My Child and I Married a Billionaire

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: Feed Me

In the end, Damien stayed the night.

Thankfully, Candy was there, sleeping between them, so Cecelia didn’t have to be close to him.

However, a lingering resentment kept her from sleeping soundly.

Back at the Vaughn family estate, it was dinnertime. Hearing that Damien hadn’t returned, his grandfather ate dinner alone in his room.

The massive villa, which had been so lively recently, was as quiet as a haunted house today.

Mrs. Vaughn had been left all alone, and she was in a terrible mood.

She asked Ms. King if her son had returned at eight o’clock, and then again at nine. He still wasn’t back.

She returned to her room, clutched her chest, and began to act as if she were in pain.

"Call Damien. I didn’t eat dinner tonight, and my stomach condition is flaring up. Tell him to come back right away."

Cecelia slept on the innermost side of the bed, Candy in the middle, and Damien on the outside.

He was patting Candy’s little shoulders and had just lulled her to sleep when his phone rang. He was surprised to see it was Ms. King.

’It might be about Grandfather.’ He got out of bed and answered quietly.

"Ms. King, what is it?"

"Sir, where are you? Can you please come back right away? Your mother didn’t eat dinner tonight, her stomach condition flared up, and she’s feeling awful now."

Damien’s brow furrowed.

When his mother was younger, she went through a phase of fighting with his father. She would often protest by refusing to eat, and as a result, developed a stomach condition at a young age. He couldn’t believe it hadn’t gotten better after all these years.

"If she’s feeling sick, have her take some medicine. If that doesn’t work, call a doctor to come see her. You can make her something to eat, too. I don’t know anything about medicine, so what good would I be there?"

Although Ms. King really liked Cecelia and supported her relationship with Damien, she was also a mother.

Hearing a son speak to his mother that way, she instinctively felt Mrs. Vaughn was being wronged.

"How can you say that, Sir? I know you’re not a doctor and that there’s not much you can do by coming back, but I called you anyway. Why? Because you’re her son! When a mother is sick, it’s only right for her son to come and see her. How can you..."

"No matter what, your mother carried you for nine months and went through so much to bring you into this world. You shouldn’t be so hostile toward her!"

Ms. King’s words, coming from an outsider, were fair, and Damien was suddenly filled with shame.

’She’s right. After all, she’s the mother who carried me for nine months, gave birth to me, and raised me. Even if our relationship has grown distant over the years, she’s still the person I’m closest to in this world. How could I have said something like that?’

"You’re right. I’m heading back now."

Drowsy with sleep, Cecelia heard his voice, opened her eyes, and sat up.

"You’re leaving?"

"Yeah. My mom’s stomach condition is acting up."

Damien’s expression was grim as he got dressed and told her,

"I’ll come back once she’s doing a little better. It’s too quiet here, there are no security cameras, and Candy is so young. I’m not comfortable leaving you two here alone."

Cecelia: "..."

’This is way too much trouble.’

’It’s a forty-minute drive back, and then after taking care of his mom, another forty-minute drive to get back here...’

"There’s no need. It’s so late, and traveling back and forth is too exhausting. I’m not a child; I’ll be fine."

"I’m informing you, not negotiating with you. Cecelia, from now on, you are not allowed to say those three words, ’There’s no need,’ to me ever again."

Damien finished dressing and stared at her beautiful face.

"Go to sleep. Sleep soundly and don’t worry. I’ll be back very soon."

Speeding the entire way, Damien arrived back at the family estate.

Mrs. Vaughn was leaning against the headboard in her room. Her face was bare of makeup, and she looked exceptionally frail and weak.

Ms. King was sitting by the bed with a bowl of porridge, trying to coax her.

"Ma’am, not eating is so hard on your stomach. How will you ever get better? Please, eat at least a little. I’ve been simmering this for over an hour."

"I don’t want to eat. The son I worked so hard to raise has become so estranged from me... there’s no point in living. If I can’t get better, then so be it. I might as well just die."

Damien reached the doorway just in time to hear these words, and his expression involuntarily darkened once more.

"Ahem..."

Hearing the sound, Ms. King turned. Seeing him, she looked as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Sir, you’re back!"

"Yes. Ms. King, thank you for your hard work today. You should go get some rest. I’ll take it from here."

Damien took the bowl of porridge and sat on the edge of his mother’s bed, their eyes meeting.

’He had to admit, his mother’s face, when exquisitely made up during the day, did look quite young. But at night, with her defenses down, the traces of middle age were easily visible.’ freeωebnovēl.c૦m

’His mother wouldn’t be young and healthy forever. Looking at her now, a wave of realization washed over him in an instant.’

’He rarely contemplated their mother-son relationship—in fact, it was safe to say he almost never did. And he seldom felt this kind of aching sympathy for her.’

’But now, seeing how frail and aged his mother looked, he truly felt his heart ache for her.’

"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way earlier. Please don’t be angry anymore. Mom, have something to eat."

Mrs. Vaughn hadn’t intended to cry.

But for the first time in his life, her son was showing his softer side, apologizing, and trying to comfort her. In that instant, she felt as vulnerable and wronged as a little girl.

"Damien, I’m your mother. Your own mother. You’re the only child I’ll ever have. Even though we haven’t been in close contact these past few years, no one can ever take your place in my heart. I would never hurt you, so why can’t you understand me?"

Seeing her cry over him made Damien’s heart ache even more, and he gently wiped her tears away.

"Just look who I get this temper from. I lose my head as soon as I get angry... Alright, alright. You said it yourself, you’re my mother. What kind of mother holds a grudge against her own son? Stop crying."

Pfft!

She hadn’t expected him to say something like that, and Mrs. Vaughn found herself laughing through her tears.

"Oh, you,"

She looked at Damien with a loving gaze.

’So young, so handsome, so considerate... he even knew how to coax someone out of a bad mood. He was, quite simply, the most outstanding and perfect work of art in the entire world.’ freёwebnovel.com

’She would never allow her masterpiece to be mocked, nor would she permit a black mark to tarnish his brilliant life story.’

"Feed me."

Damien fed her the porridge one spoonful at a time. Afterward, he chatted with her for a while about his childhood, and Mrs. Vaughn lovingly handed him a glass of water.

"You’ve worked so hard taking care of me tonight. You must be thirsty after talking for so long. Here, drink some water."

Damien took the glass and had a couple of sips.

"Okay. If you’re feeling better, I’m going to head out. You should get some rest."

He made a move to leave, but Mrs. Vaughn grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Why only a couple of sips? Drink some more, your lips look dry. And... even though I feel much better, I don’t think I can fall asleep just yet. Son, could you sit here and pat my back for a while?"

It was almost eleven o’clock, and Damien was anxious to get back to Cecelia’s place, but he patiently began to pat his mother’s back.

After just a few minutes, his head grew heavy, and an irresistible wave of drowsiness washed over him.

Mrs. Vaughn saw his pats growing lighter and his eyelids fluttering shut. She, in turn, began to pat him gently.

"My poor child, you’re exhausted. Mama will pat you. Go on and sleep now."

Damien slumped over the side of her bed, fast asleep.

"Gwen, he’s asleep. You can come out now."