Chapter 136 - ACE'S MOTHER
"I am Ace's mother." Lady Ravenwood repeated after seeing the shocked look on my face.
I blinked several times, slowly digesting her words.
"But… But… you're too young to be his mother."
"I will take that as a compliment, Phoenix." She smiled humbly, her eyes twinkling.
"Yes, that's a compliment. You appeared around your 30's to me."
"Thank you dear,?by the way I'm 39." She mumbled and elegantly sat on the chair beside the bed.
"Ace never told me about you…. I mean he did not particularly say you're his mother." By the mention of it, I witnessed the twinkle in her sapphire eyes dissolved. It was replaced with a shadow of loneliness and pain.
I bit my lower lip. I shouldn't say the words aloud.?She was hurt. If only I could take my words back.
"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said it." I said apologetically.
Claire shook her head and forced a smile on her lips, the smile barely reached her eyes. "You don't have to say sorry. I know my son hates me."
"Because Ace had been all alone all these years. When you left him, he felt that the world forsaken him. And the only person who should have stayed by his side left and didn't return."
"I'm?fourteen when I gave birth to Ace. I have no option but to leave."
My jaw dropped to the floor. "Fourteen?" I repeated as my eyebrows shot to the ceiling. It's a very young age to raise a child. Girls at that age should be at school.
"Shocking right?" Claire rose from her seat. There was a distant look in her eyes as she recalled a particular memory. "I was kidnapped and raped by Ace's father. The only reason why our family didn't press charges was because he was more powerful back then. We would be shunned by society if the truth comes out. I couldn't let that happen. My father was in the hospital at that time. Tarnishing our family name will result in losing a lot of business investments. If that happens, we won't be able to pay hospital bills. My whole family would suffer."
"I was so young then," She continued. There was resigned acceptance in her voice as she recalled the darkest part of her life. "I couldn't make decisions on my own so I agreed to stay at the Greyson mansion until I gave birth to Ace. Samantha Greyson, Ybbrahim Greyson's wife, made my life a living hell. We both know it was not my fault. I was there against my will but everyday she made me feel as if everything happened to me.
Claire stopped reminiscing and looked at me. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't be hearing this."
"It is okay. I don't judge you for it. I'm very willing to listen."
Claire took a deep, steadying breath as she continued, "I thought I would be happy as long as I have my son with me. But then one day I just snapped. Ace was around ten years old that time. Samantha tried to kill me and that was the last straw. I left the Greyson Mansion for good. When I tried to take Ace they wouldn't allow me. I have tried to take him for years but they don't want to give him back. I was blackmailed and threatened.?They would destroy my whole family if I insisted on taking my child back."
Too lost to even say a word, I bowed my head. As a mother, I know exactly how she feels. Losing a child was so painful that no words would be enough to describe it. It feels like a part of yourself is taken away from you.
"Ace loves you…." I softly said when I recovered and looked deep into a pair of sapphire eyes that reminded me of Ace. "He might not realize it now but he does. He was just blinded from pain. He had a traumatic childhood that scarred him for life."
"I hope he will one day learn how to forgive me…. He's the only one I've got now aside from my granddaughters."
She accidentally said granddaughters. I should have corrected her?but I kept my mouth shut. It was an honest mistake after all.
"Give him enough time and he will learn to forgive and accept you."
Claire nodded, "I will patiently wait until he does."
I gave her a tender smile which she reciprocated with a smile full of warmth. When my gaze shifted to my fingers, I was surprised that I was still holding the cup of cocoa. I forgot about it.
I lifted the cup into my mouth and took a sip. The rich flavor of cocoa lingered on my tongue.
"Phoenix, about what happened to you this morning, I want to discuss it with you."
I blinked my eyes rapidly. The issue totally slipped my mind.
"I-I?have no recollection of what happened. '' I said truthfully, my horrified eyes landed on hers.
"Vince tried to kidnap you… you're lucky that we arrived in time. The bad news is, he escaped and he brought your car with him."
Now that Claire mentioned that Vince tried to kidnap me, the memory slowly dawned on me. I could now remember the details. I was able to smash the ceramic cat figurine on his head. When he was thrashing in pain, I took the opportunity to escape by jumping out of the car.
"Is it just a coincidence that you're there?"
"No, " she responded, shaking her head. "When Ace left to deal with Vince, I had a strong feeling your life would be endangered so I took the initiative to watch over you while he's away. I wasn't mistaken, Vince tried to abduct you. My bodyguards helped you when Vince tried to drag you inside the car."
I shudder at the thought of Vince forcing me inside the car. I wonder what could have happened to me if Claire wasn't there for me.
"Thank you….Thank you for saving me. I owe you my life."
"You owe me nothing, Phoenix." She said taking my hand. Tears sprang at the corner of her eyes. "I should be the one thanking you for taking good care of my son."
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