his lips and opened his mouth before closing it without saying anything because he had nothing.
"Even today you cannot take a stand for the girl you claim as your daughter."
He swallowed hard, his eyes flicking at Aurora for a second. I tried to walk past him but he held my wrist.
"Cynthia, please," Lucien’s voice broke.
I could see the raw pain in his eyes. He didn't want to get separated from Aurora.
Numbing my own emotions, I pulled my wrist free from his hold.
"Enjoy your merger and your married life. I hope the money is enough to fill the void where your spine used to be."