When Did I Become An Artifact Dealer?!
Chapter 108 - 109: Family

There wasn’t a shift in the destination. Cail wondered if he was being judgmental. It was already starting to rain. Thunder boomed, and lightning flashed. He finally arrived at his destination without a hitch.

Cail couldn’t help but think—did his luck turn out for the better? He looked at the departing cab. He had a feeling that the man probably had a target, but it wasn’t him.

"Not my problem." Cail declined to meddle. He took out an umbrella from his space and opened it. It was quiet, and there were no vehicles around this area. A perfect place for kidnapping.

It was just a six-minute walk to his house. Cail looked around and strolled under the rain leisurely.

When he finally arrived home, he locked the gate and opened the door. The moment he turned on the light, he got quite a scare.

"Mother, why are you sitting there in the dark?" Cail was speechless when he saw his mother on the couch, just sitting blankly by the window. She was quiet and didn’t make a sound when Cail opened the door.

He scanned her face. She looked unsure and a bit uneasy. Thankfully, she didn’t look depressed. She gave Cail a lackluster look. "Oh, you’re back?"

"No, I’m not." Cail placed the wet umbrella on the hook outside. He was dry, so he just sat on the couch beside his mother. He didn’t want to talk about that man, so he opened his bag and gave her the things he bought.

"Although it’s not branded, it’s expensive. You can wear that to show off, but be careful of people with malicious intentions." Cail placed what he bought on the couch, his eyes glancing at his mother.

It was surprising that she wasn’t running her mouth talking about his father. She calmly shifted through what Cail bought and finally picked up the ring.

"This shade of purple is beautiful." She touched the stone.

Cail looked at her. He didn’t know what her favorite color was, nor did she know his. He was knowledgeable about her quirks, interests, and personality, but he had no idea about the meticulous details. What was her favorite food? Favorite color? Favorite number?

The two of them were like strangers forced to act like family. But from Cail’s memories, it hadn’t always been like this.

There had been a time when his mother was still full of hope about his father’s return, and she was truly a ’mother’—gentle and loving. But after all of that came crashing down, she gave up on Cail and even on herself.

The only reason why Cail probably still had a hint of softness for her was because of that memory. She was his only attachment and the woman who brought him into this world.

"I’m glad you liked it." Cail took off his jacket and placed it on the table. His mother looked at him. She seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

"What do you want to say?" Cail hated that obvious "I want to say something" look. If you’re already showing it on your face, then just directly say it.

Her eyes reddened. Cail had an ominous premonition that she would have a mental breakdown again. Sure enough, tears dripped from her eyes. "You—am I pathetic?" she asked.

Cail was blunt. He looked at her and nodded. "Very."

What he received was a smack on his shoulder. It didn’t hurt, but there was obviously force behind it. She glared at Cail. "How can you say that? Do you know what I feel?" Her voice was shaking. "Ever since that happened, I don’t know how to pick myself up. And you’re messing around and doing nothing to help me."

Leaning on the couch, Cail had no idea why she decided to have a heart-to-heart talk this time. "Mother, do you have any idea what a normal mother and child dynamic should be?" He wasn’t the type of person who was good at comforting. And he thought this woman didn’t need any.

"A mother takes good care of her child. What are you doing? I’m actually confused as to what you want. Sometimes you need me, sometimes you care for me, but there are also times when I felt like you wanted me dead." This shifting treatment had been bugging Cail for so many years.

His mother went silent. It was always like this. Whenever Cail tried to confront her, she was always like that—always shifting the issue and ignoring his questions.

"I—I just wanted a complete family..." she said quietly. "I just want a family of my own... If he comes back, I can pretend none of those things happened. I can delude myself."

Cail was confused. "A family needs to have a father?" Then he almost laughed out of anger. "MOTHER! I AM YOUR FAMILY. I AM YOUR SON!"

Although Cail was always angry at her, this was the first time that he raised his voice. His mother looked at him. What Cail saw in her eyes was fear and detachment.

"I’m scared, okay! I’m so scared! I can’t face the consequences of my actions, so I just pretend nothing happened!" She slammed her hand on the sofa before covering her face. "I want to pretend that he never left... I regret it. I regret it! I keep having dreams! I have no idea if the alcohol is mushing my brains, but I am terrified."

She looked really unstable, as if everything she had been hiding inside was bursting out of her chest.

"Are we even on the same page?" At this point, Cail would be an idiot not to realize that his mother probably had other issues aside from being obsessed with that man.

She leaned on the couch armrest and cried. Cail sat beside her and asked, "What are you dreaming about? Tell me so we can solve whatever is bothering you." He was always not at home. What if that hidden anxiety of hers exploded when he wasn’t there to calm her down?

The results would be disastrous.

"I dreamed..." her voice was soft, almost drowned out by her crying. "I dreamed that you died."