Bonds

Chapter 89

-Maya POV-

I thought I’d gotten used to surprises with everything that had happened. The unexpected call came while I was drowning myself in job applications. I had made a mistake and damn Alex for putting me in this position. My phone screen flashed with the famift yet unwelcome name – Mom I could count on one hand the number of times she’d called me in my entire life. The only genuine connection we ever shared was that brief moment after my father’s arrest. After that, things snapped back into place – her, a silent shadow by his side and having no

voice of her own. So yeah, when the call came, surprise was an understatement. But what truly shocked me was her request. She wanted to

meet, and not just me – the twins.

Here I was, perched on a dusty bench in the manicured garden of my childhood home, watching Nate and Ivy chase butterflies, their laughter echoing through the otherwise quiet afternoon. My mother sat beside me, a characteristic stillness covering her. Neither of us had spoken since I arrived. I kept waiting for her to break the ice, to explain this bizarre reunion, but the silence stretched on, thick and suffocating,

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, I cleared my throat. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, she did, “They look happy,” Her gaze fixed on

the twins

I turned my head slightly, watching her watch them. A fleeting sadness flickered across her face, the emotion she mostly wore. I shifted my gaze back to the twins – Nate, covered in dirt after a triumphant roll in a patch of mud, and Ivy, chasing a butterfly with the single–minded determination of a seasoned hunter. A genuine smile tugged at the corners of my lips. “They are happy,” I confirmed, the words soft yet filled

with a fierce protectiveness.

Silence descended once more, heavy and laden. Then, after a moment that felt like an eternity, she spoke again. “They look just like him,” she murmured, the words tinged with a strange mix of hurt.

My shoulders tensed involuntarily. I took a deep breath, trying to push down the anger that threatened to bubble up. Saying nothing, I let the air hang heavy between us. Finally, after another agonizing beat of silence, I turned to face her, my voice laced with skepticism. “Why did you call me here? Why did you want me to bring the twins?”

Her gaze flickered away, avoiding mine. A flicker of something akin to fear crossed her features before she forced a smile, weak and unconvincing “I just wanted to spend time with you. Get to know my grandchildren.”

a humorless sound escaping my lips. Anger surged through me suddenly, hot and volatile. “Why? You’ve never cared about me, never cared

in the air, a harsh indictment. She flinched under my gaze. A flicker of regret flashed in her

over me. “I just…” Frustration choked my voice. I squeezed my eyes shut, the sound of the twins‘ laughter a stark

quieter now but no less determined. “Why the sudden change of heart? Why after all these years, do

on them once more. Nate had abandoned his mud–wrestling match and was now chasing a bright blue butterfly with single–minded determination, while Ivy, triumphant, held a crumpled yellow one in her tiny hand. A bittersweet pang

she whispered suddenly, “He’d get so

Lala Chalam

Chapter 89

just laugh and

turned to lace her then, truly seeing her for the first time. The carefully applied makeup couldn’t hide the weariness etched around her eyes, the lines that spoke of unspoken grief and a lifetime of unfulfilled dreams. The woman I’d always seen as

no words, not yet. So I just sat there, watching her, waiting for her

roll around in the mud like a commoner. But Jeremiah

on my face, but a pang of longing in my heart. He was so

unspoken emotions. The gentle breeze

a monster, not then. Jeremiah was his legacy, his pride and joy. He loved him more than anything in the world, sometimes I even got jealous of

profound sadness. “When he was here, there was so much warmth in this house, so much love. And then, just like that, he was gone. Snatched away from us in

a

lost my son. Our world shattered, and all that was left was a

choked back a sob, the sound raw and heartbreaking. My heart ached for her, for the woman she was, the woman she

blood, that’s all he craved. He nearly started a war

exhaustion and despair. “His heart turned to ice, Amaya. He couldn’t feel

out I was pregnant. Daniel, he was hurting, yes, but there was a flicker of happiness in his eyes

deep, shuddering

turned out to be a girl,” I finished