Reclaiming My Legacy

Chapter 3 A Stark Awakening

That moment was like a fog lifting. Everything became painfully clear.

The man I once trusted had plotted against me, and the son I bore through three relentless days and nights had reduced me to a shadow of myself.

Shaking off my spiraling thoughts, I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat and murmured, "I want to personally give this money to Cici. She's just had her baby and really needs support right now. Leo, will you take me to see her?"

Leo's reaction was immediate. His face tensed with discomfort.

Avoiding my gaze, a flicker of anxiety flashed across his face.

Yet, something clicked within him, and he quickly cloaked himself in righteous indignation.

"Mom! Why the sudden urgency to see Cici? What's your real motive? She doesn't want to see you, and you're planning to upset a new mom intentionally? Push too hard, and I might just leave you on your own one day!"

I was heart-broken.

Leo's words were cold-blooded, leaving me drained of color.

He knew all too well about my years of self-doubt and guilt, exploiting them with precision to inflict pain.

In the past, whenever Leo asked for money, I never hesitated.

Whether it went to Cecilia or to Ava, I was willingly supporting their little family.

But I hadn't realized that my generosity simply financed the lifestyle of him and his father.

Eventually, I spent my final years alone in a care home, suffering from infections with no unmarked skin remaining.

Leo had long since cut me off, leaving me unable to reach him.

In the end, I had to borrow a caregiver's phone just to hear his voice once more.

As soon as my voice reached him, he responded with a chill, "Leave me out of your dramas. If you can manage, great. If you can't, it's your problem. My family is my priority. Do you think I owe you constant attention just because you're aging?"

The line went dead before I could utter another word.

I sat there, phone in hand, tears streaming until I could barely speak. Reflecting now, it's clear there was nothing left for me then. I was utterly depleted. Why would he even care about me?

Turning to Leo, I chuckled bitterly, "I'm your mother, Leo. Is it so wrong to want to meet my new granddaughter? Does this give you a reason to hold my retirement over my head?"

For a moment, Leo was speechless, his discomfort palpable as he dodged my gaze.

He fumbled, "I'm not threatening you, Mom, it's just..."

His sentence was abruptly cut off by Caleb's wrath-filled interruption.

"Stop it!

"Katherine, you're being stubborn again. Leo has told you before, Cecilia isn't fond of you and doesn't want you around!

"Are you determined to disrupt their harmony?"

Caleb's eyes bore into me with frigid disdain, every word punctuated with gravity.

"With a temperament like yours, it's no wonder relationships are strained! You're a source of trouble and nothing else!"

Our eyes locked, and I saw his unfiltered annoyance and weariness.

Blinking away the sting of unshed tears, I released a calm yet determined sigh, "It's not that you can't endure me, Caleb. It's that I refuse to continue like this. Caleb, let's part ways."

His face twisted as though seeing a specter.

Without warning, his hand collided with my cheek, his words as glacial as his actions.