Chapter 96: Her Dark Secret

ISABEL.

"Are you hurt?" Eric inquired, his eyes scanning my body for any sign of injury.

"He didn't touch me," I assured him, my voice trembling slightly. "But what if he's dead? He bleeding, we have to get him to the hospital."

Eric's gaze shifted from me to the man lying motionless on the ground, clearly taken aback by my concern. "I thought that was your ex-lover," he said, his voice laced with confusion. "You said he came to bother you?"

"No, that's my step-brother," I clarified.

Eric shook his head, eyes wide with contrition. "Geez, I apologize for jumping to conclusions. I hope Mr. Mulan won't hold this against me. Let's hurry up and get him to the hospital."

"Agreed." I grabbed my belongings, my purse, and documents as Eric hoisted Mavis up, supporting his limp body with a remarkable show of strength. Our feet thudded against the ground as we raced to the car, the urgency of the situation pressing us forward.

Eric's foot pressed against the accelerator, hurtling us through the streets with a sense of urgency that bordered on recklessness. As we screeched to a halt at the hospital entrance, the news we received was enough to send a chill down our spines.

"Your mother? She woke up and disappeared. We can't find her anywhere." The nurse's words fell like hammer blows.

I seized the collar of her uniform, my eyes blazing with a fierce intensity. "This isn't funny. You told me to go and

"I apologize, ma'am. There was nothing we could do to prevent her from leaving. It seems she left you a note, though." The nurse hurried over to a nearby table and picked up a piece of paper. "Here it is," she said, extending it to me with shaking hands.

I snatched the note from her grasp, my fingers trembling as I looked between Eric and the paper in my hand, I knew he was also keen on finding out why Mom disappeared.

The nurse gathered her things and gave a curt nod, "Your step-brother will be taken care of. I'll be leaving now."

I acknowledged her with a nod, my gaze fixed on the letter in my hand. Eric, perhaps sensing my need for privacy, approached to peek at the contents, but I shielded the paper from his view.

"I'm sorry, Eric," I said, meeting his gaze with an imploring look. "I need to read this alone. I hope you understand."

Eric let out a light chuckle, his expression softening as he backed away, giving me the space I needed.

I unfolded the paper, my eyes racing across the words anxiously.

It read:

You are a disgrace, a spoiled child who has brought nothing but shame and heartbreak to our family. To think I was finally finding my way back to happiness after two long years of loneliness, only for you to throw it all away in the most despicable way possible.

An affair with your stepbrother? And you are already carrying his child? You couldn't open up to me! How could you? You couldn't control your urges, couldn't even have the decency to come to me for guidance. Instead, you chose to destroy everything we had. Well, congratulations, Isabel. You've succeeded.

I'm leaving the marriage for you two, go ahead, and have his son since there aren't other men in the world.

As the final line imprinted itself upon my consciousness, a lump formed in my throat, threatening to burst into tears. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I blinked several times, a strategy to compose myself before meeting Eric's concerned gaze.

"I'm okay," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

I didn't wait for him to ask if was fine, I had to quickly assure him but he could tell that I wasn't. "That's a lie, you are not fine at all and you know it, is it something I can help with?"

I shook my head, "Take me out of here, I have to get to my mom."

Eric considered this for a moment, weighing my options. "But how? We have no idea where she is, and you're still holding her phone."

Fine, then. How about Mavis? By the way, your stepbrother bears the same name as your ex-lover. He smiled but I couldn't.

Maybe, I was just going to ask him to leave me alone so that I could deal with my spoilt life cause I knew that it was rare to see a man who would be willing to cater to a single mother.

A shadow of concern passed over Eric's face, his eyes fixed on mine. "Look, I'm here for you. I know this must be tough. But we can't just leave him here."

"Mavis is a grown man," I asserted. "He can handle himself once he's conscious. Let's get going."

"You're right," Eric agreed, "We need to find your mother before it's too late."

We raced towards the airport, and a sense of urgency hung in the air. To our relief, we caught a glimpse of my Mom at the gate, her ticket in hand as she waited patiently for the next flight.

Our arrival was well-timed, just as the announcement for boarding echoed through the terminal.

As soon as she saw me, her face twisted, "Where's my phone, Isabel?"

"Mom, we can talk about this."

"Don't you dare," She pointed to my face. "Just give me the god-damned phone!"

Eric, perplexed, stood there gazing between us both.

"Is something wrong Ms Mulan?" Eric interfered.

"It's Ms Matilda now, and I suggest you get another woman for your peace of mind."

Eric's confusion mounted as the situation escalated. "Mom, we can talk this through," I pleaded. My mother, unyielding, retorted, "Give me my phone." Eric, perplexed and caught in the middle, surveyed us both, bewilderment etched on his face.

As my mother snatched her phone from my hand, she declared in a biting tone, "Suite yourself!" With that, she turned and left, leaving Eric to look at me, a query in his eyes.

What's going on, Isabel? Can you tell me what's going on? "

Eric continued to gaze at me, his concern evident in his words. "Isabel, what's happening here? Can you tell me what's going on? I'm totally confused here," he said.