CHAPTER 71
Bryan’s POV
As I approach my door, I see Celine standing with her hands by her side and watching me take the staircase up.
She isn’t with Jason and her face is devoid of emotions. I am wondering what she is doing in front of my door, not looking guilty or remorseful.
I am thinking she is here to apologize for all the harm she has done and to beg me to let her stay here, having realized her mistakes but the moment I get to the door, about to open the door and she isn’t saying anything or going down on her knees to beg me, I know that Celine is now the opposite of who she used to be.
“Can I help you?” I say calmly as my hand touches the doorknob. She isn’t greeting me either and it makes me furrow my brows.
Lowering her head, she says. “I want to see you.”
My brows crease further. “See me? Aren’t you seeing me already?”
It took me a lot of strength and effort to finally get rid of my anger toward her. It is hard but I have no choice but to do that.
She is less appreciative of what I am doing for her but I will continue to protect her for being my child’s mother. I can’t let her fall into the wrong hands simply because she is too daft for my liking.
Jason needs her. He needs his mother. A mother can never replace the role of a father just the same way the father can not replace the role of a mother.
I don’t want to look back at what she has done to me in the past. If I am to consider everything that has happened, I won’t even let her step into my house ever again.
She made me go against my vow again last night just the way it happened years ago when we had sex.
If she hadn’t invited those men over to come and take Jason out, I wouldn’t have beaten Paxton up and the man who died wouldn’t have died.
I have him taken care of already and no one can accuse me of killing him. Paxton knows this and he knows it is better to be silent.
There was a CCTV camera in the garage when the shooting took place. If I am being implicated in any way, that camera will serve as evidence of what happened and how he died. Their gunshots killed him.
I only shoot to defend myself. Besides, the gun is a certified one.
If this ever gets to father, he will be mad at me. He might think it is time to come back to the business which I have vowed never to do again. I should keep it away from him.
I turn around and open the door to go in, without a word.
I wonder why she wants to talk to me about it. She doesn’t look like someone who will apologize.
“Is Derick Dominguez and Paxton the same person?” She demands from me immediately after she enters my room. I twirl back slowly to face her, wondering how she got it all figured out.
Does she finally believe me? Has she realized what a bad man her sweet boyfriend is? How did she find out?
“Are they the same person?” She questions impatiently, thereby pulling me out of my reverie and making me blink several times to be sure that it is indeed Celine before me.Exclusive © material by Nô(/v)elDrama.Org.
She has never been this brave enough to face me or question me about anything. She barely looks me in the eyes too.
“How did you find out?” I voice out my thoughts as I watch her. She seems deep in thought, probably trying to get her words together and to come to terms with the fact that her boyfriend or best friend is fake.
“How I found out isn’t what matters right now. What matters is for me to know who Paxton really is.”
Instead of getting mad at the way she is shouting, I find it amusing so I chuckle.
“You should know your boyfriend better. Don’t go about asking me who he is”, I throw her a cold glare and turn my back to her.
She is angry. Angry to find out that he isn’t who she thinks he is.
“I have told you he isn’t my boyfriend!” She yells and I twirl back sharply.
“Don’t you dare yell at me ever again!” I shout back at her, pointing my index finger at her.
How dare she raise her voice at me just because of a disappointment from a jerk like Derick?
“Really?” She keeps a straight face and I drop my hand, wondering what has changed. “You want me not to ever shout at you but all you do is yell at me, scold me and mistreat me? Can you even hear yourself out? Have you sat for once to think about all you have been doing to me? I am just giving you a little of what you have done to me but you don’t want to accommodate…”
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” I cut her short instantly, taking threatening steps toward her.
I am thinking she will back away but she stands her ground. She isn’t moving backward nor is she looking afraid.
Wow!
I am amazed. I stop in my tracks.
Trying so hard to contain my anger, I turn my back to her immediately so I won’t end up doing what I will regret.
Celine wants to push me to the wall. She wants me to do the unforgivable. She wants me to misbehave but I won’t. She is daring me. Challenging me to show her how manly I am.
“Get lost!” I utter, gritting my teeth in annoyance.
“Think of all you have done to me, Bryan, and try…”
Her soothing voice does not reduce my anger, instead, it increases it. “Get out!”
“I will not until you hear me out”, she insists and I ball my fist.
What the hell has gotten into her?
“I have done nothing but wish you well. Try to think of one single harm that I have done to you to deserve all of these”, her voice breaking as if she is crying. “I am the mother of your child yet you don’t treat me like one. I have always obeyed you and allowed you to take your revenge on me for one single mistake which I did in your favor…”
“In my favor”, I snap at her, rushing at her. She looks scared now. “You call running away with my child a favor? Would you still call it a favor if something bad had happened to him? Will you still call that act of running off a favor if you had lost him? Will you?” She steps back, tears streaming down her eyes.
“Answer me, Celine. Tell me how much you love your son and the extent you can go to protect him. If you were in my shoes, wouldn’t you do more to protect him?” I don’t want to feel guilty. I don’t want to give her the privilege of making me feel guilty for all I have done.
She deserves every bit of it for being stubborn, too insensitive, and a coward.
“He is my son and I love him. I wanted the best for him.”
“The best by running off when he could have it all?” I attack her again, her back hitting the wall.
“Yes. I wasn’t sure you would accept him. You treated me like trash after the sex. You despise me, how sure was I that you wouldn’t despise what became of that sex?” She retorts, wiping her tears, her face turning into a serious one again.
“What?” I can’t believe what she is saying. I take a step backward, watching her closely.
“You ran off because you thought I wouldn’t accept him?” I ask in disbelief. I can’t believe her reasons.
“Would you have accepted him if I had told you the very day you almost slapped me? Remember the night I told you I wanted to talk to you about something? What did you do? You asked me out. How could I have known you would accept him to be your son wholeheartedly?”
My heart squeezed tightly within my ribcage and I almost lost my balance.
I can’t believe this. She wanted to tell me she was pregnant with my child. But I stopped her. My rigidity led to all of these.
Quilt spread across my face and I lower my head so she won’t notice.
“You caused it all! I ran away because of you!” She concludes and I can feel the pain in her voice for the very first time.