“So, what is it, Mother? And… well, Rose?” Lucian asked softly, letting out a small sigh.
He shifted uncomfortably on the couch, his posture stiff. With both women seated on either side of him, their eyes intently focused on his face, the moment felt uncomfortably intimate. The silence that followed only made it worse, the weight of their expectant gazes pressing on him like a stone.
Olivia was the first to break the silence. “Actually, there’s a lot to talk about,” she said, her voice calm but measured. “But first… tell me, how was your day?”
Lucian hesitated, his gaze flickering toward her briefly before looking away. He ran a hand through his hair, stalling. “It was… okay, I guess,” he replied, his tone flat and unconvincing.
The truth was far from “okay.” Today had been a whirlwind, full of chaos and decisions he wasn’t ready to process, let alone share. Something in his gut told him it wasn’t a good idea to tell these two the truth not now, at least. Find adventures on empire
Rose, sitting quietly beside him, suddenly spoke up, her voice soft but deliberate. “How’s it going with the Avey matter?” she asked, her tone casual yet probing.
Lucian turned his head to look at her, his brows furrowing slightly in confusion. Rose, of all people, asking about this? It felt off completely out of character. Her question caught him off guard, especially since she rarely showed interest in his personal affairs.
“I told you I’ve given up on her,” Lucian answered, his tone clipped. He leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms defensively.
Rose’s reaction was subtle, but telling. For a split second, a flicker of shock passed through her expression, her usually composed features betraying her surprise. Olivia must’ve mentioned this to her earlier, but hearing it confirmed by Lucian himself was a different matter altogether.
He really gave up on Avey? The thought struck her like a hammer. While a part of her struggled to process the idea, another part one she wasn’t ready to acknowledge felt an unfamiliar, inexplicable relief. Her face, however, remained neutral, masking the swirl of emotions within. She simply nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Olivia, ever the observant one, decided to steer the conversation. “Did you have fun with your friends today?” she asked, her tone light but purposeful, her gaze lingering on him.
Lucian shifted in his seat again, clearly uneasy. “Umm… ugh, well, great, I guess. But why?” he stammered, his confusion growing. Their line of questioning was throwing him off balance.
The way they looked at him like they were holding back something only made him feel more on edge. Their behavior wasn’t just strange; it was downright unsettling.
As if seeking an escape, his eyes darted around the room, landing on the array of gift boxes scattered across the tables. His brows knitted together as he took in the sight once more. The bright ribbons and wrapping paper looked so out of place in the minimalist decor of the house.
“What… what’s all this?” he asked, his voice tinged with suspicion. His gaze shifted between Olivia and Rose, searching for answers.
For a moment, neither woman spoke, their silence thick with unspoken tension. Olivia’s lips parted as if she was about to respond, but she hesitated, her expression unreadable. Rose, meanwhile, remained quiet, her hands clasped tightly in her lap as if she were bracing herself for something.
Lucian’s chest tightened, the strange atmosphere becoming unbearable. Why are they acting like this? he wondered, his unease growing with every passing second. Whatever they were planning or hiding it was clear they weren’t going to tell him outright.
“Seriously,” he said, his voice sharper this time. “What’s going on? Why are you both acting so… weird?”
“Lucian,” Olivia whispered, her voice trembling like a fragile thread threatening to snap. Her hands moved to one of the neatly wrapped boxes on the table. The paper gleamed under the soft light, the ribbon tied with painstaking precision. She hesitated, her fingers brushing against the edges as though the gift itself was fragile, like her words.
“I know…” she began, her voice unsteady. She swallowed hard, blinking quickly as if to push back the emotions threatening to spill over. “I know I’ve missed so much. I wasn’t the best mother.”
Lucian’s breath hitched at the sudden rawness in her tone, but he didn’t say a word. He simply stared, frozen, watching her struggle to continue.
“I regret everything,” she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. “I swear… if I could go back in time, I really would.” Her words trailed off as the enormity of what she was saying hit her. She had missed so much of his life. So many of his birthdays. Her eyes welled up again, but she blinked them away, trying to stay composed.
Her gaze dropped to the floor, and then back up at him, her hands still gripping the gift like a lifeline.
“I… I know this is going to sound… I don’t know, awkward,” she stammered, taking a quick, shaky breath. She laughed softly, the sound bitter and shaky in her throat. “But, I’ve… I’ve missed so many things… the biggest being your birthdays… and I wanted to try to… well, to do something right this time.”
Her voice broke on the last word, and she quickly exhaled as though she’d been holding her breath for too long. Her heart was racing in her chest, and the words felt like they were slipping through her fingers.
She moved to hand him the first gift, but her fingers barely held it steady, her hands shaking so much she almost dropped it. Her eyes were fixed on his face, trying to read his expression. Her stomach twisted with nerves, unsure of what he was thinking. She wasn’t even sure if she could make it through this moment without falling apart.
“I know it’s been a long time… too long…” Her voice wavered, faltering under the weight of her regret. “…but I thought maybe this… maybe this would show you that I’ve been thinking of you. That I’m here now. I just… I want you to know I’m sorry.”
Her words hung in the air, thick with meaning, as she searched his face, hoping, praying for some sign that he was hearing her. But his face was unreadable, his expression still and quiet, and it made her heart beat faster in her chest. Had he heard her? Had it reached him?
“No, I… I actually want to fill in what I missed… and… wasn’t there for.”* Her voice cracked, and she quickly swallowed, the lump in her throat growing unbearable. “I—”
Her words came to a halt as her breath hitched, her chest tightening with the effort of holding back the flood of emotions. She tried to steady herself, but her hands trembled so much now that she had to grip the edge of the table to steady them.
“I just wanna give you what you deserve,” she finished quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes locked on his, a silent plea in them, but there was no certainty. Only a raw, aching hope that he would understand.
With trembling hands, she placed the small gift on his lap. It was light, but it felt so heavy to her, like it carried everything she wanted to say, everything she hadn’t been able to show him for so long. Her fingers brushed against his knee for just a second, a fleeting touch full of so many unsaid things, before she pulled away quickly, as if the contact was too much to bear.
Lucian didn’t say anything. He just sat there, staring at her face, his eyes tracing her trembling lips as she spoke. He didn’t move, didn’t react just watched her with an unreadable expression. His silence felt like an eternity to her, every second stretching longer than the last, every moment more suffocating than the one before.
She could feel her breath becoming shallow, and she fought to hold it together. Please, just say something, she thought desperately, her chest tight with the weight of her regret, her yearning for forgiveness, and the overwhelming love she couldn’t seem to express the right way.
Her gaze never left him, hoping for the smallest sign of acknowledgment, but she wasn’t sure if he’d heard anything at all.
—
ahhhh fkkkk finally 10 chs in one day can you beleive guys
ahhh you webnovel gods i need a raise crying***
and please send those powerstones and tickets…ive need to reach highter in ranking sob son
take some pity on me my pumpkins
thanks for reading guys