Chapter 51: The Breaking PointLUMINAThe room began to spin all over me as I watched Silvia lead Sophia and Riley through the penthouse like they were best of friends. The sound of her constant praise for Riley, the way she kept touching Sophia's arm familiarly showing love and acceptance– it was everything she'd never given me in six years of marriage to her son.My chest felt like it was being tight all of a sudden, each breath becoming more difficult as the reality of the situation dawned on me. This wasn't just a surprise invitation. This was a deliberate humiliation planned by Silvia who wanted to show me exactly where I stood in this family. And it was at the very bottom, apparently.The voices around me became muffled, distant, as if I were hearing them from underwater as I began to sway from left to right. My vision became blurry and I felt a familiar panic rising in my throat..I needed air. I needed space. I needed to get away from the sound of Silvia's happy laughter as
Chapter 50: The Ambush LUMINA "Hmm." Her green eyes studied his face for a while, taking in details that only a mother would notice about their child before looking away as she said in a serious tone."We'll discuss this later, when we are alone and don't have any disturbance. You need to take better care of yourself."Finally, her eyes landed on me. The warmth that had been present for her son and grandson were gone instantly and quickly replaced by the cool indifference that had defined our relationship for the past six years. She didn't speak to me, didn't acknowledge my presence beyond a brief nod that somehow managed to show both recognition and dismissal at the same time."Silvia," I said politely, refusing to let her rudeness go completely unaddressed as I added in a neutral tone. "Thank you for inviting us."She turned away without responding, as if I hadn't spoken at all. Xenois's jaw tightened, seeing this, as he clenched his fists, but he didn't call her out on it. He n
Chapter 49: Family Reunion LUMINA The drive to Xenois's parents' penthouse felt a little less than a joyride and more like traveling to my own execution. I sat in the passenger seat, watching the familiar streets of Silver Creek pass me by in a blur, while my stomach was filled with a mixture of dread at the upcoming visit and also resignation because there was nothing that I could do about it.In the backseat, Ollie was very quiet, his tablet forgotten in his lap as he stared out the window with the same worried expression I felt that was present on my own face.Xenois hadn't spoken much during the twenty-minute drive, his hands gripping the steering wheel with a lot of unnecessary force. The tension between us from this morning's conversation still lingered and it was only made worse by the phone call from Sophia that he'd tried to hide from me. But he had no luck there. I knew he'd wanted to go to her, to comfort her and check on her injuries. The fact that he'd chosen to stay
Chapter 48: Unwanted CallsXENOIS"Ollie," I said carefully, thinking of what to say that wouldn't put my parents in a bad light in his eyes."Grandma and Grandpa love our whole family. Sometimes adults have complicated feelings about things that happened between some people but that doesn't mean—""I don't want to go." His voice was suddenly stronger, more determined as he shook his head adamantly and gripped on tight to his cutleries as he added with puppy eyes. "Please, Daddy. Can't we just stay home and watch cartoons instead?"I looked at my son's pleading face and felt torn apart. Part of me wanted to give in, to spare him the discomfort of experiencing whatever hostility my parents might show toward his mother. But another part of me knew that canceling would only make things worse in the long run and my mum wasn't someone that liked when things didn't go her way."I'm sorry, Ollie, but we have to go to the house for the dinner. It's already been planned, and it would be rude
Chapter 47: Family Obligations XENOISThe next morning came with a gray sky that matched my mood perfectly, because I wasn't feeling great at all.I'd barely slept, tossing and turning in our bed all night long while Lumina remained in the guest room and I couldn't hear anything from that room. Every time I'd close my eyes and try to rest, I would see flashes of yesterday's chaos – Sophia's screams, the smell of burning flesh, Lumina's face that was filled with rage and satisfaction.I found myself in the kitchen earlier than usual, making coffee monotonously while my mind was going through everything that had happened. The familiar routine of grinding beans and measuring water should have been soothing to me and calm me down but instead it only reminded me of where Lumina had attacked Sophia just twenty-four hours ago."Daddy?" Ollie's small voice broke through my thoughts as I raised my head up surprised to see him there. It was barely 7am and he was already up and I didn't hear
Chapter 46: The Compromise SILVIASamuel moved to his own chair, suddenly looking every bit of his sixty-three years as he sat down slowly on the chair dropping his cane by the side as he said,"At least tell Xenois that you've invited them to the family dinner as well. Give him a chance to prepare, to talk to Lumina beforehand and for them to know what they are walking into.""Absolutely not." I sat down across from him, leaning forward as I pressed on. "If I tell him that I had invited Sophia and her son Riley, he'll find some excuse to uninvite them from coming to the dinner. He will insist that they aren't family. He'll say it's too soon, too complicated, too whatever. He'll choose the path of least resistance, like he always does.""Maybe because he knows his wife better than you do. Maybe he knows this will upset her.""Maybe he needs to stop tiptoeing around her feelings and start thinking about what's best for his son." I stood up, as I started moving towards the fireplace w