Chapter 138: Please Stop

Thankfully, the needle hadn’t gone in yet.The door burst open with a loud bang, and every head in the room snapped toward the entrance.

My mom stiffened.

The color drained from her face so fast it scared me.

"Y–you..." she whispered, her voice shaking. "How did you get here?"

Nicholas didn’t hesitate.

He crossed the room in long strides and lifted her into his arms like she weighed nothing at all. The way he held her tight, protective, final sent a strange pressure through the air. It was instinctive. Possessive. Like someone reclaiming what had always been theirs.

For a split second, it looked unreal. Like one of those dramatic romance scenes people laughed at online. Powerful man storms in. Takes the woman away.

Only this wasn’t fiction.

And I was left behind, standing awkwardly among stunned doctors and half-finished preparations.

To their credit, the medical staff didn’t make things harder for me. Lewis’s name carried weight even here. Still, I could tell they thought we were completely unhinged.

I didn’t blame them.

Drama looks thrilling on a page. In real life, it’s just chaos.

I had Theo quietly arrange a generous apology for the doctors. Money didn’t erase trouble, but it softened sharp edges. This situation couldn’t afford more eyes or gossip. My mom and Grant weren’t even separated yet. If word spread, it would ruin everyone involved.

Nicholas carried my mom all the way to the car.

I had no idea what they talked about. I only exchanged looks with Theo, both of us silently waiting.

It took a while.

When they finally returned, I knew something had changed.

Mom didn’t say anything on the drive back, but her expression was different. Still troubled, but quieter. Like a storm settling under the surface instead of raging openly.

I stayed close. Sometimes silence was the only comfort left.

Once we reached the master bedroom, she asked me to lock the door.

Her voice was soft, almost fragile. Like she needed the walls to hold her together.

I brought her warm water and some pastries.

"Eat first," I said gently. "You need strength before talking."

She nodded.

As women, we understood this without explanation.

I waited while she ate, saying nothing, letting her breathe.

When she finally spoke, her voice was hesitant.

"About today... I’ll keep it to myself. No one else will know."

She paused, then looked at me.

"Riley, do you want to know why I was so determined to end the pregnancy?"

I shook my head slowly.

Something told me this wasn’t about hatred. Not even about Grant.

She sighed, staring at her hands.

"That night... your grandpa drugged me."

My blood ran cold.

"He used too much. Said he couldn’t risk failure. The next day, I had a fever that wouldn’t go down. I could barely stand. Grant didn’t notice." Her lips trembled. "Monica called, and he left without looking back."

My nails dug into my palm.

"What a monster," I muttered. "What happened next?"

"I had no strength left. I was thirsty. Dizzy. I barely managed to answer Nicholas’s call." Her voice softened. "He came immediately. Made me food. Gave me water. Stayed."

She swallowed hard.

"I don’t know if it was the drug still in my system or just weakness... but that night, I crossed a line."

She looked at me, eyes full of guilt.

"Riley, it was the only time I ever betrayed your father."

And of course, it was the one time fate chose to bind consequences to her body.

"I took the pills afterward. I don’t know how this happened."

"Mom," I said firmly, holding her hands, "this isn’t your fault."

The whole story felt unreal. Too cruel. Too dramatic. Like life had decided to stack every tragedy into one woman’s hands.

She continued quietly.

"I don’t even know who the child belongs to. Nicholas... he’s a good man. Back then, he was just a poor student. On my wedding day, he tried to take me away. Your grandpa nearly killed him for it. He used Nicholas and your grandma to trap me."

Her eyes filled again.

"I had no choice."

After the bond ceremony with Grant, she tried to let go. Tried to move forward. Then Nicholas disappeared. Ten years of silence.

"And your father..." she smiled bitterly. "He knew my heart wasn’t his. So he punished me. And you."

Her fingers brushed my cheek.

"Then Nicholas came back. Built everything from nothing. He wanted to take me away. I even asked for separation. I thought Grant had a child already. Thought he’d let me go."

But Grant never released what he claimed.

Her tears fell freely now.

"Riley, I’ve hurt you."

I pulled her into my arms.

"No," I whispered. "You didn’t. The ones who hurt us were never you."

She looked toward the window, snow falling quietly outside.

Like a bird trapped for decades, staring at the sky it once touched.

"I don’t know how much longer this will last," she said softly. "This child... no matter whose it is, it will only make things harder."

I tightened my grip.

"You’ve already survived so much. You don’t have to do this alone anymore."

I met her eyes, steady and certain.

"From now on, focus on your health. Lewis and I will handle the rest. We’ll get you free."

"Do you really think I can do that?" she asked softly.

"Yes," I said without hesitation. "If you want it, you can have it. Don’t be afraid. You won’t be alone anymore. You have me now."

"Riley..."

Compared to Mom, I felt strangely calm.

She had been trapped for twenty years, locked in a life she never chose. Emotionally, she felt like a young girl again fragile, unsure, standing at the edge of freedom for the first time.

Nicholas really was her miracle.

A man who stayed still while the world moved on.

A man who waited twenty years without demanding anything in return.

I used to think good men had vanished from this world.

Turns out, some of them just waited longer than others.

After I finally coaxed Mom to sleep, I went downstairs.

The night air was cold.

Nicholas was waiting by the road in his Bentley. When he saw me, he immediately stubbed out his cigarette and stepped out of the car, like he’d been standing guard this whole time.

"How is your mom?" he asked.

"She’s fine," I said. "She’s asleep."

I hesitated, then asked the question that had been sitting heavy in my chest.

"Nicholas... if she divorces Grant, would you marry her? Would you mind that she once had a daughter with someone else?"

He didn’t answer right away.

Then he smiled a tired, gentle smile, full of acceptance.

"Riley," he said quietly, "if I minded, do you think I’d still be standing here tonight? I love her. Not her past. Not her body. Just her. Life is short. I don’t want regrets."

His words hit me harder than I expected.

"Don’t worry," I said firmly. "I’ll make sure she gets her divorce."

He nodded, then asked softly, "What about the baby?"

"She’ll keep it."

There was a fifty percent chance the child was his. The doctor had also warned that if she terminated the pregnancy, she might never conceive again.

Nicholas had never been with another woman. If fate was cruel, this might be his only chance.

And Mom wasn’t afraid of the child.

She was afraid of being trapped again.

Afraid of breaking free from one cage only to walk into another.

Once the bond was cut, everything else would sort itself out.

After reassuring both of them, exhaustion finally caught up with me.

I hadn’t slept well the night before Ethan’s death still lingered like a shadow in my mind. After giving instructions to the servants, I went to bed.

I didn’t know how long I slept.

When I woke up, there was a faint itch on my cheek.

I opened my eyes.

Lewis was right there.

His gaze was gentle, steady, watching me like I was something precious he didn’t want to disturb.

"Did I wake you?" he asked softly. His voice was low, warm, especially tender in the quiet of the evening.

"No," I murmured. "Not at all."

He smiled slightly.

"Riley, you’re so cute. I couldn’t help myself."

My face heated instantly.

Before I could respond, he leaned closer, his presence wrapping around me in a way that made my heart beat faster.

"So," he said quietly, "how about a kiss?"

His thumb brushed my cheek.

"Riley... would you give me one?"

The air between us felt charged, alive like something old and instinctive had just woken up.