Although there were only ten boys, the strength of the boys was startling. Each punch to my stomach sent sharp waves of pain coursing through me. I gritted my teeth, grabbing their arms in an attempt to pry them off.
Yet, they kicked and thrashed with relentless force, their small bodies fueled by unchecked rage. Even Hayden couldn’t rein them in.
Then, a sudden, vicious kick struck my knee. A searing pain exploded through my body.
Overwhelmed, I instinctively flung the boy away. A loud thud followed by a sharp "ouch" filled the air; the eldest had crashed headfirst into the coffee table.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then, ear-splitting cries shattered the room.
Clutching my knee, I hunched forward, reaching out to help him. Before I could, a shriek rang out from the kitchen.
My mother-in-law came rushing in. The moment her eyes landed on her grandson’s bleeding forehead, she wailed and threw herself at him, her voice cracking as she sobbed, “My precious baby! My poor, poor baby!”
Seeing the crimson streak trailing down his forehead, guilt gnawed at me. Just as I parted my lips to speak, another figure emerged from the kitchen.
It was my first time seeing Eulalie.
She looked just as she did in the videos: graceful and poised, the image of refined elegance from head to toe.
Instinctively, I glanced down at myself, factory-issued sportswear, scuffed gray sneakers, and a face worn thin from endless exhaustion and sleepless nights.
A bitter taste crept into my throat, spreading through my chest like a slow burn.
Eulalie’s eyes landed on the blood trickling down her son’s forehead. Without hesitation, she gathered him into her arms, her hands trembling as she checked him.
“Mom, it was her! She pushed me! She used so much force!” the eldest boy cried, his sobs shaking his small frame.
Eulalie tightened her hold on him, then turned her gaze on me, cold, sharp, unforgiving.
“Sister Ella, how could you lay hands on a child? Just because you’ve never been a mother and don’t understand maternal love doesn’t mean you have to be so heartless.”
Then, she turned to Hayden, her voice laced with sorrow.
“Brother Hayden, I know your sister has never liked us. That’s why, as you wished, I never set foot in Austin City. All I ever wanted was to raise my children properly. I never had any intention of taking you away from anyone.”
"You told me to bring the children here today because she agreed. I was so happy, thinking we could finally be a family. But I never expected her to treat Diego like this..." Eulalie’s voice trembled with suppressed hurt.
"Brother Hayden, I’ll take the kids and leave. I won’t live under someone else’s roof, always walking on eggshells. And I certainly won’t let my children be mistreated."
Without another word, she picked up Diego, grabbed Mateo and Bruno by the hands, and turned on her heel.
Hayden’s face paled. Panic surged through him as he lunged forward, desperation laced in his voice.
"Eulalie, don’t go! I won’t let you leave! This is your home, your children’s home! Where else would you go?"
His voice cracked as he clung to her retreating figure. "I promise, what happened today will never happen again! No one will ever mistreat you again!"
Then, without warning, he yanked me forward and shoved me in front of Eulalie.
"Ella, apologize to Diego right now! Tell him you didn’t mean it! Say it!" His fingers dug into my arm, his grip tight and unyielding.
"And you have to promise Eulalie that you’ll treat the children as your own from now on. You must never lay a hand on them again!"
