Chapter 113: An Awkward Family Reunion

Alyssa’s POV

The room felt smaller the moment Mrs Bennett sat up.

I stood there, staring at the woman who gave birth to me… and yet still felt like a stranger.

Her hands shifted awkwardly where they rested on the hospital blanket, her eyes red and swollen as tears streamed down her face without restraint.

She had been crying before now.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice breaking in a way that sounded too raw to be rehearsed. “I am so, so sorry for everything I put you through, Alyssa. No matter how I try to justify it, it will always be wrong.”

My throat tightened.

I wanted to feel something immediate. Anger- Relief or Even comfort.

But instead, all I felt was… distance.

“I’m glad you survived,” I said quietly, my voice more composed than I felt.

“Alyssa…” She started, but I interrupted her. “I’ll need time… to process everything.”

It was the most honest thing I could give her.

Before she could respond, another voice cut through the room. “This is the best time to process everything, child.”

My body stilled.

I turned slowly and saw him. Mr. Bennett. My father.

He slowly stepped into the room, his presence filling the space and making me more aware of the situation I was in.

He looked between me and Mrs Bennett—my mother, his eyes conveying more than I could read.

More tears fell down Mrs Bennett face.

Mr. Bennett took another step forward, stepping past me to face his wife. Beside me, Louisa tensed.

“What did I do to deserve this, Natalie?”

No one spoke.

“What did I do to deserve you keeping the existence of my other child a secret from me? I had…twins.”

My fingers curled slightly at my sides.

The word twins still didn’t sit right in my chest.

Natalie sobbed harder, shaking her head as if she could undo everything just by refusing to hold it still.

“You didn’t just hide her existence,” he continued, his voice rising now, trembling with restrained fury. “You gave her away to Miranda. For years.”

My stomach twisted.

“The same Miranda we just found out was poisoning my best friend,” he added harshly. “She’s been poisoning Kayden’s father all this while. And that is who you entrusted my daughter with for twenty-one years?”

Natalie let out a broken sound, clutching the bedsheet.

“What was I supposed to do?” she cried. “You were desperate for a son. You made it clear. And I couldn’t carry a child myself, so when we did the surrogacy and I found out it was twin girls—”

Her voice cracked.

“I didn’t know how you would react. I didn’t want you to take another woman in. I didn’t want to lose you.”

The room went quiet again, the tension almost unbearable.

Mr. Bennett stared at her like he didn’t recognize her anymore.

“That does not justify what you did,” he said flatly. “Nothing about that justifies it.”

Louisa stepped forward suddenly.

“Dad… please. We just got her back.”

He turned to her, and for a moment, the hardness in his face softened.

“I’m sorry, my little flower.” he said quietly. “But I can’t do this with your mum.I cannot continue this marriage… not after all she’d done.”

Louisa’s face crumpled. “Dad—” But he was already shaking his head.

Then his gaze shifted to me. I couldn’t picture him as my father. Not yet.

“I failed you,” he said.

What was I even supposed to say to that?

He stepped closer, his hand lifting slightly as if he wanted to touch my hair… but it stopped midway.

“I don’t deserve you,” he continued, his voice quieter now. “Not yet. But I will make things right. I will fix what I can. And maybe… one day, I’ll earn the right to be your father.”

My chest tightened painfully. I was glad he knew that. Because I couldn’t afford the closeness right now either.

“If you ever need anything,” he added, glancing briefly at Louisa, “tell her. I will make sure you have it.”

And just like that… he turned and walked out, his sophisticated perfume whipping past my nose.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving silence in its wake.

Louisa wiped her face quickly, then turned to Mrs Bennett, her expression hardening.

“Crying won’t fix anything,” she said bluntly. “It won’t undo what you did.”

Mrs Bennett lowered her head, sobbing quietly.

“And let’s not forget,” Louisa added, her voice sharper now, “you were willing to kill Miranda just to get Alyssa back.”

My eyes closed for a second.

That truth still hadn’t settled inside me. Louisa told me about it all some days back.

Even after I had cried until my chest hurt, I still couldn’t fully grasp it.

My own mother… willing to kill the woman who raised me. And the woman who raised me was nothing different. They were all…messed up. Entirely.

“I made mistakes,” Mrs Bennett said, her voice barely steady. “I made terrible mistakes. But you’re my children. You have to forgive me.”

Louisa didn’t respond. Neither did I.

“Focus on getting better.” I finally said.

~

The next day, I found myself pushing open the door to a bar I hadn’t planned to step into until Killian called me last night.

He had said he needed to see me and didn’t explain why.

I wondered what Kayden’s best friend had to say to me.

Yet, I had agreed to meet, because he sounded serious over the phone. And I was curious.

My eyes scanned the room until they landed on him.

He was already seated.

I walked over and sat across from him.

“Hi, Alyssa,” he said, offering a faint smile. “It’s been a while.”

“It has,” I replied, returning a small, tight-lipped smile.

Up close, he looked… tired.

Still handsome, no doubt, but there was something worn down in his eyes now.

“I’m surprised you wanted to see me,” I admitted.

He exhaled quietly. I think I was right. Something was wrong with him.

“I heard about what happened to you and Louisa,” he said. “I’m really sorry. That must have been terrifying.”

Right. “It was.”

A pause stretched between us.

Then I forced a small smile. “I guess I’m trending now. I just hope Calderon students don’t tear me apart with rumors when school resumes.”

He let out a soft laugh.

“I don’t think anyone’s going to get over the fact that you and Louisa are twins anytime soon,” he said.

“Yeah… that part’s still weird for me too.”

Silence settled between us again, and I waited. His fingers tapped against the table. He looked…anxious. That was strange. The Killian I knew of was anything, but anxious.

“I’m sure you didn’t call me here to talk about me and Louisa…” I decided to lift the awkward silence.

He chuckled nervously, then he leaned forward, his expression turning serious.

“I didn’t call you here to talk about that,”

My brows furrowed. “So what’s the matter?”

He hesitated- just for a second.

“I need your help,” he said finally.

I raised a confused brow. “For what?”

He looked directly at me. “It’s about Kayden.”

My heart thudded hard against my ribs.