“I see…” I murmured as I wondered what it was that I was really seeing. I guessed that Bradon no longer considered me his responsibility. The times when I head out to meet the prince as Dahlia, I would no longer be his contract bride and it probably made sense that he didn’t need to be responsible for keeping me out of harm’s way. Although I knew that this was how things were supposed to be, I couldn’t help the sinking feeling in my chest. “Of course, if you would like a driver or an escort, I would be happy to escort you,” Zain offered with a kind smile. “No, thank you. I am not going out today…” I replied before turning on my heels and walking back into the mansion.Little did I know back then that my decision to stay in the mansion on that day would lead to an unexpected encounter. It was early in the evening and there were no signs of Bradon returning home. I had gotten used to waiting for him to come home late into the night although I knew that I shouldn’t be waiting for him
Since she stopped me from giving Bradon a call earlier, I began wondering if he even knew that his mother had arrived. Jenna seemed to know her very well but she was nowhere in sight to help ease my burden. Was he even expecting her or is this just some random visit on her part?“I would like to apologize to you earnestly for all the trouble that my foolish son has caused. He’s always been a stubborn and useless fool ever since he was young. He is selfish and never does what he is told. He always has a temper and never considers what is best for our family. It is a miracle that my husband chose to tolerate him for this long. My husband is so kind and so merciful…” she said as the lines between her brows deepened. “I see…” I mumbled. “If it weren’t for this cursed child, I’m sure that my husband would still be with me. I wouldn’t be abandoned like this. I always told him that he needed to do better. He needed to be smarter and work harder than his half brother…” she complained bitte
Her words sounded very familiar to my ears although I was sure that I haven’t met her before. Brenda went on with her complaints as I wondered when she would simply shut up. It was frankly quite amazing how much she had to say against her own son. “I don’t understand why he doesn’t understand that everything he does wrong ends up being my fault. I’m the one who gets blamed for all his faults and shortcomings. They all say that it's all because of me…” she said as she ground her teeth together in anger. I stared at her as my smile faded from my lips. After having just met her for the first time, I quickly figured that there was nothing decent about this woman except for her extremely blunt and straightforward way of speaking. With each word, I could feel intensely dark emotions rising up inside of me as if she had the talent to flip all of my switches in all the wrong ways. ‘Why can’t you be perfect like Diana? If you don’t do this right, do you understand that your father is going
“Stop blaming your son for all of your failures. Your failures are your own to bear. If something went wrong for you, then it was probably because of you. If your husband doesn’t think that you’re good enough, then you’re probably not good enough. Stop dragging your son into your misery and stop using him as an excuse for your failures,” I warned her, loud and clear.“Stop…” she muttered as she refused to look me in the eye. I couldn’t bring myself to stop even if I wanted to. The real problem was that I didn’t want to. Pointing out her faults and mistakes felt like the right thing to do and it also brought me a sense of satisfaction like I had never felt in a very long time. “I don’t even want to imagine all the things he had to do against his will over the years just to appease you and your selfish lover and that family that you must worship. Just so that you can get your way and get what you want, he had to suffer for your sake every single step of the way!” I yelled at her witho
Even if I thought that it was the right thing to do and say, there was no way that Bradon or anyone in passing would think that way. After all, I had just yelled at his mother and it must have seemed like I was the one who had crossed the line. It did occur to me then that I may have been too harsh on her. I was not completely ignorant of her circumstances and what she must have gone through at the hands of the Vulkans. Since she was just a mistress, they clearly did not consider her part of the Vulkan family. Her pleading words as she begged for her husband even though he wasn’t even present came back to me and I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt. Her past must have haunted her so badly for her to go mad. It was clear that Alfred had promised her that he would somehow move her to the main Vulkan estate as if something like that was even possible given that he had a legally married wife and a reputation to maintain. Before I could stop myself, I began wondering what it was like
Silence crept in on us as time slowly ticked by. I could no longer hear the commotion caused by his mother and assumed that she had made her way safely out of the mansion. Her safety and how she was doing couldn’t be furthest from my concern considering that I had my own situation and complex little problem at hand that I still had to deal with. I wondered if I should just come up and admit to my wrong doings and apologize or if I should remain defiant in the stance that I had decided to take. “It must have been hard…” I mumbled the first thing that came to my mind. The regretful and sorrowful way that my voice sounded along with the persistent aching pain in my chest told me beyond words just how much I could relate to what Bradon had probably had to deal with all his life. If his mother had always been like that, then I could pretty much imagine what Bradon had to go through as a child growing up. It also made me realize that there was always that possibility that he was still bea
It was all because I didn’t want to hurt her or see her abused anymore. She was just another victim because she couldn’t let go of the man that she loves although he probably never loved her back in return. When I was younger, there were times when I wondered why my mother couldn’t see my father for who and what he was. The period where I was also blinded by my mother’s hopeful words that that man would one day accept us truly as a part of his family was very short-lived. Unlike me, my mother never lost faith in the man that she loves. Sooner or later, I came to realize that there was no way that she could go on living if she ever accepted the truth that she had been used by him all along. I remember watching over her as she cried and grew weaker and weaker in both spirit and body. I remember thinking that I wouldn’t be surprised if she were to snap one day and then pass away if reality really hit her. Perhaps it was from my fear of losing my mother that I somehow became an active co
Her eyes widened before she quickly averted her eyes from mine. Seeing her meek and vulnerable side was quite a rare sight and that made me want to spend my time savoring it. At the same time, I felt an overwhelming urge to protect her. She would probably get very mad at me if she were to find out that I was acting this way just to tease her. She was right that my mother was mentally unstable, but her tantrums would have gone on regardless of what Dahlia did or didn’t do. “I already said that I’m sorry…” she muttered. “I don’t want your words of apology,” I replied coldly.Dahlia eye’s returned to meet mine and I could sense the frustration in her gaze as she glared at me. She let out a sigh after a moment of silence as if she had made up her mind to give in. “Then, what is it that you want?” she asked, although without much interest. “Not much. I’ll let everything slide, if you tell me why you said those things,” I replied. My words must have shocked her even more than before. A