"Because I love you."
Lucian finally said it.
The words left his mouth quietly, completely unaware of the catastrophic misunderstanding they had just created.
Seraphina froze.
Time seemed to slow down.
Inside Lucian's mind—
[Pft…]
Akasha tried to hold it in. She really did, but—
[Pft… pft… haha—HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!]
She exploded into uncontrollable laughter, her voice echoing like thunder in his mind.
[You—hahaha—do you… do you even know what you just said?!] She asked between her laughs, barely able to form words.
Lucian blinked.
'What do…'
And then realisation struck.
His eyes widened in horror.
'What the fuck did I just say?!'
He instantly broke out in cold sweat.
His chest tightened.
He was so stressed out, his thoughts were so scattered—that he just blurted the first truth that came to mind.
But not that truth.
Not like that.
Meanwhile, across from him, a storm was quietly forming behind Seraphina's eyes.
Had she heard him correctly?
Did he truly just… confess to her?
'Because I love you.' His words replayed in her mind again and again.
A boy barely in his early twenties… proposing to her?
Her fists clenched at her sides.
"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice cold but slightly trembling, her eyes narrowing sharply.
She didn't believe it was that kind of love.
He never looked at her with lust, never let his gaze linger in that way—unlike every other man she had encountered in her life.
And that expression on his face… that horrified, pale expression…
The sheer panic written across his features.
She understood that even he wasn't aware of what he said.
Lucian swallowed.
He didn't know what to say now.
He realised he had fucked up big time.
No lies could fix this.
He had already fallen off the cliff.
If he tried to give some excuse right now, then he would only fall deeper.
So he chose the truth.
Pure, unfiltered truth.
He let out a slow breath… before dropping the bomb.
"I am your son."
He said it plainly, without twisting the words.
Seraphina went still.
Absolutely still.
That was absurd.
Impossible.
A misunderstanding—again.
Surely… it had to be.
"Don't joke like that." She whispered.
Her voice was fragile now, like she was barely holding herself together.
"If you don't want to tell me the reason, then… it's fine," she said, taking a step back.
She tried to move away—but he instantly stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
She frowned, but before she could say something—
"Mom."
Her breath caught.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"I am Aiden," Lucian said, his tone gentle.
"Your son."
Her heartbeat slammed violently against her ribs, loud enough that she could hear it.
No.
No.
Ridiculous.
This was ridiculous.
She didn't want to believe it.
She couldn't.
But hearing him call her 'Mom', her instincts told her… screamed at her.
He was—
He was her son.
"H-How?" she stuttered.
Her legs trembled.
Strength drained from her body all at once.
She swayed… and Lucian immediately grabbed her, guiding her gently to the sofa.
"No… no… but—but he told me…" she murmured, her eyes unfocused.
"Mom."
"Did he lie? Why? Why would—"
"Mom!"
Lucian shook her gently, gripping her shoulders.
She finally came out of her daze, her eyes regaining their focus.
"Mom." Lucian held her face softly.
"I did not die."
She stared at him, and seeing him right now, everything clicked.
She understood why she always felt that unfamiliar sensation.
Why had he always seemed… known to her, yet unknown.
She felt stupid for not ever realising it before.
"Then… why—?" she asked, her voice barely a breath.
"I don't know." He said dismissively, turning away slightly as he pulled his hand back.
"And I don't want to talk about him."
Even talking about him made his blood boil.
She kept staring at him, unable to look away.
He really was her son.
"Aiden, my boy… you really…" Her voice broke completely.
She reached up with her trembling hands and cupped his face.
"It's really you… It really is you." She smiled gently as tears streamed down her cheeks.
But suddenly—as if a switch had flipped—her expression turned colder, and her voice sharpened.
"Then why didn't you tell me all of this before?" she demanded.
Her grip tightened on his face.
"And where were you all these years?" Her voice shook violently.
"Did you… did you forget about me?"
Her hands trembled.
She had been mourning his death for years… buried him in her heart for years, when he had been right there.
Why had he lied?
[She really is your mother.] Akasha remarked inside Lucian's mind.
'What?'
[I mean, look at her. She behaves exactly like you.]
'Shut up.'
[Tch.]
Lucian exhaled slowly.
He then held her hands and told her what happened from the moment she was sent to the mental facility.
How his father beat him when she wasn't there, how he left the house and got into an accident that caused him to lose his memory, about the couple who hit him, adopted him, and so on.
Seraphina, who heard all this, broke down.
Tears streamed down her face as she hugged him tightly, laying his head against her chest.
Lucian hugged her back.
"I-I am sorry, I s-should have been there for–"
"Stop," he interrupted gently.
"It's not your fault."
She tried to speak, but he held her hands firmly.
"It is not your fault." He said again.
"Understood?"
She stared at him.
How could it not be her fault?
If she hadn't left… if she had fought harder…
But she nodded anyway.
He was alive.
That was all that mattered.