Chapter 71
“Dad, are you taking me to see Mom?” Harry asked, his voice small, his eyes filled with hesitation.
“Yeah,” Alaric confirmed, studying him closely. “You like her a lot, right?”
Harry nodded slightly but didn’t respond.
“I was wrong to keep you from seeing her before,” Alaric admitted. “From now on, you can visit her whenever you want. Isn’t that great?”
Harry should have been excited, but instead, his expression darkened with worry.
“What’s wrong, Caspian?” Alaric pressed. “You’re about to see your favorite person. Why do you look like you’ve just been sentenced?”
Harry stayed silent.
Alaric had a feeling he knew why. Without another word, he pulled the car over to the side of the road, shifted in his seat, and faced his son directly. The intense gaze made Harry squirm.
“Dad… why did you stop the car?” he asked nervously.
“Let’s talk,” Alaric said. “I’ve been too busy to really sit down and listen to you. I don’t know enough about your thoughts, your feelings. That’s my failure as a father. But I’ve been reflecting on it, and I’ve realized I can’t always make you do things my way. I want to respect your opinions more.”
Harry’s eyes widened in shock. His father—Alaric—was saying this?
“Dad, you’ve actually been doing really well,” Harry managed, unsure of what else to say. “Especially lately. I’ve been a bit rebellious, and you’ve been… understanding.”
Alaric nodded, waiting for more. “And?”
“And… your cooking skills are amazing!” Harry blurted. “Your food is not only delicious but visually stunning, too!”
Alaric let out a short laugh but then suddenly cut in, “When you’re with Galatea, does she call you Caspian or Harry?”
Harry’s stomach dropped.
Did he figure it out?
He forced himself to stay calm. Stay cool. Stay cool.
“Dad, how did you know?” he asked, feigning innocence.
“She mistook you for her own son, didn’t she?”
Harry’s mind spun. It seemed his father only knew about the mix-up—he didn’t realize the full extent of what had happened.
“I don’t know,” Harry lied smoothly. “All I know is, when we met, she called me Harry. Then she told me to call her Mom. So I did.”
Alaric’s gaze was unreadable. “So, you never told her the truth? That you’re not Harry but my son, Caspian?”
Harry shook his head. “No. If she calls me Harry, then I’m Harry. I just went along with it. It made her happy, so why ruin it?”
Alaric exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples.
“Have you ever met Galatea’s real son?”
Harry straightened. “Of course not! How could an imposter dare to meet the real deal?”
Alaric actually chuckled at that. He reached out and lightly tapped Harry’s forehead. “So you do know you’re an imposter. But do you realize that means you’ve been lying?”
Harry pouted. “It’s not all my fault,” he argued. “She was the one who mistook me for her son. I just… went along with it. Isn’t it better to keep her happy?”
Alaric gave him a long, scrutinizing look before sighing. “You’re quite the smooth talker.”
“Well, I learned from the best,” Harry said with a cheeky grin.
Alaric tapped his forehead again, shaking his head. “You’ve deceived her. And me. Made me think—”
“Made you think what?” Harry asked cautiously.
Alaric didn’t answer right away.
He had spent so much time believing Galatea was a manipulative woman, using Caspian for personal gain. But now, seeing this situation unfold, he realized… she had been nothing but genuine.
His own assumptions had been wrong.
“Dad,” Harry clung to his father’s arm, voice pleading, “you can’t tell Mom I’m Caspian. If you do, she’ll never see me as her son again!”
“So, you plan to keep lying?”
“It’s a harmless white lie!” Harry insisted. “She’s happy, I’m happy—what’s the harm?”
Alaric exhaled, clearly unconvinced.
“Please, Dad,” Harry begged. “I’ve already told you the truth. Can’t you just keep my secret?”
Alaric fell silent. His mind churned with conflicting thoughts.
Could there really be two kids in the world who look nearly identical?
“It’s fate,” Harry said, sensing his hesitation. “With billions of people on the planet, isn’t it normal for a few to look alike?”
Alaric didn’t believe in fate. But this situation… it was beyond reason.
“Caspian,” he asked, voice softer now, “when you were with Galatea, did you talk to her a lot?”
“Yeah… quite a bit,” Harry admitted.
“Did she ever mention who Harry and Elisa’s father is?”
Harry stiffened. “I don’t know. I didn’t dare ask.”
Alaric frowned. He had asked Elisa before, but she didn’t know either.
“I remember you saying Galatea almost died giving birth,” he continued, watching Harry’s reaction closely. “That it took her a long time to recover. Did she tell you that?”
“Yeah… She told me last time at the hospital,” Harry said slowly. “Mom’s been through so much, you know? Nearly died twice. It really tugs at your heartstrings, doesn’t it?”
Alaric’s expression darkened.
He had misjudged her.
For so long, he had assumed she was manipulative, calculating—but she wasn’t. She was a woman who had suffered deeply, who had fought hard, and who had asked for nothing in return.
A wave of guilt washed over him.
“So,” Harry said hesitantly, “are we not going to Mom’s now?”
“Right now, Harry,” Alaric said, “Elisa is still in the countryside. If you go see Galatea now, you’ll be exposed right away.”
Without another word, he restarted the car and turned it around.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. His father hadn’t figured out the full truth.
Back at the mansion, Harry immediately locked himself in the bathroom and called Caspian.
“What?!” Caspian’s voice came through, startled. “Harry, aren’t you the clever one? How did you get caught?!”
“How is this my fault?!” Harry shot back. “Dad isn’t stupid. He pieced things together on his own. But luckily, I played it smart. Now he only knows about Mom mistaking me for you—he doesn’t know we switched places!”
Caspian went silent for a moment.
“So,” he said finally, “does this mean the misunderstanding my dad had about my mom is cleared up? Can they be happy together now?”
Harry didn’t answer right away.
Happy together?
Just a while ago, he had been begging Alaric not to harm his mother. Now Caspian thought they could have a happy ending?
He couldn’t bring himself to say the truth.
“Alright,” he said instead. “You take care of Elisa out there. As for the rest… we’ll see how things unfold. One step at a time.”
And with that, he ended the call.