Chapter 285 They All Regretted It

Chapter 285 They All Regretted It

When did he ever say he was going to marry Vivian?

He'd made it clear on multiple occasions — he and Vivian were just friends. The only reason he kept defending her was because he'd hurt her once. That was all.

No. Wait.

That wasn't right either.

To be precise, those were his old feelings talking. He'd woken up since then. He'd finally seen Vivian for who she really was.

He wasn't going to let her keep hurting his family. Not anymore.

Charles pressed his lips together, a dull irritation settling behind his eyes.

"Sean, since when did you get so gullible? Vivian told you we were getting married someday, and you just... believed her?"

"But you never said anything when I used to call her 'Mom.' You even let her take me to the parent-child events at school. She was living in our house, Dad."

Sean bit down on his lower lip, his expression tight with hurt.

"And there's something else. I called Grandma. I asked her if she could make Vivian leave, because I don't want Vivian anymore — I want Mom. I want Mom to come home."

"But Grandma said Mom's with Andy's dad now. She said even if you and I both got on our knees and begged, Mom still wouldn't take you back."

"Oh — and Grandma said your reputation is basically ruined at this point. She said marrying Vivian is your best option now."

Charles's hand curled into a fist at his side, the frustration in his chest sharpening into something uglier.

When he finally had a free afternoon, he was going to the Stuart estate and having a very long talk with Grace. Every other mother on the planet wanted her children to thrive. His mother seemed to wake up every morning asking herself how she could make his life harder.

"Sean, stop listening to your grandmother and Vivian. I am not marrying Vivian. I'm not having children with her. You have one mother. Her name is Seraphine. That's it."

"Really?"

The moment the words landed, Sean's whole face changed.

He crossed the room in a few quick steps and grabbed Charles's hand, eyes wide and shining with something close to desperation.

"Dad — if you still have feelings for Mom too, then can we go apologize to her together? She cares about us more than anyone. I really think if we're sincere enough, she'll forgive us."

"And when she comes home, I'll make it up to her. I mean it. She can set all the rules, and I won't throw any more fits. I'll even ask her to come to school events with me."

They both owed Seraphine that much. They owed her everything.

Charles ran his tongue over his lower lip. Then, without hesitating, he reached down and lifted Sean off the ground.

"Alright. Let's go find your mom."

---

"Ms. Lavien — something's wrong. We have a situation."

By the time Charles and Sean forced their way into the studio, Jason was already gone.

Seraphine was at her desk, sketching out a design, when the bodyguard assigned to the building suddenly appeared in her office doorway — flustered, clearly thrown off.

"What happened?"

She startled, setting down her pencil and looking up.

"Mr. Stuart is here."

The bodyguard cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, visibly uncomfortable.

"He's carrying a child. My partner and I were worried that if we tried to physically stop him, the kid might get hurt. We didn't know what to do."

So they'd already let Charles out.

Of course they had. Getting law enforcement to hold someone at Charles's level for any real length of time was never going to work.

Seraphine pinched the bridge of her nose. She sat with it for a long moment, then waved the bodyguard off with a tired flick of her hand.

"Bring them in. Both of them. Charles isn't someone you can hold off forever — you bought me some time, and that's enough."

"Yes, ma'am."

The bodyguard exhaled with visible relief and slipped out, pulling the door closed behind him.

"Seraphine!"

"Mom! I came to see you — it's been so long. Did you miss me?"

A minute later, Charles and Sean appeared.

The moment they saw her, both of them broke into wide, easy smiles — as if there had never been any distance between them. As if nothing had ever gone wrong.

Seraphine raised an eyebrow. The sheer audacity of it almost made her laugh.

"Charles. Sean. Unless I'm losing my memory, I have said this — more than once — our relationship is over. Completely. I don't want to see either of you."

"Seraphine, do you really have to be this cold?"

The smile dropped from Charles's face the instant he heard her tone. But he didn't snap back the way he used to. Instead, he sat down across from her, Sean still in his arms, the set of his expression heavy with something that looked a lot like guilt.

"After my attorney got me out, my assistant filled me in on a few things. Seraphine, I had you completely wrong. You were right about Vivian — she's not the person she pretended to be. The truth is—"

"The truth is, Vivian never had cancer. Is that what you were going to say?"

She cut him off before he could finish.

Seraphine leaned back in her chair, pressing her fingers against her temple, her eyes carrying a weariness that went bone-deep.

"Maybe you were also going to tell me you found proof that she'd been setting me up from the start." She let the silence stretch for a moment. "So what?"

"Charles, Vivian was never a convincing actress. If you'd actually paid attention, you would have seen it — she was gunning for me every single time."

"But what did you do? Every time she played the victim in front of you, you took her side. Without question. No matter how many times I tried to prove the truth, you refused to believe me."

"So what exactly does it mean that you figured it out now?"

"The damage is done. Whatever I once felt for you — I let that go. You wore it down, one sided judgment at a time, until there was nothing left."

"It's too late, Charles." Her voice didn't waver. "Whatever you say right now, it doesn't matter. It's too late. Do you understand that?"

Charles stared at her. Her words echoed through him, cycling back again and again, and the color slowly drained from his face.

"Mom — okay, but what about me?"

Sean looked between them, his small face creasing with uncertainty. Then something shifted. He pulled away from Charles and ran to Seraphine's side, wrapping both hands around her arm and holding on.

"Mom, I know I was wrong. I don't want Vivian to be my mom anymore. I want it to be you — it's always been you. I promise I'll be better. I'll eat whatever you cook, no more junk food, I swear."

"And I'll tell everyone at school about us. If anyone says anything bad about you, I'll be the first one to stand up for you."

"Please." His voice dropped to something small and raw. "Please let me stay with you."