My Cold-Hearted Husband Wants Me Back
Chapter 90: The Weight Of The Day

Chapter 90: The Weight Of The Day

Regina cried.

For the first time in Eryx’s thirty-year life, his mother, whom he had always believed had buried her emotions somewhere unreachable, cried.

The whole living room was filled with the quiet sound of her breaking. Not loud. Not messy. Just raw. As if every tear had waited years for permission to fall.

She sat down slowly, her shoulders trembling as she tried to hold herself together, but failed. Eryx didn’t say a word at first. He couldn’t. He had no memory of this woman ever cracking, not when his father died, not when his brother’s body was returned home, not even when Matilda tore her down in front of everyone.

But now, she cried.

And somehow, that hurt more than anything Matilda had said.

Naomi, who had been standing frozen by her side, finally moved. She crouched down in front of Regina, her arms reaching out to wrap around her mother.

Regina didn’t flinch, didn’t pull away. Instead, she clung to Naomi like a lifeline, her sobs muffled against her daughter’s shoulder. Naomi’s hands trembled as she held her, her own eyes welling up.

Eryx stood in the background, his fists clenched at his sides. He couldn’t bring himself to approach them. This wasn’t how he imagined confronting his mother, yet here they were, surrounded by the remnants of what Matilda had done to their family.

"Mom..." Naomi whispered, her voice cracking. "You don’t have to do this alone. We’re here."

Regina’s sobs seemed to quiet for a moment, but her voice was thick with pain as she spoke, her words barely audible. "I never wanted this. I really am sorry... I was being harsh to all of you all this time, just to protect you."

Eryx’s chest tightened at her words, and for a moment, a surge of anger raised inside him. ’Protect us?’ He wanted to shout, but the words got stuck in his throat. Instead, he clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing as he looked at his mother, who was now clinging to Naomi for support.

He took a step forward, his voice low but edged with frustration. "This isn’t how you protect your kids, Mom. This isn’t the way."

Regina looked up at him, her eyes swollen and red, searching his face for understanding, but Eryx couldn’t bring himself to soften his expression. He hated the way she let Matilda control them. He hated the way she stood by and allowed it, all for the sake of some twisted form of protection.

Regina’s face crumpled in pain, but Eryx’s cold expression remained. He knew why she did it. He understood the reasons she had pushed them all so hard, the sacrifices she had made, even at the cost of her own peace. But that didn’t erase the years of resentment.

"Don’t think that I already forgive you," Eryx said, his tone rough. He turned, walking toward Lunara and held her hand.

"I hated you for this," Eryx muttered, barely above a whisper. His voice trembled with the weight of years of suppressed emotion. "For doing everything she wanted. For making us live in her shadow."

He paused for a moment, his chest rising and falling with each breath. It was all too much. The memories, the pain, the years spent under oppressive control, and the resentment that had festered over time.

Eryx let out a quiet, frustrated sigh before continuing, his words coming out sharp. "But... I’m not that naive, mom. I see it. You did what you thought was right. Doesn’t mean I agree with it."

Without waiting for a response, he turned his back and walked toward the stairs. "You should stop doing that and think about your life more," he said, his voice tinged with finality. "We are old enough to protect ourselves."

As he ascended the stairs, Lunara stayed by his side, her hand gently squeezing his, understanding the storm that raged inside him. But she said nothing, knowing that sometimes silence spoke louder than words.

They sat at the edge of the bed in silence. The room was dim, the only sound coming from the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. Eryx rested his elbows on his knees, hands clasped, staring at the floor. Lunara sat beside him, choosing to be quiet, not asking, not pressing.

After a few moments, Eryx broke the silence.

"That woman," he said, his voice low, almost bitter. "She is my grandmother."

He let out a humorless snicker, shaking his head. "Funny, right? You grow up thinking family is supposed to protect you, love you, shape you into something good. But her? She shaped us with fear and control. Like we were just... parts of her empire."

His jaw clenched. "She talks about loyalty, legacy, tradition but all she ever cared about was power. Even my father, her own son, she let him break under the weight of her expectations. And now she wants me to do the same."

He finally turned to Lunara, his voice softer but hunting with guilt. "You weren’t supposed to be a part of this. I should’ve done more to keep you out of it."

Lunara shook her head. "I’m okay." She gave him a warm smile. "Is that why you didn’t want to bring me to meet her before?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I guess the family gathering that was supposed to happen today is officially canceled." He let out a dry chuckle.

Lunara tilted her head with a small grin. "Pity. I even practiced my fake polite smile for hours."

Eryx turned to her, surprised, then laughed really loud this time. "Sorry to disappoint you."

She gave an exaggerated sigh. "All that effort went to waste. I even rehearsed the kind of gracious laugh an angel would have."

Eryx leaned back slightly, his amusement still lingering. "Really? How?"

Lunara straightened her posture with mock elegance. "Like this," she said, lifting one hand to gently cover her mouth. Then, with great ceremony, she opened her mouth wide but made no sound at all. Her shoulders bounced delicately, like she was laughing without ever disturbing the air, and then she ended it with a dazzling smile that reached her eyes.

Eryx blinked. Then burst out laughing again, louder than before. "What was that?!"

"That," Lunara said with a smug nod, "was divinely approved etiquette. I was ready to win over the whole board of evil ancestors."

But then her stomach suddenly rumbled and Eryx’s eyes widened in surprise, "Is your stomach trying to finish the performance?"

Lunara groaned. "It’s hungry for a standing ovation."

He stood up, reaching out a hand. "Then let’s not disappoint it."

She took his hand with a grin. "Feed me something good, and I’ll give you a full performance of ’graceful angel at the table.’"

Eryx smiled softly at her, his gaze full of affection. He cupped her cheeks gently, his thumb brushing over her skin. Leaning in, he gave her a quick peck on the lips, then pulled back with his eyes sparkled.

"Thank you for cheering me up," he said, his voice low and sincere, the weight of the day still lingering but softened by her presence.

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