Chapter 146 Why your mom

Chapter 146 Why your mom
Liam POV

I sat on the edge of my mattress, staring into the dark.

The silence in the room pressed against my ears. I raised my hands, staring down at my calloused palms in the faint moonlight filtering through the window blinds.

All those years growing up, I had buried a small, foolish hope deep inside me. I used to imagine what would happen if I ever met my mother. I thought she would pull me into a tight embrace, cry, and apologize for leaving. I thought there would be answers.

Instead, I got Mrs. Olivia.

A hollow laugh escaped my lips. She had been staying closer to me all this while, and I didn't know. She had eaten in my restaurant. She had looked me in the eye, paid for her meal, and walked out the door without saying a word. I had seen her face a dozen times, never knowing she was the woman who gave birth to me.

My chest tightened as another realization surfaced.

Daniel.

The pieces slammed together in my mind with sudden, cruel clarity. Daniel’s outbursts, the glare he gave me whenever Mrs. Olivia was around, the way he shoved her hand away—he knew. He had known the whole time. That was why he hated me so much. He thought I was trying to creep into his house and steal his family.

I grabbed my phone off the nightstand, my fingers moving fast over the glass as I typed out a single line:

We need to talk. Meet me at the basketball court.

I hit send, grabbed my jacket, and walked out into the cold night.

The outdoor court was empty, lit only by a single flickering streetlamp.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

I shot the ball off the backboard, caught the rebound, and stopped as footsteps crunched on the gravel. Daniel stepped onto the court, hands in his pockets, eyes locked on me.

I stopped, gripping the ball against my hip. Daniel stepped onto the concrete. His hands were shoved deep into his jacket pockets, his face dark, his eyes fixed on mine. He stopped ten feet away.

Without saying a word, I raised the ball and chest-passed it hard toward him. The rubber smacked against his palms with a loud crack.

"What do you want?" Daniel asked, his fingers tightening around the ball.

"How long?" I took a step forward, my voice low and steady. "How long were you planning to keep this away from me?"

Daniel stared at me, his fingers digging into the rubber. "What are you talking about?"

"You knew," I said, stepping closer. "You knew Mrs. Olivia was my mother long before she ever came to my restaurant. How long were you going to hide it?"

"I don't care whose son you are," I said, looking him dead in the eye.

"But I care about it!" Daniel snapped, hurling the ball back at my chest with full force. "Why did your mother have to be my stepmother?"

I caught the heavy impact against my ribs without flinching and threw a hard pass straight back into his stomach. Daniel caught it with a sharp gasp.

"I don't need a mother, and you know that," I said, my tone cold and unyielding. "Just keep your mom away from me. That is what I came to tell you."

Daniel clutched the ball against his chest. "Did you really not want her as your mom?"

"I'm not craving a mother like you are," I said, stepping right into his space.

"Like mother, like son!" Daniel snarled, violently throwing the ball off to the side.

The ball crashed into the chain-link fence with a loud clang.

In a split second, Daniel lunged forward, grabbing the collar of my jacket with both hands and jerking me toward him. "She raised me! She looked after me when my own mother left! She belongs in my house!"

I didn't raise my fists. I stood my ground, staring straight into his eyes.

"Take your hands off me, Daniel," I said quietly.

Daniel stared at me, his jaw clenching tight before he shoved me back hard and let go of my shirt.

"I'm done with this," Daniel said, jerking his leather collar straight.

"Fine by me," I said. "Go home."

For three seconds, neither of us moved. We stood locking eyes under the pale streetlamp—a silent standoff before Daniel turned on his heel and walked off the court, his heavy boots echoing into the dark night.

I walked back down the quiet street toward my place, my hands shoved deep into my jacket pockets against the biting wind.

As I turned the corner near my apartment building, I saw a figure pacing back and forth under the yellow streetlight.

Elena.

Near the roadside, Elena was pacing under the streetlight. The moment she heard me, she ran over and threw her arms around my neck, burying her face into my shoulder. I held her tight, feeling the weight in my chest lighten.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her tight against me. I rested my chin on top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair.

"Where did you go?" Elena whispered against my jacket, her hands gripping the fabric of my back. "I came to your place, and you weren't here. I was so worried."

"I went to see Daniel," I said, stepping back just enough to look down at her.

Elena looked up, her hand reaching up to touch the side of my face. Her palm was warm against my skin. "Liam... you don't have to carry all of this by yourself."

"It's a mess, Elena," I said, my voice low. "Everything is completely turned upside down."

"I know," she said, her fingers pressing firmer against my cheek. "I know it's a mess. But I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, Liam. No matter what happens with his family or Mrs. Olivia, I will never leave you."

I looked down at her, bringing my hand up to cover hers where it rested on my cheek.

"Thank you," I murmured softly.

Elena smiled slightly, pulling my hand down to clasp it in hers as we walked together up the steps to my front door.