Chapter 788

Lady Eugenia:

I led Bodhi through the mansion, holding his hand.

Every step through the empty halls made my heart skip a beat.

I remembered how this room had once belonged to my son.

I pushed the door open, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

“This will be your room from now on,” I said softly.

Bodhi peeked inside while I stood in silence, my gaze drifting across the familiar walls.

I had returned to the only place that had ever truly been mine, yet I still had nowhere

else to go.

For a brief moment, doubt crept into my mind.

Then I straightened my shoulders.

I hadn’t survived this long just to lose now.

Everyone who had underestimated me, everyone who had forced me to run, would regret it.

I would make sure of that.

I always did.

“There’s so much dust everywhere,” Bodhi complained with a little whine.

I took a deep breath and smiled at him.

“Well, I’ll give you the cleaning supplies, and then you can start cleaning. In fact, you’ll be cleaning Grandma’s room too,” I replied, gently running my hand through his hair.

“I’m not cleaning. I’m too little,” Bodhi protested, his lips curling into a pout. “Can we go back to Aunt Rosetta’s house? Mommy will come there soon, right?”

The child was beginning to get on my nerves.

He didn’t understand the simple concept of obedience.

“I don’t like children who complain a lot,” I told Bodhi, folding my arms across my chest. “Complaining never solves anything.”

He lowered his head, his small shoulders slumping.

“Now, go on,” I urged, giving him a gentle nudge toward the bed. “Climb up.”

He hesitated before slowly pulling himself onto the mattress, his little face scrunched with uncertainty.

I brushed my hand across the dusty blanket a few times before grabbing an old cloth from a nearby chair and quickly wiping down the mattress and pillow.

A thin cloud of dust rose into the air, making me wrinkle my nose.

“There,” I said, coughing through the dust. “Good as new.”

Bodhi glanced at the bed, then back at me.

Instead of lying down, he remained where he was, hugging his knees to his chest.

His lips pressed into a small pout, and his eyes drifted toward the doorway as though he expected someone to walk through it and save him.

I sighed under my breath.

Of course he was like this.

His mother had filled his head with softness, making him dependent on constant comfort and reassurance.

No wonder he couldn’t adjust to the slightest inconvenience.

Well, that was going to change.

He was with me now, and I would make sure he learned better.

But he continued staring at me with wide eyes.

“You’ll fall asleep eventually,” I muttered. “If you cry, then you’ll cry yourself to sleep.”

With a shrug, I turned away without another glance and pulled the door shut behind

him.

Once outside, I let out a deep nee s exhausted themselves

ng myself that children

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I made my way to my old bedroom and quietly stepped inside.

Nothing had changed.

I ran my hand over the blanket before pressing my palm against the mattress.

The dust couldn’t hide the memories.

I closed my eyes as a tear slipped free.

“You chose the easy way,” I whispered to my late husband. “A single heart attack,

and it was over for you.”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

“Look at me. I’m the one left behind, suffering alone. There’s no one here to help me.”

The room answered with silence.

He wasn’t here to wrap his arms around me and tell me, ‘Honey, it’ll all be over before you know it.’

My vision blurred, and a few tears slipped down my cheeks.

I didn’t bother wiping them away.

Eventually, exhaustion overtook me as I lay on the mattress, hugging my husband’s pillow.

Then I fell asleep.

Even that didn’t last long.

A loud crash jolted me awake.

My eyes flew open as another noise echoed through the mansion.

Countless voices and footsteps followed.

I shot upright and hurried out of my room.

From the second-floor landing, I looked down into the foyer.

People were entering the mansion.

My survival instincts kicked in.

I ducked behind the railing before anyone could look up, then hurried down the

hallway to Bodhi’s room.

Unlocking the door as quietly as I

could,

bet

eslipped inside, scooped him

into my arms, and locked the door

again.

FindNovel.net

He stirred awake immediately.

SWO

His sleepy eyes slowly blinked open in confusion just as I covered his mouth with

my hand.

“Quiet,” I breathed against his ear, holding him tightly, hugging him as though I would never let him go, no

matter who had come get

Outside, footsteps echoed through the halls. Doors opened. Others slammed shut.

Then I heard chains rattling.

It seemed to go on for hours.

I remained perfectly still, listening to every sound with my heart pounding against my

ribs.

I was hungry. Starving even.

My throat was dry, and my body itched from the dust coating the mansion.

I needed water.

But why were there people in my mansion?

Were they searching it?

Had someone decided to reclaim it?

Were they planning to give it to someone else?

Question after question crowded my mind, and with every passing minute, the knot

in my stomach tightened.