Chapter 1. She took your child away

(Ernesta POV)

Like every normal morning, while I was still sleeping, I was awakened by a familiar childish voice:

“Ernesta! Mom! Wake up, you are late. Come on!"

Silas, my son, is the one who wakes me up every morning.

I didn't even open my eyes, so I sat up and hugged Silas out of habit and kissed him on the forehead.

“Sweetie, good morning, what do we have for breakfast?”

"Ham sandwich, I finished it all. Let’s get up."

"All right, little man"

I opened my eyes with a laugh as Silas jumped off the bed and walked out.

This kid is very smart, although he is only four years old, he can already do personal things such as brushing his teeth, washing his face, changing clothes, and can now make breakfast. Obviously, I'm the boy's mother, I was supposed to be the one to take care of him but ended up being him taking care of me. Although others find this a bit unusual, I am very proud and happy about that. That's my son, haha.

I got out of bed, did my usual routine, put on a fancy dress and heavy makeup, and went to the kitchen to have breakfast with Silas.

While eating, I looked around.

This large fully furnished house is not mine but belongs to my aunt, Larissa, I was intending to buy it but in the end, my aunt didn't agree, she didn't want me to move out but also don't let me pay a dime.

Since I broke up with my family, my aunt brought me and Silas here to live with her, but Larissa often travels abroad on business, rarely staying at home even on holidays. Except for the day I gave birth to Silas and his birthday, Larissa only came back from time to time, this big house was just me and Silas.

However, I am very grateful to my aunt. Larissa is not around but always takes care of me and is ready to help whenever I need it. She was the one who gave me a new life, giving me the confidence to move on after that painful fall that year.

"Mom, isn't the sandwich Silas made good?"

Silas's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, looking at his pitiful face, I quickly smiled.

“No, the sandwich was delicious.”

“Then why are you eating so slowly? I'm done eating."

"I'm just thinking about something.  Go change your clothes, we'll go after I finish."

"Yes, mom"

The distance from the chair to the floor was not high, so Silas could jump down safely.

I quickly finished my meal and cleared the table while waiting for Silas. These things have become our daily routine, but I don't feel depressed or sad, even enjoy them. Yes, I really like my current life, I have a successful job and a good son. I want nothing more than to hope that Silas can grow up safely and happily without being affected by the past.

After taking Silas to school, I met Kathryn, my best friend, a teacher at Silas's school. Although she is not in charge of Silas's class, having her here, I feel much more secure.

As soon as she saw me, Kathryn grinned.

“Today our talented designer is more beautiful than yesterday.”

"Aren't you bored every day like that?"

I laughed at Kathryn.

More than just a costume designer, I'm also a health blogger. Thanks to a suitable diet and regular exercise, I have the look that many girls desire, which is also a point that I am very proud of myself.

Kathryn raised her eyebrows at me, deliberately joking.

“Quickly, how can you be so beautiful? Is there some secret method?"

"That's right, want to know?"

I mysteriously waved Kathryn closer, and she took a step forward. This time, I leaned close to her ear and lowered my voice.

"Find a handsome man, then make a son, I make sure you're prettier than a supermodel.”

With that, I laugh out loud, Kathryn pushed my shoulder, smiling and shaking her head.

"You just wait, when I have a baby, I will definitely be more beautiful than you, my baby will be more handsome than yours”

"Okay, I'll wait"

For other things, I hesitated, but Silas alone, I have absolute confidence. My son is both handsome and smart, I'm sure no matter how hard Kathryn tries to find a handsome boyfriend, she can't produce a son more handsome than Silas. Why? Because she's not as pretty as me, haha.

Kathryn must have seen my undeniable confidence as well, she waved her hand to chase me away because it was almost time for work. I also have my job, so I no longer talk nonsense to her.

I am currently a designer Siya, the principal costume designer of Noble Dame, one of the world's leading eveningwear brands, and leading at Nevy owned by a college friend of mine, Zelda Tabicas. Zelda is three years older than me, Noble Dame was founded by her grandmother, Cilia Tabicas, at that time the business was not bad, although it was successful, it was still submerged in thousands of fashion brands in the country. By the time Zelda took over and I became their designer, Noble Dame was taken to new heights and went overseas.

Cilia once said that Noble Dame is not the Tabicas family alone, but the result of Zelda and I's hard work. So, before she died, she gave the entire Noble Dame to Zelda and gave me a special share, but I refused. As the main designer of Noble Dame, my income can fully guarantee a full life for both Silas and me. Furthermore, I don't want to cause trouble for Zelda. Her parents didn't like me because of Cilia's decision, but this is also reasonable, no one wants the property in the house to be divided among outsiders, especially when the portion that Cilia was going to give me that year is greater than the share she gave to Zelda's parents.

Thanks to my efforts and the support from Zelda, it can be said that I have almost reached the peak of my career.

As this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Noble Dame, Zelda demanded a design that was truly special and stood out from all the previous ones. To prepare for this, I had to spend a lot of time and effort every time I went to the company because I didn't want the time spent with Silas to be reduced. I have ambitions with the job but above all, Silas is my number one priority.

Today's work isn't bad, I guess I can leave earlier than usual and take Silas to the park before dinner. But an unexpected thing happened that changed my current plan and my life.

It was a call from my mother, Amber, a mother who hated her child. I was not happy when I received the call from her, but the feeling of unease made me immediately pick up the phone when I saw her name on the screen.

Without waiting for me to speak, Amber took the initiative to speak first.

“Silas is with us, if you want to pick him up, come here.”

With that, Amber hung up the phone.

Right after that, I got a text from Kathryn, she said Amber came to pick up Silas early, but by the time she knew, Silas was already taken. Since Amber is Silas's grandmother, no one can stop her from doing it.

The feeling of insecurity in me increased, Amber originally didn't like Silas because he of my boy, she didn't even appear on the day I was born.

Fearing Amber would treat Silas the way she did to me, I immediately drove to my old home, the Willems.