I Am Their Mother: Rebirth Of The Wicked Stepmother 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 71 - 챕터 80

The city lights stretched endlessly ahead of him, blurring into the darkened evening as Jade’s car cut smoothly through the road. The back seat was filled with a complete silence that felt almost suffocating, as though even the air itself understood that something within him was fighting, tightening, and building toward something that had been inevitable for far too long. He sat there without moving, his posture composed, his back straight, his shoulders squared with that same quiet authority he carried into every room, every negotiation, every confrontation, but his mind... his mind was anything but still. It churned, restless, relentless, every thought colliding with the next, looping back, replaying fragments of the day with sharp, merciless clarity that refused to dull no matter how much he tried to force it aside. He had expected... no, he had hoped... that by the time he reached the mansion, Clara and the children would already be there. They would be there waiting, saf

By the time the car finally pulled up in front of the mansion, the night had already deepened. The grand gates stood open as if they had been expecting them all along, the long driveway stretching ahead like a path that could not be avoided once stepped upon. The car came to a slow stop, and for a moment, none of the children moved. Inside the vehicle, Lucas sat in the middle, his hands tightly wrapped around both Emily's and Sophie's smaller ones, holding them firmly as though letting go would mean losing them entirely. He could feel it-the way their fingers trembled against his palms, the way their breaths came unevenly, shallow and uncertain. Even without looking at them, he knew exactly what they were feeling. Because he felt it too. Because it was the same thing clawing at his chest. Emily's fingers were cold, trembling faintly against his palm, her grip tightening and loosening in nervous intervals like she didn't even realize she was doing it. Sophie's hand was

The moment Lucas’s words settled into the room, calmly, respectfully, but undeniably defiant, the balance of the evening didn’t just crack, it splintered, like glass under pressure, like something that had been waiting for the slightest force to finally break apart. For a heartbeat, no one moved or spoke. Not a breath, not a shift of fabric, not even the faint clink of cutlery, just a suspended, suffocating stillness where every pair of eyes locked onto the boy who had dared to speak. And then everything exploded. “How dare you speak like that?” Victor’s voice didn’t just cut through the air, it tore through it, cold and unforgiving, his hand coming down against the armrest as he leaned forward, eyes blazing with authority that demanded obedience. “Is this what your father has been teaching you? To challenge elders? To forget your place?” Lucas flinched, but only slightly. Not enough for them to see. Adrian let out a loud, disbelieving scoff, dragging a hand down his face a

Connor made sure the children sat beside him. Close and within reach. A quiet shield. But it wasn’t enough. Because the moment everyone settled... Kate leaned back in her chair, a slow, mocking smile spreading across her face, her eyes flicking toward them with something cruel and amused. Despite being the same age as Lucas, she was nothing but a volcano of trouble. “Well, look who finally decided to show up,” she said lightly. “The crybabies.” A few children snickered immediately. “Yeah,” another chimed in. “They looked like they were going to faint earlier.” Lucas’s hands clenched under the table. “Stop it,” he said quietly. But that only made them laugh more. “Ohhh, he’s angry,” Kate mocked, leaning forward slightly. “Careful, or he’ll talk back again.” A few adults chuckled softly and dismissively. Connor’s expression darkened. "Why am I not surprised? Like children like their parents. So vulgar and ill-mannered." He paused and looked at Lucas before sayi

Clara’s eyes narrowed slowly, the question forming before she even realized she was asking it. “…Where are they?” She started looking around for them as she called out to them. But there was no answer. Her heart instantly sank, a sickening feeling creeping in her throat. A sound came from her left. It was soft, like someone trying not to be noticed. Clara’s head snapped toward it. A maid stood there, half-hidden near the doorway, her hands trembling so badly they gave her away before anything else could. And the moment their eyes met. The girl screamed un shocked as fear paralyzed her. It wasn't a startled breath or a gasp. It was a full, raw, terrified scream that tore out of her throat as she had just seen something impossible. She stumbled backward, her heel catching against the edge of the rug, and she went down hard, her body hitting the floor with a dull thud as she scrambled away on her hands, shaking so violently she could barely move. Clara blinked once slowly and