Chapter 248: The Matriarch
Edrick
Within an hour, Moana and I were nervously walking up the front steps to my parents’ mansion.
We left Ella with Selina just in case we walked in on anything sinister. The house was mostly dark, which was out of the ordinary. As I slowly opened the front door, I felt my heart catch in my throat.
“Hello?” I called out, holding Moana’s hand as I stepped into the large foyer. “Mom?”
There was no answer. Moana and I exchanged nervous glances and walked in a little further.
“Verona?” Moana called, cupping her hands around her mouth to make her voice travel further. “Are you there?!”
Still no answer. We decided to head into the sitting room, where my mother often liked to be during her free time, but it was dark and empty. At this point, I was starting to get even more nervous.
“I swear, if that bastard did anything to her…” I growled, “I’ll—”
Moana gasped. “Look!” she said, pointing behind me. I followed her finger to see what looked like a small fire outside.
The two of us quickly ran out the patio door toward the fire, then across the garden. As we ran, we saw a lone figure standing by the fire.
It was my mother. She was standing by the fire pit, in her dressing gown, and was tossing what looked like pieces of paper into the flames.
“Mom!” I exclaimed, running up to her. “You’re alright!”
“Oh, darling!” my mother replied. She grabbed my face and kissed my cheeks, then did the same to Moana. “I was so worried about you…”
“What happened?” I asked. “And what are you doing?” I glanced down at the papers in her hand, only to see that they weren’t papers at all. She was holding photographs. I snatched the stack out of her hand and flipped through them. They were all pictures of my dad.
My mother simply shrugged and poked the fire with a long rod. “I’ve been wanting to do that for ages, darling,” she said, flashing a vibrant smile as she watched the photos burn. “It feels good to do it.”
I let out a sigh and tossed one of the photographs into the fire myself. It did actually feel good to see my father’s face burn to a crisp.
“Did he hurt you?” Moana asked, taking a step forward with concern written across her face.
My mother shook her head. “No. Although he did threaten to hurt you two, as well as Ella. He tossed my phone right in the fountain, if you’ll believe it! And then he just took the car and drove off without a word!”
My eyes widened. “So when I called you—”
“He heard me,” she replied with a nod. “That was when he took my phone. Said that I should learn to mind my own business for once. Hah! As if I’d ever do that.”
I couldn’t help but smile at seeing my mom still being as witty as ever despite what had happened. She tossed the rest of the photographs into the fire all at once, and the three of us watched in silence as the flames jumped up into the sky, devouring the paper within seconds.
“Well then…” My mother turned to face the two of us. “Tea?”
Moana and I followed my mother inside, where she put the kettle on the stove. “Where are the servants?” I asked.
My mother simply shrugged. “Your father sent them away not too long ago. It was a shame, really. I don’t know exactly what he was up to, although I think I have a pretty good idea.” She paused and looked over at Moana with nothing but sympathy in her eyes. “Once I can get my phone and my things in order, I’ll call them back and give them all raises for the trouble. It has been nice having the place to myself, though, I must say.”
While the kettle started to heat up, the three of us sat around the kitchen counter. Finally, I started to explain everything to my mother… From the very beginning.
…
When I was finished with both my story and my tea, my mother stared down at the leaves in her cup without a word.
“I’m sorry, Verona,” Moana said quietly. “This is my fau—”
My mother suddenly jerked her head up with a wild look on her face and gripped Moana’s hand tightly. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence. None of this is your fault. If it wasn’t you, then it would have been someone else. He already took that prostitute’s life all those years ago… He has a penchant for causing destruction.”
There was a silence, filled only by the sound of the crickets chirping through the open window.
Finally, I licked my lips and spoke. “He’s going to prison, mom,” I said. “Will you be okay?”
My mother nodded vigorously. “Of course I’ll be alright, dear. My lawyer and I have both been waiting for this day. And trust me when I say that I’ll certainly be getting the fortune and the house in the divorce. A man behind bars for crimes like that doesn’t deserve a penny.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “You’re never one to pity yourself,” I said, patting her hand. “Moana and I are here if you need anything.”
My mother simply nodded, then finished off the rest of her tea. Suddenly, I heard her voice ring out in my head.
“You’ll marry her?”
I tried to hide the fact that my eyes wanted to widen, and coughed slightly. “Y-Yes… I think so. Do I have your blessing?”
“Moana,” my mother said, turning to face her with a smile, “could you do an old woman a favor?”
“Sure,” Moana replied. “What is it?”
My mother smiled. “Could you go up to my bedroom and get my pocketbook for me?”
Moana nodded and disappeared with a smile, without a moment of hesitation. A few moments after she left, my mother turned to face me and took both of my hands firmly in hers.
“Of course you have my blessing,” she whispered, giving my hands a squeeze. “I’ve been hoping for this moment. I’ve always liked her, even when she was still a human.”
I felt my face go a bit red, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, mom,” I said. “That means a lot.”
My mother’s grin widened. “I’m giving you my mother’s ring,” she said. “I think Moana will love it. My mother was a lovely woman… She would want you and your bride to have it.”
Suddenly, I felt overcome with emotion. Without a word, I stood and walked around the counter to meet my mom. I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tightly.
Moana returned a few moments later while we were still hugging, slightly out of breath from rushing through the massive house. “I’m sorry, Verona, but I couldn’t find it,” she said. “You said it was in your room?”
My mother just smiled and shook her head. “That’s alright, dear. I don’t need it.”
A little while later, Moana and I stood at the door to head home for the night. In a few days, we planned to return to the penthouse. But for now, we just wanted to enjoy the mountain estate without any fear for once.
Just before we left, my mother sneakily slipped the little velvet bag containing my grandmother’s ring into my hand. She curled my fingers around it and patted my hand, gazing up at me with a smile that only a mother could have for her child.
Even with my father and Ethan both in prison, I knew that this was just a new beginning for all of us.
And I couldn’t have been more excited.
