Chapter 232: The Weight of Secrets
“Cormac, did you make all this?” Aurora asked, her eyes wide with admiration.
Cormac hesitated, wanting to say yes, but he couldn’t bring himself to lie. “No, I bought it all,” he admitted, his voice a little sheepish. The truth was, he didn’t know how to cook.
Aurora’s expression shifted to one of concern. “You bought it?” she asked, her brow furrowing. “How much did all this meat cost? It must’ve been expensive. I don’t need so much to be full. This feels like a waste.”
Cormac smiled gently, trying to reassure her. “You’re still growing, Aurora. Eating well isn’t a waste.”
“But you work so hard,” she protested, her worry evident. “Making money isn’t easy. You shouldn’t spend like this.”
He reached out and patted her head, his voice soft but firm. “Don’t worry. I sold my watch and got some money. We’re good for the next few months. You can have meat at every meal if you want.”
Aurora’s eyes widened in surprise. “Was your watch made of gold?” she asked, incredulous. “How could it get so much meat? My dad’s watch was only worth twenty dollars and couldn’t even buy a few pounds of meat.”
Her words struck Cormac deeply. He felt a mixture of helplessness and heartbreak. “Just think of it as gold,” he said, a strained smile on his face. “Eat up.”
Aurora, still processing what he had said, quickly washed her hands and sat down to eat. She savored every bite, not forgetting to offer some to Cormac. “Cormac, try it too,” she urged.
“Alright,” he replied, though he had no appetite. Seeing her enjoy the food made him feel a bittersweet mix of happiness and guilt.
After finishing the meal, Aurora patted her full belly, her face content. “Thank you, Cormac. I’m so full. If my dad could see how well I’m living now, he’d be so happy. He always said there are good people in the world. Cormac, you’re one of them.”
Cormac’s smile faltered, and he nodded, though his heart felt heavy.
After the meal, Aurora immediately began cleaning up, her movements quick and efficient. “You go do your homework, Cormac. I’ll clean up,” she said.
“No need, Aurora,” Cormac insisted. “You’ve been in school all day. You should rest.”
But she didn’t listen. “I’m not tired. I can do it,” she said, gathering the dishes and heading to the kitchen.
While she worked, Cormac watched her, a little stunned by how naturally she handled the chores. She wiped down the table, swept the floor, and even mopped without missing a beat. It was hard for him to imagine how young she must have been when she started doing these things.
Once the cleaning was done, Aurora called out, “Cormac, you go take a shower and rest. I’ll do my homework.”
Cormac nodded, appreciating her kindness, and went to the small bathroom. The space was cramped, but he didn’t mind. After a quick shower, he knocked on Aurora’s bedroom door.
Inside, Aurora sat at a small, worn desk by her bed, absorbed in a book.
“Finished your homework?” Cormac asked.
“Yes, I finished earlier. Now I’m reading an extracurricular book,” Aurora said, holding up a book on world geography.
“You like books like this?” Cormac asked, genuinely curious.
“I love them!” Aurora said passionately. “I get to learn about so many countries. It’s like traveling. Look, Cormac, the pictures in this book are so beautiful.”
Cormac smiled. He’d been to all those places, but for Aurora, they were dreams. He could see the wonder in her eyes, and it made his heart ache.
“I’ll take you to those places someday,” Cormac promised softly, though he wasn’t sure how he could keep that promise.
“Okay,” Aurora said, smiling. She closed the book and began putting her things away. “It’s late. I’ll go to bed now. You should get some rest too.”
“Good night, Aurora,” Cormac said, watching as she settled into bed.
“Good night, Cormac,” she replied, already drifting off to sleep.
After closing her door gently, Cormac walked to the couch and lay down. He took out his phone and noticed an unread email from Alaric.
It had been a while since Alaric had contacted him. Cormac had changed his phone number, so Alaric had resorted to email to reach out.
The message read: [Cormac, I never expected things to come to this. I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I just hope you can find some peace. Be careful.]
Cormac’s heart tightened at the words, but the message meant little to him now. The past was behind him, and he didn’t need to hear from Alaric or anyone else in that world.
Without hesitation, Cormac deleted the email. It felt like one more door closing.
Meanwhile, at the Knight mansion, Caspian, Harry, and Elisa had just returned. It was Elisa’s first time there, and she was in awe.
“Wow, this place is huge!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder.
“This is Elisa’s home now,” Alaric said, his voice full of affection as he lifted her up in his arms.
“Daddy, I love you so much!” Elisa cried, kissing his face repeatedly.
Harry, always quick to tease, smirked. “Do you love Daddy, or do you love Daddy’s money?”
“Mind your own business!” Elisa shot back, her cheeks puffing out in mock indignation.
Caspian and Harry, familiar with the mansion, watched Elisa take it all in, but her amazement was hard to miss.
Seeing how comfortable Harry was with the place, Elisa raised an eyebrow. “Harry, have you been here before? How do you know this place so well?”
No one had told Elisa about the previous identity swap between Caspian and Harry, as it wasn’t relevant to her and she wouldn’t understand it anyway.
“Take a guess,” Harry said, his lips curling into a smirk.
Elisa thought for a moment, then shot a glare at Harry. “Did Caspian tell you?”
Harry chuckled. “Elisa, you’re so smart. You guessed it right the first time.”
Her expression turned to annoyance, and she turned to Caspian. “Caspian, why did you tell Harry and not me?”
Caspian didn’t know how to answer her question, feeling a little cornered.
Harry, enjoying the teasing, put an arm around Caspian’s neck. “Want to know why? Because we’re close.”
Caspian pushed his arm off, looking annoyed. “Take your hand off!”
After shaking off Harry’s grip, Caspian took Elisa’s hand. “Elisa, don’t listen to him. Let me show you upstairs.”
“Okay, Caspian is the best,” Elisa said, sticking her tongue out at Harry before following Caspian upstairs.
Alaric, smiling at the exchange, turned to Harry. “You stay here with Caspian and Elisa. I’m taking Stellan to her clinic. We need to do a final check before the opening tomorrow.”
“Alright, you guys go ahead,” Harry said confidently. “I’ll take good care of them.”
As Alaric and Stellan arrived at the Reassuring Clinic, now fully renovated and ready to open, Stellan proudly gave him a tour.
“Not bad, right?” she asked, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “I personally helped design this, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.”
“Honey, your taste is impeccable,” Alaric complimented, a grin on his face. “By the way, I’ve paid off the bank loan for you.”
Stellan opened her mouth to respond, but Alaric cut her off. “I’m your husband now. My money is yours, and your debt is mine. Got it?”
“Got it. Thank you, honey,” Stellan said, not feeling the need to be overly formal.
“This place is rented, right?” Alaric asked. “Since you’re so happy with it, why not buy it? It’s more secure.”
Stellan shook her head. “I’m afraid it’s not possible. The agent told me the owner has sentimental value attached to this place. Even though the whole family has emigrated, they didn’t want the place to go to waste. They rented it to me very cheaply—only three thousand a month.”
“Three thousand?” Alaric was taken aback. “That’s a steal for such a great location.”
Stellan shrugged. “At first, I didn’t believe it either, but the agent was convincing.”
Alaric raised an eyebrow. “Who’s the owner?”
Stellan smiled. “I don’t know. I only dealt with the agent, never the owner. It was a tough time for me, but everything related to this clinic, including the loan and rent, went so smoothly. I thought you might have been helping me behind the scenes, but I realized you weren’t even aware.”
Someone had been helping Stellan without Alaric’s knowledge?
Alaric walked out of the clinic and looked across the street, his gaze landing on a building. “Is that building across the street a residential one?” he