“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
**Many years before** Bradon’s point of viewI didn't want to believe in the common stereotypical belief that rainy days would turn out to be bad days; however, that rainy day truly felt like one of the worst days of my life at that time. Apparently there was an important party Alfred Vulkan hosted and Anthony needed to be in attendance as heir of the host family. The problem was that Anthony had caught a very bad cold, and not surprisingly I was the only one who could take his place and attend the party. At least, that was the short story that my father came up with when he informed me of what I needed to do. What would have felt like nothing in the present was actually quite a difficult task for me back in the days when I first started impersonating my younger brother. At that point I have only had a few successful experiences of taking my brother's place and all of them were in private family gatherings or in pretty safe environments. Our father made it very clear that I needed to
To her side was her younger twin sister with wide round eyes filled with anticipation and excitement. Looking at her felt like a breath of fresh air and suddenly the warm weather didn't seem to bother me as much. Although the two sisters looked extremely identical and were dressed very similarly, I could tell right away which one of them was Dahlia. “Thank you for gathering here today. It is an honor for our family to host this party for all of you. To thank your precious time, I figured that my son could put on a little show to provide some entertainment to all of you. Your time is undoubtedly precious and I would like to make sure that this party is well worth your time. Of course, I am eternally thankful for your continuous support of our various family businesses,” my father announced to the crowd in his booming loud voice. I tried to remain calm as I looked straight ahead into the crowd. I had no idea what my father had in mind but it was clear that he didn't care what I though
The instructor helped lead the horse outside as I walked by its side. So far, Anthony's horse appeared calm but I wondered how long that was going to last. Alfred was waiting for us outside and we found him chatting with a few of his guests. His apparent bright mood seemed to vanish when his eyes landed on me. I could tell that he was displeased that I was not yet sitting atop the horse. “Sir, if I may…this might be a bad idea. Are you sure that we need to use this horse when there are so many others available?” the instructor asked my father with a pleading tone. Although I appreciated the instructor speaking up for me, I didn't dare have any hope that my father would change his mind. Keeping up appearances for the family was more important than the safety of my life.“We will use this horse. It was gifted to Anthony by the royal family. How could we use some other horse? That would be highly disrespectful,” My father replied curtly.That was that. Without a word, my father led t