11:30
Tue, Sep 10
Chapter 243
Chapter 243
:
“Oh my god..” Esther whispered, horrified, as she dropped herself into a chair. Her body looked like it had lost all strength, her hand shook as it clutched the edge of the table.
Across the room, Alex was battling with every single emotion known to man. His chest was heavy, his throat felt tight, and his jaw clenched so hard it ached.
He was still in shock, seeing Mia again after all these years, holding back the storm inside of him when he saw his son in her arms.
He was in disbelief.
He was angry…..angry at Mia for keeping his son from him, angry at his father for doing something so unforgivable.
He was pissed…..pissed at himself most of all. Pissed that he had not gone after her especially after finding out where she was.
Pissed that he hadn’t protected the only woman he had ever truly loved.
And then there was guilt.
Guilt for not being there when she needed him. Guilt for not watching his son grow up. Guilt for the fact that she had been alone, fighting, surviving and raising a child all by herself.
Jealousy burned him too. He felt bad….. bad that he had missed out on his son’s first laugh, his first words, his first steps. All those little milestones that he could never get back.
Alex’s hands curled into fists at his sides. He felt like going to Willowcrest, storming straight to his father, tying him to a tree and leaving him there until he was begging for forgiveness.
Begging Mia begging her family.
Because who in their right mind does that?
Who does that to another human being? To an entire family?
The thought of it made his blood boil.
And yet, another part of him wanted to run after Mia. He wanted to pull her into his arms and not let go, to bury his face in her hair and tell her he was sorry…for everything.
But then the darker side of him whispered something else. He also felt like asking the security guards to stop her, to not let her leave, to take Aiden and bring him back to him. Because wasn’t that his right? Wasn’t Aiden
his son too?
Alex’s head was spinning. He could barely breathe.
“Charles Blackwell is a monster,” his mother whispered again, this time firmer, her voice breaking.
11:56 Tue, Sep 16
Chapter 243
“Are you okay?” Jullian’s voice broke through the silence. He had moved closer to Lily, who was still sitting frozen in her chair. Her face was red and blotchy, the fresh marks of Mia’s slap burning bright across her cheeks.
She looked stunned, her eyes glassy, as though she had not yet processed what had just happened.
Lily nodded slowly and stood up, brushing her hands against her dress as if to ground herself.
“Did Charles really do that?” Esther whispered, her eyes searching Lily’s face, as though hoping for denial.
“Yeah,” Lily said quietly, her voice trembling but steady enough. “He did.” She crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself. “After we left, Mia found out she was pregnant… same time she got admission into school.”
Her eyes softened as she remembered.
“Mia wanted to drop out of school, but the family encouraged her. We begged her to try, to not give up, to keep fighting.
She didn’t want to, but she did. She fought. She worked, she carried that pregnancy and still went to school.”
Esther’s eyes filled with tears. She pressed her hand to her mouth. “Poor girl,” she whispered.
“Why didn’t she ever contact him?” Jullian asked, his voice firm but also curious.
Lily turned on him sharply. “What part of your father threatening us did you not understand?” Her voice rose slightly, her eyes flashing with anger. “He dragged us in the middle of the night with guns pointed at our heads. Do you know what that feels like? To have a man shove the cold barrel of a gun to your temple? To watch your sister shaking while they scream at her?”
Jullian swallowed hard, saying nothing.
“He could have killed us that night,” Lily went on, her voice breaking. “He could have buried us in the ground, and no one–no one–would have even cared. The Turners would have just… disappeared.”
She let out a harsh laugh, bitter and broken. “And he said it. He threatened to finish the job if he ever saw us. If Mia ever contacted Alex again.”
The words hung heavy in the room.
Alex stared at Lily, his throat dry. He wanted to say something…anything, but no words came.
His father had done a lot of questionable things in his life, but this… this was evil.
He felt stupid and useless. He wasn’t able to protect her.
“I’m sorry you guys went through all that,” Esther said softly, her voice thick with tears.
“It’s fine,” Lily said, shaking her head. “In some way, it was a blessing in disguise for us. It opened our eyes. It helped us see how wrong and horrible our life was at Willowcrest. We had to make something good out of our lives after that. We had no choice.”
11:56 Tue, Sep 16
Chapter 243
:
Esther nodded slowly, but her face was still drawn with guilt.
“Thank you, Lily,” Esther said quietly.
“I didn’t do it for any of you,” Lily said sharply. Her eyes filled with tears, and she quickly blinked them away. “Please… I’m begging you all, don’t make me regret this decision. Don’t hurt Mia. Don’t hurt Aiden.”
Esther reached across the table, her voice strong and sincere. “I promise you with my life that no harm will come to Mia and Aiden.”
Lily searched her face, then slowly nodded.
Jullian cleared his throat. “Where will you go? I don’t think it’s advisable to go back to the same house Mia is in right now.”
Lily sighed. “True. But I really don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“We can put you in one of Alex’s hotels,” Jullian said without hesitation.
Lily’s head snapped toward him, her eyes widening.
“The Axin Royal?” she whispered, her voice trembling with awe and disbelief.
Esther nodded with a small smile.
Lily’s lips parted, and for the first time that night, her eyes shone with something like joy. “Well… how can I say no to staying in one of the best hotels? My dream hotel,” she said, her voice soft, almost girlish.
“Good,” Jullian said, nodding firmly.
But then, Lily’s gaze shifted. She looked at Alex, her eyes narrowing slightly.
There was a long pause. A silence heavy enough to make Alex glance up and meet eyes with her.
“Did you really get married?” she asked. Her eyes still locked on Alex’s face, not even blinking.
“What?” Jullian spluttered.
Esther shook her head immediately, but Alex said nothing. He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing on Lily, watching the way she said it, as if she was almost scared to know the answer.
“And what would make you say that?” Alex finally asked, his voice low.
“Well…” Lily paused. “Your father showed us your wedding invitation card.”
“What?”
