Chapter 109: ONE HUNDRED AND NINE

NICHOLAS’S POV

"Why are you suddenly asking about your father?" My mother’s question came through the phone, and I could immediately hear the caution in her voice.

She sounded as though she was trying to understand why I had brought him up after so many years of barely speaking about him, but I wasn’t ready to explain the letter yet.

"I’ll tell you why I’m asking after you answer me," I said, keeping my voice calm as I sat on the edge of my bed. "You’ve always avoided talking about him whenever I’ve asked, and I never pushed you because I thought there was a reason you didn’t want to. But now I need to know what actually happened. You told me he died saving us, but you never told me anything beyond that. I want you to tell me the truth this time, Mom."

Instead of answering, she went quiet again. When she finally spoke, there was irritation beneath her voice. "Are you going to tell me where you are?"

That made me freeze. "Mum, you know I can’t tell you that. I’m fine like I said. It’s just a getaway."

"Then I also can’t tell you!" she snapped.

I froze. "Mum, that’s not—"

"You’re asking me to tell you everything about your father as if I’m supposed to sit here and pretend that you disappear for an entire week," she said, her voice trembling with frustration and hurt. "Nicholas, do you have any idea what I’m going through right now? I’m literally trying not to lose my mind. And now, when you call and I think you’re about to tell me how you are and we can talk, you decide to go off course? You can and immediately start demanding answers about your father without telling me where you’ve been."

The guilt hit me immediately.

I lowered my eyes, staring at the floor. As far as she was concerned, her son had vanished for an entire week and refused to answer her calls.

"You’re right," I admitted quietly. "I shouldn’t have left you worrying like that. I’ll find a suitable time to meet you, and when I do, I’ll tell you everything that’s been happening. Then we’ll talk about Dad too, and you can tell me everything you know. I don’t want to have this conversation while either of us is angry or worried about the other."

My mother’s voice softened after that. She asked how I was doing, and I told her I was fine. I told her the vacation was going well and that I was getting plenty of rest.

When we finally ended the call, I placed my phone on the bed and sat there for a moment.

I had expected to learn something about my father, but instead I had been reminded of how much my mother didn’t want to talk about it.

Great.

I rubbed my face and stood up, intending to put the letter somewhere safe before anyone else could find it.

I barely made it to the door before I stopped because Adrian was standing in the hallway.

He wasn’t saying anything, but from the way he was looking at me, I knew he had probably been there long enough to hear at least part of the conversation.

His expression was serious as he leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest.. "Who were you talking to?" he asked.

"My mother." I tried to sound casual as I stepped out of my room. "I was thinking about meeting her. She’s worried about me, and I think I should see her so I can explain everything properly."

Adrian’s expression changed instantly.

Before I could take another step, he moved toward me and pinned me against the wall, one hand braced beside my shoulder. His face was close enough for me to see the anger and concern on it, and there was nothing playful about his expression.

"You are not meeting her," he said sternly.

I stared at him in disbelief. "Why? She’s my mother. She thinks something happened to me, Adrian. And we have an important thing that we need to talk about."

"You don’t understand what you’re suggesting," he replied, his voice controlled but firm. "Your father is already suspicious of us all. You’ve been gone for a week, your mother is worried, and now you suddenly want to show up in front of her. Do you really think my Dad isn’t watching her?"

I opened my mouth to argue again, but Adrian stepped away before I could answer. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.. "I need you to hear something."

He tapped the screen, and a recording began playing.

Mr. Blackthorne’s voice filled the space and I immediately recognized it.

He was speaking to one of the guards, telling him to check on my mother and find out what she had been doing. His tone was suspicious as he questioned why she was making hushed calls, and if anyone of us was contacting her.

The recording ended and for several seconds, I couldn’t say anything.

I looked at Adrian, then down at the phone in his hand, and suddenly understood why he had been so mad when I mentioned meeting my mother.

"He sent someone to watch her?" I asked.

Adrian nodded, his expression hardening as he slipped the phone back into his pocket. "Yes. That’s why you can’t just walk into her life right now because you feel guilty about making her worry. My dad is already suspicious. If you meet her, he could find out where we are, and worse, he could realize that you’ve told her something."

I swallowed and looked away.

A few minutes ago, all I had wanted was to see my mother.

But now, I realized I couldn’t. He was having her watched too.

Adrian’s voice softened slightly when he spoke again, but his warning remained firm. "I know she’s worried about you, Nicholas. But don’t do anything stupid that could put all of us in danger."

I nodded slowly, finally understanding why he had stopped me.

My mother wanted answers and I wanted answers about my father.

And Gareth? He was beginning to be suspicious of us both.