Nelly simply sat on the bed.
Watching the retreating figure of Ben heading toward the bathroom, one could tell what he was going to do there, even without him saying a word.
At that moment, Nelly couldn't help it anymore. Her eyes welled up with tears.
Alpha Kilian stood by silently, watching the mother and son.
Once Ben had left for the bathroom, Nelly 's tears began to fall. Only then did Alpha Kilian walk over to her. Without saying a word, he reached out and pulled Nelly into his embrace.
Nelly leaned into his embrace, and even though she was sad, she felt a sense of relief, as though a great burden had been taken off her shoulders.
Otherwise, she couldn't express how weary her heart was from having to face their various lies to the children every day.
Nelly longed to see them yet feared their probing questions. As a result, she found excuses to avoid them every day. Now, she was free to see them whenever she wished without any reservations...
Leaning into Alpha Kilian 's embrace, a faint smile still lingered on Nelly 's pale face. At that moment, she said softly, “Alpha Kilian , you're right. Now, I really don't need to pretend anymore.”
Alpha Kilian lowered his gaze to look at her. “Have you thought things through?”
“I'd long come to terms with letting them know about it, yet I still felt that delaying their knowledge by just one day meant giving them one more day of happiness.”
Alpha Kilian looked at her palm-sized face, feeling an indescribable heartache. “Fool!” he said, pulling her tightly into his embrace.
Leaning on his shoulder, Nelly spoke after a long silence, “Alpha Kilian .”
“Hmm?”
As she spoke, Nelly glanced in the direction of the bathroom and uttered, “The little one must be crying in there now...”
With that, she averted her gaze and looked up at Alpha Kilian . “I might need you to comfort Ben later, I'm out of energy...”
After having her blood drawn and chatting with Ben for a while, she felt as if she had exhausted all her energy. Now, her mind was foggy, and all she wanted to do was to lie down and have a good sleep.
Listening to her exhausted tone sent a wave of bitterness washing over Alpha Kilian . He lowered his gaze and nodded. “All right, you rest well. Leave everything else to me.”
“Okay!” Nelly replied with a smile.
Afterward, Alpha Kilian laid her on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
“Don't overthink it. Take some time to rest well.”
Nelly nodded, wanting to say something more, but her eyelids felt extremely heavy. In the end, she softly mumbled a response and immediately fell asleep.
Alpha Kilian sat by the bed, looking at her with an indescribably complex gaze.
At that moment, an image flashed in his mind. It was the first time he had seen her after she returned to the country.
Alpha Kilian narrowed his eyes, a flash of determination glinting in their depths.
“Rest well,” Alpha Kilian said as he bent down to gently plant a kiss on her forehead.
Inside the bathroom, Ben stood in front of the mirror.
He didn't even know what was happening, but tears were uncontrollably streaming down his face.
His hands were trembling, and so were his legs.
He used to be fearless, never knowing the meaning of the word “fear.” But now, for the first time, he truly understood what it meant.
Yes, he became afraid.
He never imagined that one day, Nelly would leave them.
Even when he thought of her with white hair, aged and frail, he had never imagined a scenario where Nelly would leave them.
In his mind, it seemed as if Nelly would never leave.
Even though they were raised in a single-parent household, Nelly provided them with a sense of security, both emotionally and materially. They never lacked anything. It was this sense of security that prevented him from ever considering a different scenario where their mother was no longer around.
Now, however, having seen the effects of the poison on Thalia before, he knew how much pain Nelly must have endured.
Ben failed to put his frustration into words.
He beat himself up for failing to notice how thin Nelly had become thin in just a few days.
Ben continued to chastise himself fiercely in front of the restroom mirror.
Gradually, Ben lifted his gaze, looking at his reflection in the mirror. The next second, his fist slammed down hard on the basin.
He pummeled the solid basin over and over again.
It seemed that only such a release could make him feel a bit better inside.
He kept going until his fist felt so numb that it no longer hurt. Only then did he stop.
Ben stared at his reflection in the mirror. There was a fleeting moment when he thought he was looking at a stranger.
His thoughts had begun to wander when suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Ben turned around, his gaze directed toward the door.
“Ben , it's me.” Alpha Kilian 's voice echoed from outside.
Ben looked on, remaining silent.
“I know you must have a lot on your mind. Come out, let's talk!” said Alpha Kilian .
Ben stared at the door, unmoving.
Alpha Kilian sighed and continued, “I don't have much time. If you're willing to waste it on this, I can always come back and chat with you later. I'll give you three minutes to think about it.”
Still, Ben stood quietly in the bathroom, his gaze fixed intently on the door.
Outside the bathroom, Alpha Kilian no longer urged his son to open the door. Instead, after checking the time, he began counting down the seconds as he waited.
The seconds ticked away.
As the three-minute mark approached, Alpha Kilian let out a sigh and announced, “All right then. Let's talk about it when I return.”
Rather than comforting him, Alpha Kilian had more important things to do.
Seeing that Ben had no intention of coming out, Alpha Kilian turned around and left.
However, just as he turned around, suddenly, the sound of a door opening rang out behind him.
Alpha Kilian froze, turning his head around, only to see Ben standing at the door, looking at him.
Alpha Kilian gave him a once-over, his brows furrowing upon noticing his son's slightly swollen hand.
“Daddy, take me with you,” Ben suddenly said.
“Where should I take you?” Alpha Kilian asked.
“I know you're planning something tonight, and I want in,” Ben said.
Upon hearing his words, Alpha Kilian 's eyebrows furrowed tightly. “What can you do?”
“No matter what it takes, I'll do it. I'll avenge Nelly by taking their lives!” Ben muttered. His voice choked with emotion as he uttered the word “revenge.”
Listening to his words, Alpha Kilian sighed helplessly. He walked toward Ben , reached out, and gently patted his son's head. “I know you're angry right now, but Ben , now is not the time to let your emotions run wild...”
“Daddy, even if I can't do anything, I want to see them fall one by one. Daddy, I promise I won't cause any trouble. I want to go!” Ben declared, stressing each word.