Chapter 35

"I used to see you as the villain, but now, you're my hero, Anderson," I confessed, struggling to contain the tears threatening to spill over.

"If we part ways, I'm glad you'll remember me as a hero, not just a twisted villain," Anderson replied, his voice somber. "After all, he's my brother. Regardless of everything, he's still family. I may despise him, but I won't stand by and let someone else harm him. That's a privilege I reserve for myself," he added with a hint of humor, eliciting a chuckle from me.

"You're a bit twisted, though," I teased, and he shook his head, suppressing a smile.

For a fleeting moment, I forgot about the grim reality. I forgot that Sebastian was missing, his life in jeopardy. But reality soon came crashing back, enveloping me in darkness once more. It felt like plummeting into an endless abyss, with only Angel to cling to.

I cleared my throat, stepping back and Anderson inhaled deeply.

“You should head inside now.” His gaze darting between mine with a weird trace of concern.

“Why? What happened?” I got alerted.

“You’ll see. Know, I was against it,” he said and walked inside, and I rushed right after him.

I followed Anderson through the long hallway of the house with an odd hunch in my chest. Anxiety. I had no idea what he meant but I knew it couldn’t have been anything good. Then I saw her.

“Melissa…” my mother whispered with tears in her eyes.

My heart sank, eyes grew wide. She was the last person I expected to see. The last person I wanted to see. “Where’s Angel?” I asked, agitated. I didn’t want her to meet my daughter. Especially not without me being around. I started panicking, looking around the spacious living room.

“She’s upstairs, sleeping. Chuck’s with her,” Elle reassured me. She gave me an apologetic smile as she walked past me, patting my back gently before she signaled Anderson to follow her, leaving me alone with my mother.

“What are you doing here?” I focused my attention on my mother.

I still couldn’t believe she was there. It was so strange seeing her after all these years. She had aged. Her eyes were surrounded by deep wrinkles, and her hair with a silverish tone, was shortened.

“I don’t even know where to begin.” Her voice caught in her throat. She wanted to approach me, but I stepped back, keeping a distance, and she hesitated.

My teeth clenched involuntarily, and my gaze dropped to the side. I was breathing heavily. Angrily. “How did you convince Chuck to bring you here?” I hissed harshly.

She let out a heavy sigh, her body quivering as if she was scared of me. Or perhaps, she was scared to have this conversation and face the consequences of her choices. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been a good mother to you. I know my words will never compensate you for all these years of suffering you had to endure because of your father and… me, but I’m so deeply sorry.”

“You’re right. Your words will do nothing. It’s too late for an apology now. I’ve grown to the thought that I have no mother. So thank you for coming, it was fun seeing you. Now you may leave.”

Despite sarcasm dripping from my voice, I couldn’t hide the pain pouring out of me. I headed toward the stairs with the intent to go to my daughter, but Celine ran to me and grabbed my elbow. “Melissa, please. Just hear me out. Give me five minutes. That’s all I ask,” she pleaded. “Then you will decide what you want. If you tell me to leave, I will.”

I exhaled heavily. I wanted to leave so badly now. To show her how much it hurt. But I couldn’t. “Okay. Five minutes.”

Our gazes locked.

“I was forced to marry your father. It was an arranged marriage of convenience with no mutual love.” Her voice grew somber. “I knew Cedric didn’t love me from the very beginning, but I couldn’t refuse. You know that in this world we live in, the world where money and position take precedence, we have nothing to say. And my parents were always thinking only about the money. The societal position.” She took a deep breath, her brows knitted. “I was in love with someone else, but it didn’t matter. My father left me no choice.”

A wave of sympathy rushed through me. I had never talked about my parents’ past with them. We had never had normal conversations like other families would. I knew some bits and parts, but vaguely. Nothing specific. And though I could sympathize with my mother, it still wasn’t a reason enough for me to neglect her child like she did to me.

“So?” I said sternly. “What does it have to do with me?”

Her eyes darted between mine with anguish. “I’ve always known your father has been in love with Rose. Sebastian’s mother.” Her gaze dropped as she mentioned her name. I guess it was harrowing for her. “He made me believe she was in love with him too and that she was forced to marry Chuck. I thought they were having an affair.” She paused, her face was painted with regret. “When I found out that Rose was pregnant, I asked Cedric if it was his child, and he said it was.”

“Wh- what?” My eyes widened.

“I felt humiliated. I demanded a divorce,” her voice was barely a whisper now. “I thought my parents would support this decision, but once my father found out that Cedric cheated on me, he blamed me. He said I wasn’t even able to make a man fall for me and that I was worthless,” she barely managed to speak, tears streaming down her face.

I felt so sorry for her. I felt her pain. On one hand, I wanted to hug and comfort her so badly, but on the other… I still couldn’t get over the hate that had grown in me throughout all these years. The walls of indifference that I had built around myself, brick by brick.

“And Cedric…” She sniffed back tears. “He had always spoken so highly of Rose and badly of me. He would always compare me to her, except, in his eyes, I’d never had a chance with her. His obsession,” she confessed with resentment. “I started hating Rose. I kept asking myself, ‘What does she have that I don’t?’ I thought having a child with Cedric would make him love me, or at least respect me, but it didn’t.” Her voice cracked. “Instead, he treated me even worse. And then, after Rose overdosed, it became even worse. A hell.”

“Why didn’t you just leave him?” I questioned. I felt detached. Numb. I couldn’t stop blaming my mother that despite all she went through herself, she made me go through hell myself.