Layla stared blankly at Annabelle after her confession. The words echoed dully in her muddled mind.
'I am your mother'
Was this a joke?, she asked herself. Was this woman trying to fool her by claiming to be her mother? As far as Layla knew, her mother was dead. Madame Parker had screamed it into her head all the years she spent as a slave. Countless times she was told, how she was born from rape and how she took her mother's life at birth. With the way Madame Parker engraved it in her, she had believed every word, cursing and blaming herself for killing her mother at birth.
Could it have been a lie? Could it be that all these years, Madame Parker had been spurting lies? Could it be that her mother never died?
But if Madame Parker had been lying all these years, and this beautiful woman before her was truly her mother, then why had she been abandoned? Why had she been left at the mercy of Madame Parker? A thousand and one question took root in her mind and flourished into more questions. One word kept ringing in her ears.
Why?
Annabelle watched her daughter's expression. She could tell that Layla was trying hard to process what she just told her. It wouldn't be easy for her, and she knew it. She cast a quick look at Riven and the lycan stared back at her. His message was clear;he wasn't going to interfere.
Annabelle's eyes settled back on Layla and she tried to smile.
"I know it's hard to take in my child",she said softly. "And I know a lot of questions are running through your mind right now but..."
"She told me you were dead",Layla interrupted quietly in a whisper, so quiet that Annabelle and even Riven had to lean forward to hear her.
"Who told you what?",Annabelle asked in an equally quiet voice.
A single tear drop slid down Layla's cheek and her eyes brimmed with unshed tears as she finally let herself remember the torture and abuse she had been subjected to in the hands of Madame Parker. Her name alone instilled fear in her heart.
"Madame Parker...",she whispered in a shaky voice. "She told me... you were dead. Sh...she told me...I took your life at birth... and... and that... I was born from rape"
The room went deathly silent after Layla's whispered words.
Riven chose not to interrupt them but with the way he grounded his teeth and the way his expression turned stoic, it was obvious that he was furious.
Annabelle felt her lips open and close without a single word emerging. She was stunned speechless, her face a mask of horror. Her fist clenched tightly and the glass of water beside Riven exploded, spraying pieces of glass and water everywhere.
Layla flinched in shock and her tears spilled down silently, afraid that Annabelle was furious at her.
Meanwhile, Riven was glaring at the Sorceress with eyes that had gone dark with anger and worry. He noticed how Annabelle's eyes flashed angrily while she tried to keep her rage in check.
"Annabelle...",he called warningly. He didn't want a situation where Layla would retreat into her silent self again. His mate was his first priority and she was already shaken from the events that had been happening.
Annabelle ignored him and tried to control the anger she was feeling. She forced a smile to reassure Layla while her blood boiled within her.
"Tell me Layla",she said quietly. "Did Maria... did Madame Parker ever treat you bad?"
Layla nodded slowly. She held on to Riven's shirt tightly, trembling as she finally believed that Annabelle was indeed her mother. She still had a thousand question but it was a great relief to know that Madame Parker had been lying.
"How old were you when it all started? Do you remember?",Annabelle asked again, one hand reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind Layla's ears.
Layla nodded again. She remembered everything. It wasn't something she could forget easily.
"I was just five",she whispered.
The windows in the room suddenly exploded as Annabelle's rage broke free.
...
Hours later, Layla sat in Riven's embrace in another room. His room was a mess; broken glass littered the floor, the curtains had been torn to shreds and the hard ceiling was cracked. All because the pure blooded Sorceress hadn't been able to control her anger.
Apparently Annabelle had gone mad after Layla's last words. Riven didn't blame her though. He was equally furious. To think that Layla went through so much abuse from such a young age was too much to handle. Riven wanted to rip into that woman that had tortured his mate and make her scream for mercy. He wanted to give her a slow death and make her...
Layla stirred in his arms, interrupting his train of thoughts. He looked down at her and brushed the strands of hair away from her face. After Annabelle's outburst, she had gone totally silent, back to the way she had been when he found her months ago. Layla was still too fragile, too delicate. And she folded up at the slightest provocation.
"Are you okay my love?",he whispered to her.
Layla nodded and hid her face against his chest. She felt drained, physically and emotionally drained. Her head was still reeling from what she just discovered. Her mother was alive! She was glad but at the same time, she didn't know what to feel.
A knock sounded on the door and Henrietta poked her head in.
"How is she now?",she whispered, probably thinking Layla was asleep.
Riven didn't answer, but he nodded curtly. He had so much to do, so many meetings with the Ancient Shifters that he kept postponing. But he made no attempt to do them. He left everything for Cade to handle. Right now, he just wanted to be alone with his lovely mate. He wanted to drown himself in her enticing scent, he wanted to lost himself in her captivating eyes. She was like a drug in his system.
Henrietta who was still standing at the door realized that she was intruding on a private moment. She quickly delivered the message she had.
"Annabelle wants to know...if it's okay for her to come in"
Riven felt Layla stiffen against him. He glared at Henrietta and spoke icily.
"She needs to keep her distance for now. Until my mate gets comfortable with her presence"
Poor child, Henrietta thought. Layla was deathly scared of everyone, even her own mother. It made her wonder what hell she had gone through before she arrived in the island. How she even got to the island remained a mystery. As much as Henrietta hated the Sorceress, she also felt sorry for her. To have your own child be terrified of you. It wouldn't be easy for Layla to just accept her after all these years;she would have questions.
"Alright Riven",she said and quietly exited the room.
Layla drew in a shaky breath and sighed as sparks erupted from Riven's touch. He ran a hand down her back and dropped a soft kiss on her hair.
"You haven't eaten in days my love",Riven said quietly while he caressed her hair.
"I don't want to",Layla's soft voice sounded hoarse. She ran her tongue over her lips and gulped. She felt nervous about what she was about to say but, she knew she had to. She owed it to Riven.
So she took a deep breath and parted her lips.
"Riven...", she whispered.
Riven nuzzled her hair, loving the way his name sounded on her lips.
"Yes my love?"
Layla paused and licked her lips before continuing.
"There's... there's something I want to tell you",
Riven detected something strange in her voice and he slightly turned so he could stare at her. He held her chin and tipped her face upwards, staring deep into her eyes.
"You can tell me anything my love. What is it?",he asked gently.
Layla stared at him for a while before turning her face away.
"You're not going to like it",she whispered while her heart pounded within her.