Part 66

66

Celine had always been a source of disturbance and torment for Vano, constantly questioning his whereabouts. Yet, Vano had consistently informed Celine of his daily activities, whether he was going to campus or returning from it.

Celine nodded, fully understanding the meaning and purpose of Carlos' words. She also felt relieved that Carlos had truly accepted her presence in the house. However, the challenge she had to face now was Vano himself. He still had her phone number blocked, claiming that he didn't want to discuss their relationship and needed some time alone.

Celine would have to wait for the right moment when Vano was willing to talk to her and provide certainty about the future of their relationship. Even though Vano had openly stated that their relationship was over, Celine still saw it as fine.

"Chelsea, what are you doing here? It's late; it's time to rest," Margareth interjected as she emerged from her room. She promptly sent Chelsea back to her room since it was already nine o'clock.

Chelsea glanced at Carlos, questioning her husband about her mother's words. "You don't need to respond like this to the attention Mother has given you. As a grandmother, she should be concerned about your pregnancy," Margareth continued, approaching Chelsea. She put her arm around her daughter's shoulder and guided her to stand up. "Let me take you to your room. It seems like your husband still has some matters to discuss with his future daughter-in-law."

"Mom, please don't act this way. I'm actually frightened by the level of attention you're giving me."

"Why, do you think I'm angry that you married Carlos? Not at all. In fact, I'm glad you have a responsible and stable husband because I know who Carlos is. I've been in a relationship with him for a long time, and..." Margareth showed the ring still on her finger. "As you know, he's the only man who dared to take me seriously and consider marriage. He's the only one who made me insist on divorcing your father. Although I didn't really want to separate from your father, Carlos's attention and seriousness made me press your father for a divorce. Look, even this diamond ring is still on my finger."

Margareth held Chelsea's hand. "Meanwhile, as his wife, you don't wear a ring at all. That means I'm more valuable than you. And it means that Carlos was more serious about marrying me. Well... not anymore now. Because you've become Carlos's wife." Margareth chuckled a bit, showing that she felt victorious in the way Carlos treated her compared to Chelsea. When Carlos decided to pursue a relationship with Margareth, he had shown an immense level of seriousness.

To the point where Carlos gave Margareth a diamond ring that still adorned her finger. Carlos acknowledged this fact, but he kept his mouth shut, unable to bring up the ring issue regarding Chelsea.

Carlos didn't object when Margareth led Chelsea to their room on the upper floor. Chelsea wanted to reject the attention Margareth was showering her with, but she worried about Celine being in the mix. She feared that Celine might find an opportunity to disrupt her relationship with Vano and their extended family.

"When there's nothing left to discuss, you're welcome to leave. It's not appropriate for a woman to stay at a man's house for too long, even if Vano isn't here. Neighbors can still assume you came to see Vano," Carlos gently ushered Celine out, as he was uncomfortable with Chelsea and Margareth being alone in the room.

Despite Margareth's outward display of reconciliation, Carlos's instincts and gut feeling always warned him to keep his wife away from Margareth.

Margareth guided Chelsea to sit on the edge of the bed. Chelsea remained vigilant, watching every move her mother made, as she wasn't just protecting herself but also the unborn child inside her womb.

"You see, dear, this ring on my finger is a genuine diamond worth hundreds of millions. Carlos gave it to me as proof of his love," Margareth continued to boast about the ring on her finger to Chelsea.

She wanted Chelsea to understand how significant she had been to Carlos in the past and to emphasize that Chelsea was nothing compared to her. If Carlos truly regarded Chelsea as something precious, he would have given her more than that.

"Yes, Mom, it's beautiful, and I'm sure when Dad gave it to you, it was a gesture of deep love. Unfortunately, you never appreciated the love he gave you, which is why he started turning away and got tempted by me. And I can assure you, when Dad decided to marry me, he wasn't able to think about this ring because your presence here disturbed us. If only you hadn't disrupted our relationship, Dad could have given me something even more precious," Chelsea replied, attempting to assert herself. She believed that what she said was true. Carlos was not neglecting or devaluing her; it was just that he was preoccupied with Margareth and Vano's issues.

To Chelsea, receiving valuable jewelry from a man wasn't something extraordinary. It could be surpassed by the certainty and commitment that Carlos had given her. 

"Personally, Mom, compared to this diamond ring, I prefer to have certainty and marriage, to be given the priceless gift of a child. Jewelry like this can be bought with wealth and sold anywhere. But love, sincere love given with the bonus of a child, is truly priceless."

Margareth couldn't contain her frustration upon hearing Chelsea's defense. She wanted to strangle Chelsea in anger.

"Instead of obsessing over this ring, you'd better use it for your living expenses because I'm not comfortable living with you like this. If you keep digging up the past with Dad, even though it's been a long time and Dad has already told you that your relationship is over, what's the point of clinging to memories of Dad from the past?"

Margareth's anger continued to rise as she heard Chelsea's words, but she struggled hard to hide it so that her daughter wouldn't realize how irritated she was. Although it was true that Carlos had discarded her.

Being Chelsea's adoptive mother was the only reason Margareth clung to staying in the house. Looking at the extent of Carlos and Chelsea's relationship, if she were honest, Margareth still hoped that it was all just a drama so that Carlos could break free from her. However, seeing the clear interactions between Carlos and Chelsea only convinced her further that her daughter and Carlos were indeed in a husband-and-wife relationship.

"Margareth, please leave. It's time for my wife to rest," Carlos ordered, having had enough of Margareth's comments to Chelsea a moment ago.

Margareth glanced briefly at Carlos before refocusing on Chelsea. "You two really know how to provoke my anger, how could you have a relationship behind my back like this?"

Margareth burst into tears and knelt on the floor. "Is my sin so great that you can play with me like this?"

"There's no redemption here, Mom. It's just the way we found our respective soulmates. I hope you can accept all of this, and I still want to keep you in my life. So you should be a little grateful because you're not living aimlessly out there. Accept it with an open heart, and let's each find our own happiness."

Margareth stared at Chelsea so intensely that she could feel the deep hatred emanating from her. But Chelsea tried to maintain a calm facade because she didn't want a fight. She felt tired of discussing this issue repeatedly.

"Alright, starting today, maybe I'll try to make peace with the situation and let you live happily with Carlos. And I hope you'll love me as you did before you found out that you're just an adopted child."

"Yes, Mom, it's okay whether I'm adopted or not. I don't mind what destiny God has written for me. What's clear is that I'm happy with my husband. The past is not important, and grieving and regretting it will only destroy the life that my husband has arranged so perfectly for us to live happily." Once again, Chelsea dismantled Margareth's words.

Margareth left Carlos and Chelsea, satisfied with the argument she had attempted to engage in, but it had yielded no results. That's why it was better for her to leave.

Carlos felt a bit relieved as Margareth left. Before approaching Chelsea, he locked their bedroom door to ensure Margareth couldn't enter, especially not knowing the discussion they were about to have.

Carlos immediately knelt before Chelsea as soon as he closed the bedroom door. "Darling, please forgive me for not realizing that I haven't given you anything as a proof of my love," he said so gently while holding Chelsea's hand.

Instead of getting angry because there had never been a special gift given by Carlos to Chelsea, she smiled and briefly kissed Carlos's lips.

"Dad thinks he's never given me anything. But..." She reached for Carlos's hand and placed it on her growing belly. "This is more than a special gift. This is proof of how deep your love is for me, so I don't need material things or money to know how much you love me. Just like this, I already know that I'm a very special woman to you." Carlos smiled, touched by his wife's response.