Bonds

-Maya POV-

I thought I'd gotten used to surprises with everything that had happened. The unexpected call came while I was drowning myself in job applications. I had made a mistake and damn Alex for putting me in this position. My phone screen flashed with the famift yet unwelcome name - Mom I could count on one hand the number of times she'd called me in my entire life. The only genuine connection we ever shared was that brief moment after my father's arrest. After that, things snapped back into place - her, a silent shadow by his side and having no voice of her own. So yeah, when the call came, surprise was an understatement. But what truly shocked me was her request. She wanted to meet, and not just me - the twins.

Here I was, perched on a dusty bench in the manicured garden of my childhood home, watching Nate and Ivy chase butterflies, their laughter echoing through the otherwise quiet afternoon. My mother sat beside me, a characteristic stillness covering her. Neither of us had spoken since I arrived. I kept waiting for her to break the ice, to explain this bizarre reunion, but the silence stretched on, thick and suffocating, Finally, unable to bear it any longer, I cleared my throat. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, she did, "They look happy," Her gaze fixed on the twins I turned my head slightly, watching her watch them. A fleeting sadness flickered across her face, the emotion she mostly wore. I shifted my gaze back to the twins - Nate, covered in dirt after a triumphant roll in a patch of mud, and Ivy, chasing a butterfly with the single-minded determination of a seasoned hunter. A genuine smile tugged at the corners of my lips. "They are happy," I confirmed, the words soft yet filled with a fierce protectiveness.

Silence descended once more, heavy and laden. Then, after a moment that felt like an eternity, she spoke again. "They look just like him," she murmured, the words tinged with a strange mix of hurt.

My shoulders tensed involuntarily. I took a deep breath, trying to push down the anger that threatened to bubble up. Saying nothing, I let the air hang heavy between us. Finally, after another agonizing beat of silence, I turned to face her, my voice laced with skepticism. "Why did you call me here? Why did you want me to bring the twins?"

Her gaze flickered away, avoiding mine. A flicker of something akin to fear crossed her features before she forced a smile, weak and unconvincing "I just wanted to spend time with you. Get to know my grandchildren."

I scoffed, a humorless sound escaping my lips. Anger surged through me suddenly, hot and volatile. "Why? You've never cared about me, never cared about them. You went along with father when he called them bastards, cast us aside like yesterday's news. So why now?"

My words hung in the air, a harsh indictment. She flinched under my gaze. A flicker of regret flashed in her eyes, quickly masked by a defensive posture.

"I didn't mean to snap at you," I mumbled, feeling a wave of guilt wash over me. "I just..." Frustration choked my voice. I squeezed my eyes shut, the sound of the twins' laughter a stark contrast to the turmoil within me. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down.

"I just want to know why," I continued, my voice quieter now but no less determined. "Why the sudden change of heart? Why after all these years, do you suddenly want to be a part of their lives?"Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.

She didn't give an answer. Her eyes just went back to the twins. My gaze followed hers, landing on them once more. Nate had abandoned his mud- wrestling match and was now chasing a bright blue butterfly with single-minded determination, while Ivy, triumphant, held a crumpled yellow one in her tiny hand. A bittersweet pang shot through my heart. They were so full of life, so innocent, so blissfully unaware of the darkness that swirled around them.

"Jeremiah used to love playing in the dirt too," she whispered suddenly, "He'd get so filthy, his clothes would be ruined, but he wouldn't care.

Lala Chalam Chapter 89

He'd just laugh and laugh"

I turned to lace her then, truly seeing her for the first time. The carefully applied makeup couldn't hide the weariness etched around her eyes, the lines that spoke of unspoken grief and a lifetime of unfulfilled dreams. The woman I'd always seen as a trophy wife, cold and uncaring, suddenly seemed heartbreakingly real, a shell of a person haunted by her own ghosts.

There were no words, not yet. So I just sat there, watching her, waiting for her to continue.

"Your Ether," she began, her voice catching slightly. "he used to get so mad about it. He'd say a future Alpha should always stand tall, never roll around in the mud like a commoner. But Jeremiah never listened. And you know what? Your father always ended up right there with him, laughing and covered in mud himself." A sad smile flickered across her lips, a fleeting memory of a happier time.

"I used to watch them, you know," she continued, "A smile on my face, but a pang of longing in my heart. He was so happy, Jeremiah. They were both so happy."

She paused then, the silence stretching between us. For once, it wasn't an uncomfortable vold, but a space filled with unspoken emotions. The gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the surrounding trees, carrying with it the distant laughter of the twins.

"We used to be happy. Your father, yes, he craved power, always had. But he wasn't a monster, not then. Jeremiah was his legacy, his pride and joy. He loved him more than anything in the world, sometimes I even got jealous of it."

A choked laugh escaped her lips, a dry, humorless sound. She brushed a stray tear from her cheek, her eyes filled with a profound sadness. "When he was here, there was so much warmth in this house, so much love. And then, just like that, he was gone. Snatched away from us in a blink of an eye."

Tears welled up in my own eyes, blurring my vision. Her words struck a chord deep within me, a glimpse into a life I never knew existed.

"Your father," she continued, her voice trembling slightly, "he lost his legacy that day. And I lost my son. Our world shattered, and all that was left was a gaping hole of emptiness."

She choked back a sob, the sound raw and heartbreaking. My heart ached for her, for the woman she was, the woman she could have been

"Everything changed after that. Daniel became consumed by vengeance. Blood for blood, that's all he craved. He nearly started a war with Damon Thorne, a war that would have destroyed everything."

She ran a hand through her hair, a gesture of exhaustion and despair. "His heart turned to ice, Amaya. He couldn't feel anything anymore, only hatred for the man he blamed for his loss."

"And then I found out I was pregnant. Daniel, he was hurting, yes, but there was a flicker of happiness in his eyes too. Finally, someone to carry on his legacy, someone to fill the void left by Jeremiah."

She paused, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "But then..."

"I turned out to be a girl," I finished the sentence for her.

She gave a slow nod, her eyes filled with a thousand unspoken apologies. There were no justifications, no excuses. Just the raw truth of a life shaped by disappointment.

"And he hated me for it," I continued, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "Hated that was a constant reminder of everything he'd lost. A symbol of his dwindling legacy, a daughter who wouldn't carry on his name."

A tear escaped her eye, tracing a glistening/path down her cheek. "Then you fell in love with the son of the man who shattered our family."

10:29 SB1, 22 JUN Chapter 89

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We sat there in silence for a beat, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavy between us years streamed down my face now, a mixture of anger and a strange, newfound understanding.

"Then you chose him over us," she whispered.

We were both crying now, tears falling from our cheeks for different reasons. Mine because I never had a chance to be loved. I ved I was theo m replacement they never wanted and she probably for the pain she had been forced to endure. The happiness and warmth that had been forcefully taken away from her by the father of the man I loved.

"Do you hate me?"

She flinched as if I had physically slapped her then she stared at me but she didn't say anything.

I sucked in a deep breath, steeling my heart as hard as I could, my eyes boring into hers, "Answer the question. Do you hate me, Mom?"

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