Chapter 191: Silent love
The carriage rattled over uneven cobblestones as Celia sat stiffly, her hands folded in her lap. Across from her, her son fidgeted with the sleeve of his slightly too-large coat, his small fingers tugging at the fabric absentmindedly. The silence between them was thick, awkward, and heavy with unspoken words. Celia’s gaze lingered on him, taking in the way his thin shoulders hunched slightly, as though bracing against a weight he shouldn’t have to carry.
She hadn’t held his hand often in his life—barely at all, truthfully—but now she reached out, taking his rough little hand in hers as they neared their destination. His skin was calloused, too rough for someone so young, and the realization made her throat tighten. There were days she’d been so far gone in the haze of the red liquid that she barely noticed him, leaving him to fend for himself. That thought clawed at her now, a faint prickle of guilt she couldn’t quite ignore.
The carriage slowed to a halt outside the looming gates of the Robbens estate, the iron bars rising like dark spires against the sky. Celia exhaled sharply, gathering her composure, and stepped out, pulling the boy gently behind her. His hand felt so small in hers, a fragile reminder of the child she had long ignored. As they approached the door, she hesitated briefly, then straightened her shoulders. This had to be done.
Robbens greeted her at the door with his usual air of superiority, his expression morphing into incredulity as she introduced the boy. "This is your son," she said flatly, the words falling heavy between them.
His laugh was harsh, derisive, as though the idea were absurd. "Mine?" he scoffed, his tone dripping with disbelief. But Celia noticed the flicker of recognition in his eyes, the subtle tightening of his jaw. He knew.
She studied his face, the same face that had haunted her nightmares for years. Robbens—the man who had stolen her innocence, her childhood, and left her a hollow shell. Back then, she had been barely old enough to understand the horrors of her world, and yet he had come to her again and again, stripping away pieces of her soul with every visit.
"I suppose you forgot to use contraceptives," he sneered, his lips curling into a cruel smirk.
The words stung more than she cared to admit, her fists clenching at her sides. "I was a child," she said, her voice cold and trembling with suppressed fury. "You manipulated me, showered me with gifts, trinkets I didn’t understand, and used them to justify your depravity."
Robbens’ smirk faltered, but only slightly. "So, what? You expect me to take him in now?"