As Rose clung to her mother, her voice cracked as memories of her past interactions with Lucian overwhelmed her. “Mother, I tried so hard to reach out to him… I told him I was there just to talk, to see him. But he didn’t believe me. It was like he thought I was… I don’t know, like I was there to hurt him or manipulate him somehow. He even said he thought I had some ulterior motive.”
She swallowed hard, her eyes filling with tears as she replayed Lucian’s guarded expression in her mind. “He wouldn’t believe anything I said, Mother. And… I understand. After everything, I know I don’t deserve his trust. But it still hurts, knowing he’s so guarded against me that he can’t see how much I… how much I owe him. I feel like I’ll never be at peace unless I can somehow repay him, show him how much I regret it all. But now… now I think he just hates me.” Experience tales at empire
Olivia’s hand rubbed gentle circles on Rose’s back as she listened, her own face drawn with regret. “Rose,” Olivia said softly, though her voice shook with her own emotions, “I don’t believe Lucian could ever hate you. He’s… he’s sensitive, and he’s been hurt deeply. He’s trying to protect himself, that’s all. In some ways, I think he’s scared of feeling love again… afraid that he’ll just be disappointed or hurt. But Rose,” Olivia paused, her eyes shimmering, “you’re not alone in feeling regret.”
Rose blinked through her tears, looking up at her mother in surprise. Olivia’s face was etched with a vulnerability Rose had rarely seen. “Mother, what… what do you mean?” she asked, wiping her tears with her sleeve.
Olivia took a shuddering breath, the calm facade she’d always kept slipping away. “I failed you both as a mother, Rose. I should have seen how things were unraveling between you two. I should have helped you both understand each other… made sure neither of you felt alone or unloved. But instead, I… I was part of the problem. I left things to fester, and now, look at where we are,” her voice cracked, and she turned away, blinking back tears. “I thought by focusing on work, I was providing for both of you, making a better future. But I… I didn’t realize that what you needed wasn’t my success, but me. And Lucian, well… he deserved a mother who didn’t put him second.”
A long silence hung between them as the weight of her words settled. Finally, Olivia drew a deep, shaky breath, looking at Rose with an expression of deep guilt.
“Mother, don’t say that,” Rose whispered, her voice trembling with emotion, but Olivia held up a hand, shaking her head.
“No, Rose. I need to tell you this. I need you to understand… I may have made some terrible mistakes.” She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment as if deciding whether to continue. Then she reached for Rose’s hand, clutching it tightly. “There’s something I want to show you, but only if you’re ready to see the truth. But… you have to promise me one thing.” Her gaze was unwavering, a shadow of fear and hope in her eyes. “Promise me that you won’t hate me for it.”
Rose wiped the last of her tears, nodding slowly as a feeling of foreboding and curiosity washed over her. She hadn’t expected to hear this side of her mother’s story, the regrets and guilt that mirrored her own.
Olivia took a deep, shaky breath as she reached into the lower drawer of the coffee table in front of her, her hand trembling as it brushed against the cold metal of a black file tucked away. She hesitated, her hand lingering for a moment as she struggled with the gravity of what she was about to reveal. For days, this file had remained hidden, its contents a dark, festering secret she could barely face herself. But today… today, it was time.
Olivia didn’t even dare to put it in a secret locker or anywhere safe. For the last two days, she has kept it close to herself, unable to rest properly. Wherever she goes, she takes it with her, and she can’t bring herself to destroy or burn the file. She’s just so insecure about it.
Rose took the file slowly, glancing between it and her mother, uncertain of the emotions flickering across Olivia’s face. Her mother, usually so composed, looked… broken. Shame and guilt pooled in her eyes as she forced herself to sit back, her hands clenching tightly together. Rose hesitated, her fingers running over the cover, sensing the gravity of what lay within.
Rose and Olivia sat in a tense, charged silence. Olivia’s fingers trembled as they rested over a black folder, hesitating to lift it, as though the weight of the paper inside might consume her entirely. This folder, the darkest relic of her guilt and mistakes, was something she had kept hidden for so long. She had never even dreamed of letting it see the light again, let alone sharing it with Rose. But here they were, and she knew there was no other way now. After taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she handed the folder to Rose.
“This is everything, Rose,” Olivia whispered, her voice barely audible, as if she feared that speaking louder might shatter the thin veil of composure she held. “It’s my… worst shame.” She could hardly bring herself to meet her daughter’s gaze, as a thousand memories flashed in her mind the moments she had ignored, the truths she had evaded, all of which had cost her son everything.
Rose looked at her mother, confused by Olivia’s raw vulnerability. She had never seen her mother in such a state. Olivia Kane had always been a pillar of unshakeable strength, a woman who ran the family empire with unwavering authority. But here she was, visibly trembling as she offered Rose a file, her haunted eyes pleading for forgiveness.
——
