Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 155: Chapter 155

ASHAL

"Why are you quiet?" I ask mother with red eyes. She’s sitting up on her bed, with a shawl swaddling her body. I’ve watched her sitting quiet for two days ever since Ashton left the mansion. I think I’ve given her more than enough time to recuperate and tell me why the fuck she’s watching our family burn to the ground.

I lurch to my feet and stifle the urge to kick something. "Why, mother? Don’t act like you’re powerless. If anyone can stop his madness, IT’S YOU. Again, I ask, why are you choosing to stay quiet even after he kicked Ashton out?" Her eyebrows slant upwards at me.

"Ashton will be fine." Her voice is a tender whisper. "I put plans in place to make sure he’s taken care of out there. He won’t want for anything or live like a pauper, never." She pulls the shawl tighter around her body, quivering to a chill I can’t sense. "Otto will see to it that your brother’s fine so don’t worry about him."

I suppress the urge to sigh in relief and continue to fume. "You still didn’t answer my question, mother. Why are you doing nothing about all the craziness going on in this house? Father is out of control..."

"Out of control?" She reiterates with a baffled look on her face. Slowly, she breaks into a teary laugh. "That’s not entirely accurate, Ashal. Your father might be set in his unconventional ways of handling tough situations but that’s only because it’s the fastest way to get things handled. I don’t always support his acts." Her voice falters as pain flits across her pupils.

"I never expected such a monumental betrayal from him after everything we’ve been through but I am trying so hard to shed the pain that’s threatening to drown me right now, just so I can save our family. A lot is happening with Billion-Err and if I trusted that you and your brothers were capable of putting out this fire before it guts our family, I would have called your father in order. However, no matter how much I hate to admit it, I have to let him handle it his way. He’s the only one that can get us out of this pit fast enough."

"What the hell are you saying right now? You’re going to watch him hurt more people just to get out of taking responsibility for our wrongs as a family?"

She stretches out her hands and clasps my cheeks. Her fingers are cold. "I won’t watch my boys go to jail. I just can’t. Call me names. Hate me but I can’t be parted from any of my children, not right now." Tears cloud her eyes. "Your father and I have yet to discuss Josh and his mother. I’m holding out till he saves us from the impending doom, and then we will broach that topic but for now, I can’t bear to be parted from you guys, especially now. I’ll go crazy so yes, I’ll turn a blind eye for as long as I need to if it means my sons aren’t whisked away to prison."

"But Ashton and I..."

"I overheard. I don’t care if you’re prepared to face the music. There are some things you’ll never understand until you become a parent and right now, it’s my obsession with protecting my sons. I’m a mother, Ashal; your mother! I don’t mind being called a bad mom but I will do whatever it takes to keep my boys safe. I’ll take on the world if I have to."

She drops her hands from my face and takes my hands. "You don’t doubt me too, do you? You’re not going to take away my right to call you my son simply because I hid the truth that you were adopted, right?"

She pins me with a look that’s flushed with pain.

"Of course not. You are the only mother I know. I would have loved some honesty on the issue especially after we grew older but my feelings towards you will never change."

to pull me in a hug. "It breaks my heart that you all had to find out the way you did but it wasn’t maliciously hidden from you. Ashton has it all wrong. Oh god, I need to go see him. I need to clear things up with him before he loathes me even more than he

we honestly felt that we were protecting you from the pain." I pull

ways to take us down. I completely understand that hiding the

Ashal. You’ve always been the easiest to talk to, the

keeping from her; my divorce, Nicola’s miscarriage etc. I hope she

I don’t like

on my nerves and I am certain he’s fishing for information to go

at the unspoken conversation communicated

us. Father stands in front of it,

What madness is this? You

his frosty eyes

"WHERE IS SHE?"

for being confused at his question but

I firm my feet on the ground and keep my head high. "How dare you divorce and

head

a smile on my face. "I didn’t realize I needed your permission to live my life or do what’s

caused around here and you go and divorce your pregnant, crazy wife without so much

feet. "Olivia’s pregnant too?" She grits her teeth. "How many more lies have you all been telling? Am I no longer a part of

"I’ll fill you in later, mother. Let me handle

a brick wall. I have taught you how to deal with these matters but you all think of my methods as crude and evil. I did all I could to teach you not to trust people out there but you keep letting your emotions take over when making decisions. Guess what? Olivia ran away! She’s not at the lake house

even stayed away from Maddie despite how much I long to see her. I hid my feelings and ran to rehab to deal with my condition and nurse

"How’d you know that?"

she could be half way

jam my hands in my pocket to hide the

wouldn’t risk it. Her

I look away to hide the shock and fear churning within me. When mother tries to take my hand, I move