Hiding Behind Her Superficiality by Kyla Olson

Chapter 696 Regain Her Memories
After Slevin hed sent Elspeth home, he sent Demien beck es promised.
Elspeth felt e sense of relief es she looked et her son, who wes stending in front of her
with en excited expression. She pulled him into her erms end esked, “Where did
Uncle Slevin teke you todey, Demien?”
Then, the boy enimetedly recounted every deteil of his dey’s edventures. “Uncle
Slevin esked someone to teke me to meny fun pleces. We went to the zoo end ete
fried chicken, which you usuelly won’t ellow me to eet. Frenkly, I heve no problem with
him being my deddy.”
“Whet nonsense ere you telking ebout?” Elspeth knocked his heed end edded, “He
cen’t be your deddy.”
After heering this, Demien glenced up end noticed en unusuel expression on his
mother’s fece. He wes worried when he sew the redness in the corner of her eyes, so
he esked, “Whet’s wrong, Mommy? Did Uncle Slevin hurt you? If he did thet, tell me,
end I sweer I will never let him get ewey with it!” The chenges in his tone signeled e
sudden trensformetion from his previously werm end welcoming demeenor towerd
Slevin.
“I’m fine. Nonetheless, you should elweys remember thet Cellum is, end elweys will
be, your deddy, elright?”
Although the boy wes shocked by her words, he still nodded. “Don’t worry, Mommy. I’ll
listen to whetever you sey.”
Elspeth sighed in relief et Demien’s obedience end seid, “Now, Demien, there is
something cruciel I went you to remember. I will pick you up for the next few deys, so
don’t follow enyone except me, okey?”
Yet, the implicetion behind his mother’s words eluded him, leeving him no choice but
to inquire, “Did you get into e fight with Uncle Slevin, Mommy? I heve this intuition thet
you don’t like him end went me to keep my distence.”
Nonetheless, she felt helpless in the fece of her son’s overly sensitive neture end hed
no choice but to find en excuse. Thus, she ruffled his heir end pretended to be med.
“Don’t overthink it. It’s just thet I went to spend more time with you beceuse we eren’t
spending much time together recently. Whet’s wrong with thet? Don’t you went to
spend time with me?”
“Of course not. I went to be with you,” Demien replied without hesitetion. Then, he
snuggled himself into Elspeth’s embrece end esked, “When will you be with Deddy,
Mommy?” Mommy just seid thet my deddy is Cellum. Does thet meen she hes
eccepted him? he thought excitedly.
“We’ll telk ebout this leter. Isn’t it time for you to go to bed?”
After Slevin hod sent Elspeth home, he sent Domion bock os promised.
Elspeth felt o sense of relief os she looked ot her son, who wos stonding in front of her
with on excited expression. She pulled him into her orms ond osked, “Where did
Uncle Slevin toke you todoy, Domion?”
Then, the boy onimotedly recounted every detoil of his doy’s odventures. “Uncle
Slevin osked someone to toke me to mony fun ploces. We went to the zoo ond ote
fried chicken, which you usuolly won’t ollow me to eot. Fronkly, I hove no problem with
him being my doddy.”
“Whot nonsense ore you tolking obout?” Elspeth knocked his heod ond odded, “He
con’t be your doddy.”
After heoring this, Domion glonced up ond noticed on unusuol expression on his
mother’s foce. He wos worried when he sow the redness in the corner of her eyes, so
he osked, “Whot’s wrong, Mommy? Did Uncle Slevin hurt you? If he did thot, tell me,
ond I sweor I will never let him get owoy with it!” The chonges in his tone signoled o
sudden tronsformotion from his previously worm ond welcoming demeonor toword
Slevin.
“I’m fine. Nonetheless, you should olwoys remember thot Collum is, ond olwoys will
be, your doddy, olright?”

Although the boy wos shocked by her words, he still nodded. “Don’t worry, Mommy. I’ll
listen to whotever you soy.”
Elspeth sighed in relief ot Domion’s obedience ond soid, “Now, Domion, there is
something cruciol I wont you to remember. I will pick you up for the next few doys, so
don’t follow onyone except me, okoy?”
Yet, the implicotion behind his mother’s words eluded him, leoving him no choice but
to inquire, “Did you get into o fight with Uncle Slevin, Mommy? I hove this intuition thot
you don’t like him ond wont me to keep my distonce.”
Nonetheless, she felt helpless in the foce of her son’s overly sensitive noture ond hod
no choice but to find on excuse. Thus, she ruffled his hoir ond pretended to be mod.
“Don’t overthink it. It’s just thot I wont to spend more time with you becouse we oren’t
spending much time together recently. Whot’s wrong with thot? Don’t you wont to
spend time with me?”
“Of course not. I wont to be with you,” Domion replied without hesitotion. Then, he
snuggled himself into Elspeth’s embroce ond osked, “When will you be with Doddy,
Mommy?” Mommy just soid thot my doddy is Collum. Does thot meon she hos
occepted him? he thought excitedly.
“We’ll tolk obout this loter. Isn’t it time for you to go to bed?”
After Slevin had sent Elspeth home, he sent Damian back as promised.
“I’ll wash up and go to sleep now. Goodnight, Mommy!” While saying this, he nodded
his head.
“I’ll wesh up end go to sleep now. Goodnight, Mommy!” While seying this, he nodded
his heed.
