CHAPTER 74
Celine’s POV
“Whose child is this?” Bryan’s mom gasps once again when she is behind me, examining Jason’s face. She must have seen the resemblance between Jason and Bryan and I wonder what she would do if she gets to see his blue eyes.This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
They are just like Bryan’s.
Those were what reminded me so much of Bryan. No matter how hard I wanted to get rid of all those memories because they were full of nothing but pain, I couldn’t let go.
Jason was there to always remind me of his father and his cruelty but they didn’t stop me from loving my son. That didn’t stop me from thinking and wondering how Bryan was doing.
I didn’t know the reason for all his actions then but I knew something was broken beyond repair inside of him. I could see it and I could feel it.
Bryan and I stare at each other, as I begin to reminisce on that night. The night when he pumped his seed into me. The night of drunken passion between us. The night of negligence. I wonder if he even knows that he was the one who deflowered me.
That night was magical for me but I didn’t expect it. I didn’t plan it. It was beyond me. Bryan was bent on having sex and I let him have his way with me, forgetting all about the stupid contract we signed.
Actually, I have been secretly thinking of what it would be like to have his attention for a little while, for him to admire me and even make love to me.
It was like a dream come true and I thought things were going to change for the better but no, it became worse when I became pregnant and when Bryan won’t stop yelling at me since that night for every slightest mistake I made.
“Celine”, Aunt Stephanie twirls me around slowly, making me break eye contact with Bryan, tears springing to her eyes. “Whose baby is this, please?” She pleads with me to answer but I can’t find my voice.
It is obvious Bryan didn’t inform his parents about Jason. I don’t know what to do now, whether to tell them my son is their grandchild or tell them he isn’t.
I never expected to see her again. I thought she had relocated to meet her husband wherever in the world he is and since I haven’t seen her around for the past few months that I have been here, I never thought I would cross paths with her again until Bryan releases me.
It is obvious Bryan won’t let me go anytime soon so meeting with her is inevitable.
I have only seen my father-in-law once and I have no idea where he lives. But I have seen his mother numerous times and she loved me.
“Mom?” Bryan calls and I let out a sigh of relief, glad for the interruption. His mother rushes to him expectantly, thinking he will admit the truth of what she is seeing.
Jason stirs in his sleep, probably from the noise. I didn’t want to bring him but I know how difficult Bryan can be so I decided to bring him so he won’t think I am lying.
He stirs once again and I think he isn’t comfortable with the sleeping posture.
“Mommy!” He raises his head, rubbing his sleepy eyes with his two hands.
Bryan hasn’t given his mother an answer yet so she rushes back to me, just in time for Jason to take his hands off his eyes and blink.
“Oh, My God!” She cries, watching Jason who is looking confused. He must be wondering who this is and I feel bad that he doesn’t even recognize his grandma.
She sinks to the floor, crying hysterically and Bryan and I exchange glances again. Instead of moving close to console his mother, he tugs his hands into his pant pockets and looks away.
I sign and drop Jason on the chair before bending to help her up.
“Mom?”
“Celine, is this real, or am I imagining things?” She demands with her tear-stained face hoisted up. I smile wryly and shake my head.
“Get up, please. Don’t get Jason agitated”, I say as an excuse to have her up. It works because she stands up abruptly without my help and goes to Jason who is looking around with a scared expression on his face.
“Jason is his name?” She asks, squatting in front of him and trailing her large hands over his face.
“Jason, you look so much like your father”, she sobs, pecking his forehead and I smile. She has it all figured out. No one needs to look at these two men twice before seeing the resemblance and feeling the connection.
When I gave birth to Jason and he was brought to me to hold, that was the day I concluded that blood is indeed thicker than water.
I didn’t want any more memories of Bryan since we were a world apart. Even if I hadn’t run away, it was bound to happen but I left before it was time to leave and I wanted to scrap every bit of memory of him out of my head, my soul, and my life.
But Jason came to the world, bearing the same look as the man I wanted to forget. I was so sure that was how Bryan looked when he was an infant.
It was too striking.
“I can’t believe I have a grandson all along and no one told me about this. I can’t believe my own son kept this away from me. I can’t believe I have been suffering in silence all along, thinking of how I will die without a grandchild.” She continues to cry and I stand still, unable to peel my legs off the spot I have been standing to console her.
I don’t even know how to. Bryan ought to be the one to console her. He is the offender, not me and I won’t help him this time.
“What do you mean die?” He questions with his brows furrowed. His mother does not reply and she does not take her eyes off Jason. “Mom?”
He approaches but she rises sharply and stops him from moving toward her with her hands. “Stop right there or I will be forced to slap you.”
“What? Slap me?” Embarrassment fills his expression and I look away. He must be feeling bad that I am here, listening to his mother threatening to beat him up if he defies her.
I have never seen Stephanie this way and I feel guilty. I am partially responsible because I didn’t tell Bryan that I was pregnant or I gave birth. He got to know himself. But the only fault of his is not informing her after he found Jason and me.
I guess he was bent on taking his revenge on me for not telling him about my pregnancy and for running off before the contract had elapsed, without bothering to inform his parents about a child he just found to be his.
“Mom, Bryan isn’t at fault here, I am”, I find myself saying and I slap myself mentally for defending him yet again.
He doesn’t even deserve it.
Aunt Stephanie turns to me. “You?”
“Yes, Bryan didn’t know about Jason all this while. He just got to know about him two months ago and I guess he is still trying to adapt to the new life of a father and accept the fact that he has a four-year-old son all this while without knowing. So you see, I am to be blamed for not telling him I was pregnant before running off and for not reaching out to him that I have a son for him when I ought to so I’m sorry”, I explain and apologize.
She has a horrified look on her face as she stares at me in silence.
“You ran away? Why?” She asks me loudly, sparing Bryan a glance before looking back at me and I know I won’t escape answering all of her questions and everything that had happened within those four years that I was nowhere to be found.