21. Where were You Today?

When Josh stepped into the house, the first thing he saw was his mother, seated stiffly on one of the sofas in the living room.

She was facing the entrance—the door that separated the foyer from the rest of the house—as if she had been waiting for him all this time, ensuring he would catch her expression the moment he walked in. Sour and tense.

Josh’s steps faltered. He still couldn't guess what he was about to face at that moment. As far as he knew, there was nothing wrong within the family. He also felt that he hadn't done anything wrong lately, especially to his mother. In fact, compared to his older siblings, he was the most obedient, the most reliable.

Yet his mother’s piercing gaze cut through him. Her eyes unblinked. With her arms crossed in front of her chest, she watched Josh approach her in silence, without saying a word.

Josh swallowed hard. The air in the room was thick with something unsettling, something oppressive. It was eerie and cold, despite the lights still burning brightly.

He saw no one else around, except his mother. The servants had probably rested and returned to their places —considering it was almost midnight when he got here. And his father, on the other hand, had probably fallen asleep from exhaustion—or hadn't come home yet. Or perhaps, not planning to come home at all.

Either way, in the absence of his father's presence, only made this moment more difficult.

All the uncertainty, endless speculation, and a creeping sense of dread coiled tightly in Josh’s chest, made him remain silent without daring to say a word. Even a simple greeting felt too dangerous.

Slowly, he lowered himself onto the sofa across from his mother. And waited.

Finally, a deep and heavy sigh out from his mother, preceded her words.

"Do you know why I called you at this hour?" Her tone of voice was flat and completely stiff, without the slightest touch of emotion.

Josh thought for a moment, then replied, "I'm sorry, Mom. I don’t know."

Then the woman let out her sigh again. This time sharp and harsh—like a blade slicing through the tense air. Showing the frustration within her.

"Don't know? NO IDEA?!" Her voice rose even higher. Her eyes widening in disbelief, that her youngest son who she was often proud of was being so stupid.

Josh flinched. He gasped when he heard his mother's sudden shout. His forehead furrowed with a deep bow. He lowered his gaze because didn't dare to glance or look at his mother’s glare.

He was really confused as to what was really going on. What had he done? What could possibly have made his mother this disturbed and furious? The problem was that he really didn't know what caused her mother to be like this. He didn't feel like there was anything wrong in their internal family relationships these days. Nothing seemed out of place. He, and his two older siblings, also didn't seem to have done anything wrong. Their family situation was just normal. There weren't any external problems either—all work and business matters were running smoothly. Their situation could be said to be perfectly fine.

So, then… what?

What was going on?

His mind scrambled for answers.

Josh tried to encourage himself. In a soft and stammering tone, he tried to apologize again, "I—I'm sorry, Mom. I really don’t know, Mom. I—"

"You have no right to apologize."

Josh's breath hitched. He then fell silent. He thought even harder, but he was stuck at the end.

“Do you know why you don't deserve my apology?” His mother snorted again, then immediately continued her words without intending to wait for a useless answer from her son. "I can even already tell that you have no clue. Don't you? You're so shameless. You embarrass me!"

This time he totally remained silent.

"Did you think my warning I made the other day was just for fun?” she continued, her voice sharp, “Did you think I was joking? That you could take my words so lightly?"

Her mother's voice was flat again, no longer as fiery as before. Even so, there was still a strong touch of sarcasm and anger in it.

Josh's forehead furrowed even more.

His lips parted, desperate to say something, anything.

“I'm sorry, mom, but I really don't know,” his words trailed off, his breathing labored, his voice growing slower and slower as if it were nothing more than a murmur, “I don't know what happened...”

Josh’s voice was low, but the woman in her forties' ears were still healthy enough to hear his son’s mumbling.

“That witch really has rotted your brain.”

Instantly Josh came to his senses.

At the point when his mother uttered that sentence, Josh really only just realized the impasse that was clogging up all the speculations in his head. He began to understand where his mother was going with this, and why she had become so agitated.

He should have guessed and taken precautions when her mother suddenly told him to go home at this hour. As if there was some urgency that couldn't wait until tomorrow. And this, so far, had only ever—only ever—been related to one thing: Sharon.

There was no mistaking it. Surely her mother's current anger had something to do with his relationship with Sharon. If not, who else would her mother call a witch.

Josh’s heart pounded in his ears. He had been so careful. He had covered his tracks. He had made sure no one would know that he was still seeing her.

Supposedly, he should have suspected his mother knew that he was still in contact with Sharon even though it was the last plausible possibility... even though he had covered it up as carefully and carefully as possible. But, still, he should have known. He should have expected this. He should have been prepared.

Because, no matter what, there was always a chance that her mother would eventually find out.

The problem was, the question now was, how could she?

How would she find out?

Josh barely noticed as his mother reached for her phone and pressed something on the lit screen.

The look in his eyes now seemed to fade and tremble. He could see the images of the apocalypse unfolding before him. Ready to pick him up and crush him to pieces and ashes.

"By the way, where were you last night? And today?" His mother stopped pressing her phone screen, and started asking questions. She half wanted to make fun of her own son, but she also wanted to find out how much he could lie to her.

"I—" instantly his throat became drier than a desert. Josh even had trouble swallowing his own saliva. His eyes trembled even more, and he brushed the backs of his legs with a frantic look.

"Answer me. I want to hear it straight from your mouth."

His mother's gaze became more serious and sharp. Meanwhile, her son who was sitting in front of her could only look down and utter stammering words.

The woman knew where this conversation would end. That much was clear. But more than that, deep in her heart, above all her own selfishness, perhaps there was still a slight desire to see Josh show his honesty.

Even if it was difficult, obviously. Because if he were to tell the truth, he would be admitting to blatantly breaking the agreement he had with her. And there were consequences that lay ahead.

But the woman waited anyway. She wanted to see how far her youngest son would go just for a cheap woman.

His tongue felt heavy, and his pulse unsteady. His fingers brushed against the fabric of his pants, without him realizing.

"I—" Josh cleared his throat, "Today, I—"