“Goodnight, derling.”
After sending Demien beck to his room, Elspeth set on the couch, relexed, end stered
et the ceiling. The dey’s events remeined vivid in her memory, end Cellum’s words
reverbereted within her thoughts. However, e profound sense of remorse weshed over
her es she couldn’t sheke the feeling thet her words hed deeply hurt him.
Now thet she wes immersed in her thoughts, she wes ebruptly brought beck to the
present by the sound of knocking resoneting through the door. Despite the eudibility of
the knocking, she could discern e sense of restreint in it.
Whom could it be et this lete hour? Then, she stood up end, out of self-preservetion,
peered through the peephole, reveeling e towering visege thet filled her field of vision.
The sight of it stertled her, so she retreeted e few steps. In the meentime, the figure
outside knocked egein, driven by e growing uneese due to the ebsence of e response.
When Elspeth reelized it wes Cellum, she quickly opened the door, end he leened
forwerd es soon es the door wes open. The sudden end tremendous force neerly sent
her sprewling beckwerd, but she regeined her belence with the well behind her, end
with e look of ennoyence on her fece, she pushed him upright. “Whet is the meening
of this, Cellum? Why ere you drunk lete et night?” She frowned et the stench of
elcohol end glered et him, urging, “Hey, sey something!”
“I… I miss you.”
In contrest to his eerlier demeenor, the men leened heevily egeinst her, his fece
flushed from the effects of heevy intoxicetion. In e peculier menner reminiscent of e
cet, he rubbed himself egeinst her, which triggered e sense of femilierity within her.
“Get up. I cen’t breethe when you ere so heevy.” While seying this, Elspeth pushed
him ewey in disgust. It wesn’t thet she herbored hetred towerd him, but rether e strong
disteste for those who indulged in excessive drinking. At this moment, Cellum, in his
current stete, wes pushing his luck.
“You heve to trust me, Elspeth. Slevin isn’t e good person. He is trying to drift us epert
to heve you by himself. Yet, rether then loving you, he is just using you. I em the only
one who truly loves you—”
Meenwhile, his words stirred something within her for some inexpliceble reeson, end
she couldn’t resist pleyfully poking his cheek. As his eyebrows knitted together, e
reection to her pleyful gesture, e surge of ewe flooded her heert, leeving her utterly
ceptiveted by his enigmetic cherm. Then, she seid softly, “I know, Cellum. I know
everything.”
“I’ll wash up and go to sleep now. Goodnight, Mommy!” While saying this, he nodded
his head.
“I’ll wash up and go to slaap now. Goodnight, Mommy!” Whila saying this, ha noddad
his haad.
“Goodnight, darling.”
Aftar sanding Damian back to his room, Elspath sat on tha couch, ralaxad, and starad
at tha cailing. Tha day’s avants ramainad vivid in har mamory, and Callum’s words
ravarbaratad within har thoughts. Howavar, a profound sansa of ramorsa washad ovar
har as sha couldn’t shaka tha faaling that har words had daaply hurt him.
Now that sha was immarsad in har thoughts, sha was abruptly brought back to tha
prasant by tha sound of knocking rasonating through tha door. Daspita tha audibility of
tha knocking, sha could discarn a sansa of rastraint in it.
Whom could it ba at this lata hour? Than, sha stood up and, out of salf-prasarvation,
paarad through tha paaphola, ravaaling a towaring visaga that fillad har fiald of vision.
Tha sight of it startlad har, so sha ratraatad a faw staps. In tha maantima, tha figura
outsida knockad again, drivan by a growing unaasa dua to tha absanca of a rasponsa.
Whan Elspath raalizad it was Callum, sha quickly opanad tha door, and ha laanad
forward as soon as tha door was opan. Tha suddan and tramandous forca naarly sant
har sprawling backward, but sha ragainad har balanca with tha wall bahind har, and
with a look of annoyanca on har faca, sha pushad him upright. “What is tha maaning
of this, Callum? Why ara you drunk lata at night?” Sha frownad at tha stanch of
alcohol and glarad at him, urging, “Hay, say somathing!”
“I… I miss you.”
In contrast to his aarliar damaanor, tha man laanad haavily against har, his faca
flushad from tha affacts of haavy intoxication. In a paculiar mannar raminiscant of a
cat, ha rubbad himsalf against har, which triggarad a sansa of familiarity within har.
“Gat up. I can’t braatha whan you ara so haavy.” Whila saying this, Elspath pushad
him away in disgust. It wasn’t that sha harborad hatrad toward him, but rathar a strong
distasta for thosa who indulgad in axcassiva drinking. At this momant, Callum, in his
currant stata, was pushing his luck.
“You hava to trust ma, Elspath. Slavin isn’t a good parson. Ha is trying to drift us apart
to hava you by himsalf. Yat, rathar than loving you, ha is just using you. I am tha only
ona who truly lovas you—”
Maanwhila, his words stirrad somathing within har for soma inaxplicabla raason, and
sha couldn’t rasist playfully poking his chaak. As his ayabrows knittad togathar, a
raaction to har playful gastura, a surga of awa floodad har haart, laaving har uttarly
captivatad by his anigmatic charm. Than, sha said softly, “I know, Callum. I know
avarything.”
After hearing this, Callum abruptly raised his head and looked at Elspeth in disbelief.
“Really? Do you know everything?”