An Unexpected Proposal

September 17, 2020

"I—"

"Don’t like my mom. I don’t need a dad."

"…"

"As long as I have Mom, that’s enough."

So don’t even think about taking her away from me.

For a child so small, Mikael’s gaze carried surprising intensity.

Cabelenus stared at him in silence.

A child who looked so much like her, yet had another man’s blood running through his veins.

That fact alone made the boy’s existence unbearable.

If Alicia didn’t treasure him so much, he would have never mattered.

"If I could take her, I would."

Cabelenus tilted his head mockingly.

He knew that, for now, the child was winning.

But that didn’t mean he had to be gracious about it.

"…I really don’t like you now."

"I never liked you to begin with."

"Why don’t you like me?"

"Because you took something that was mine."

Cabelenus scanned Mikael from head to toe with a detached expression.

By all appearances, he was a well-loved child, with no obvious flaws.

If anything, his carefree smile was annoyingly pleasant.

And that was exactly why Cabelenus hated it.

Every time he saw Mikael’s glossy hair, he thought of Alicia’s dry, brittle strands.

Every time he saw Mikael’s full cheeks, he remembered Alicia’s hollowed ones.

Every time he saw Mikael’s small, soft hands, he recalled Alicia’s rough, calloused ones.

Mikael was like a parasite—thriving while draining the life from Alicia.

"I never took anything from you."

"You did. And it was the most precious thing."@@novelbin@@

"If I give it back, will you leave Mom alone?"

The uncertainty in Mikael’s eyes made Cabelenus realize how childish he was being.