Aurelia cried out in pain.
It was freshly boiled water. I handed it to her without pause, never thinking she would let go at that moment.
But in Aiden’s eyes, there was only one meaning.
It was I who, on purpose, spilled the boiling water on Aurelia.
“Are you alright? Where are you burned? Let me see!”
Aiden suddenly jumped up, rushing over in a panic.
He moved too fast; he didn’t even look at me, pushing me aside with force.
I stumbled backward, my lower back hitting hard against the sharp edge of the shelf. The severe pain made my eyes fill with tears and I almost fell.
“Aunt Aurelia, are you alright?”
Isaiah, forgetting his earlier complaints, leaned in, his eyes red, carefully checking her legs.
Then, he lifted his head and looked at me with a scared look.
At that moment, the tight string in my heart for so long finally broke. From the moment Aurelia stepped into this house, my nerves had been tied tight; I had barely kept myself steady.
But when I saw my son look at me with that look, I couldn’t keep going anymore.
Six years of time and care.
A bond of blood that should not break.
In the end, it still couldn’t win over someone he had known only a short while.
Maybe Isaiah was not only like Aiden in how he acted.
Even the person he chose to care for was the same.
The sharp pain in my lower back was a clear reminder.
Aiden did not care about me, did not think about me and had never loved me.
“I’m fine, ouch…” Aurelia said, her voice shaking as she tried to hold back the pain.
“Don’t push yourself, come on, I’ll take you to the hospital.” Aiden made the choice right away.
“Dad, don’t leave me here alone, I’m scared…” Isaiah grabbed his shirt, his voice shaking with tears.
In that moment, my ears buzzed and the room seemed to go quiet.
Scared? Was he scared of me?
But I clearly did nothing.
I did not spill that water on purpose.
Aurelia let it go herself.
“Lyra, you really are something, scaring the kid like this.”
Aiden coldly said these words.
As he helped Aurelia past me, he simply pulled Isaiah along.
“Isaiah, let’s go.”
I reached out on instinct and held him, my throat tight, my lips shaking a little, wanting to speak.
“It wasn’t me…”
But before I could finish, Aiden interrupted me impatiently.
“I saw it with my own eyes, Lyra, what are you trying to deny?”
He stared at me, his eyes cold and full of disgust.
“Seven years, I thought you had changed a little, but you’re still the same, your head full of dirty tricks.”
“Lyra, you make me sick.”
The door slammed shut and the room went quiet at once.
That quiet was so heavy it almost took my breath. I walked into the storage room, picked up a broom and carefully cleaned the broken glass on the floor, piece by piece. Then I switched to a mop and slowly wiped the spilled water.
During the whole time, my movements were hard but calm.
It was like I was finishing a task I had done many times before.
Only my body moved; my heart had already turned numb.
Aiden and Isaiah didn’t come back until late at night.
I remembered the next morning’s plans very clearly.
Aiden had to attend the company’s usual meeting with the shareholders.
Isaiah had to go to kindergarten.
I always remembered these things better than anyone else.
All along, reminding them of times, looking after their daily needs, nothing was ever handled by them.
Like an assistant, like a nanny.
