Reborn As Mr. Coldwell's Wife
Chapter 117: Old Memories

Chapter 117: Old Memories

Ellen was about to climb the staircase, ready to go up to her room, when a sudden loud noise startled her

She froze, her hand still gripping the bannister. The noise had come from behind the stairs. Frowning, she glanced over her shoulder, noticing for the first time that there was a door slightly ajar, just beneath the staircase. Curiosity piqued, Ellen let go of the bannister and slowly walked toward it.

"I didn’t know there was a room here," she mumbled to herself, reaching for the doorknob and pushing the door open fully.

The door creaked as it swung inward, revealing a narrow set of stairs leading down into a dimly lit space. Ellen hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should check it out. She didn’t recall ever stepping foot inside this part of the house. But the noise had been loud, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was down there.

With a quiet sigh, Ellen made her decision. She descended the stairs, her footsteps made soft sounds in the quiet. At the bottom of the stairs, the basement opened up into a large, cluttered room. Dusty shelves lined the walls, stacked with old, forgotten items. The sound of a vacuum cleaner filled the air, and as she stepped further in, Ellen could see Vivi working diligently, her back turned to the entrance.

Ellen watched for a moment, unsure whether to interrupt. But when Vivi finally turned off the vacuum, Ellen cleared her throat softly.

"Vivi?" she called out, her voice gentle.

Vivi jumped, spinning around with wide eyes. But when she saw who it was, she let out a sigh of relief, placing a hand over her heart. "Oh, Mrs. Coldwell! You gave me such a fright."

Ellen gave her an apologetic smile, raising her hands slightly. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you."

Vivi shook her head, laughing it off as she set the vacuum cleaner aside. "It’s alright, really. I just wasn’t expecting anyone to be down here. You hardly ever come to the basement."

Ellen glanced around the room, her eyes taking in the clutter of old boxes and furniture covered in dust sheets. "I didn’t even know you cleaned down here."

"Yeah," Vivi replied with a nod, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Mr. Coldwell orders me to clean the basement once a month. He likes to keep it neat, even though he doesn’t come down here much either."

Ellen turned her attention to the boxes stacked in various corners of the room. It was clear this basement held things Mason didn’t use often, yet he still didn’t want to get rid of them. The thought made her smile softly. It must be filled with things that were precious to him, items he couldn’t bring himself to throw away but didn’t really need in his daily life.

"That sounds like Mason," Ellen said quietly, more to herself than to Vivi.

Vivi gave a small nod, then turned back to her cleaning. Ellen continued to wander around the room, her fingers lightly brushing against the tops of dusty boxes as she went. One box, in particular, caught her eye. It was slightly larger than the others and had the words "Photo Albums" written on the side in faded marker.

Intrigued, Ellen knelt down in front of the box. She opened it carefully, revealing a stack of old, worn photo albums inside. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she reached for the nearest one. Before opening it, she glanced over at Vivi, who was still busy cleaning, oblivious to what Ellen was doing.

Ellen spotted a chair nearby and dragged it closer to the box. With a soft grunt, she sat down and settled the album on her lap. She ran her hand over the cover for a moment before flipping it open.

The first few pages were filled with photographs of a much younger Mason. He had a boyish charm, his face still soft and round with youth, but what struck Ellen the most was his smile. It was a wide, carefree grin, something she had rarely seen on him in the present. The Mason she knew now was composed, reserved, and stoic—always in control. But here, in these photos, was a different version of him. He looked happy.

She couldn’t help but smile softly at the sight. In one picture, Mason was sitting in the grass with Gerald, both of them laughing at something just out of frame. Their smiles were so bright and natural that Ellen felt a warmth spread through her chest. She gently turned the page, revealing another picture of the two friends, this time playing basketball. Mason was mid-jump, trying to make a shot, while Gerald was playfully trying to block him.

As she turned another page, she found a picture of Mason with his older brother, Ian. The two of them stood side by side, arms draped over each other’s shoulders. Ian was taller, with a broad grin, while Mason stood a little more reserved, though still smiling.

She turned to another page, and her fingers froze mid-air. Her breath hitched slightly as her eyes landed on the next set of photos. There, smiling brightly, was Mason. But he wasn’t alone. Aubrey was by his side, and they looked... happy. Too happy.

They looked like a perfect couple—comfortable, at ease, like they belonged together. Ellen’s heart sank as she turned to the next page. The images didn’t get any easier.

One showed Mason and Aubrey sitting together on a park bench, their fingers intertwined. Aubrey was leaning against Mason’s shoulder, her eyes closed, and Mason was looking down at her with a tenderness Ellen had never seen him display. He looked peaceful, content—as though, in that moment, the rest of the world didn’t exist.

She swallowed hard, her throat tight. As much as she didn’t like it, this was a part of Mason’s past that she couldn’t erase. Aubrey had been someone important to him—someone who had made him happy, once. Ellen could see it in every single photo. The way Mason looked at Aubrey, the way he smiled so easily around her. They seemed like a perfect match, at least in those moments captured in the photographs.

For a long moment, Ellen just stared at the images. She felt a sharp pang of jealousy, though she hated to admit it. But more than that, she felt a strange sense of helplessness. She couldn’t change Mason’s past, no matter how much she wanted to. Aubrey had been there, had shared a part of his life that Ellen couldn’t touch.

"Is everything alright, Mrs. Coldwell?" Vivi’s voice cut through her thoughts, startling her slightly.

Ellen quickly looked up, blinking as she tried to shake off the lingering unease. She offered Vivi a small, tight smile. "Yes, everything’s fine," she replied softly. "I was just... looking through some old photos."

Ellen glanced back at the album in her lap, her fingers tracing the edges of the last photo before she closed it with a quiet sigh.

But even as she stood up and set the album back in the box, Ellen couldn’t shake the images from her mind. She couldn’t erase the past, but she’d make sure that Mason’s future, their future, wouldn’t be haunted by what had once been.