Chapter 63
“Harry, what’s going on with Mom? Is this how she looks coming back from a trip? Something seems off.”
Galatea’s drenched appearance as she entered the house immediately caught Harry’s attention. She explained that it had started raining at the airport, and without an umbrella, she’d gotten soaked. To make matters worse, she had lost her bag, and Mia had to pay for her taxi fare.
But what disturbed Harry more was how tired she looked. Normally, if she’d gotten wet, she’d have showered and rested, but today, she merely wiped herself down with a towel and went straight to bed. It didn’t seem like the behavior of someone just returning from a trip.
Harry, recalling that Galatea had just been discharged from the hospital, couldn’t ignore the oddity of the situation. She looked far too miserable. Where was Alaric? Hadn’t he been at the hospital with her? How could he let her come home alone in the rain, especially after her discharge?
The thought of it fueled Harry’s anger. He had already overheard their conversation before, and Alaric’s actions only made him angrier. He couldn’t believe that Alaric would treat his mother like this.
Grabbing his phone, Harry was about to call Caspian to give Alaric a piece of his mind. But as the dial tone rang, Harry hesitated and quickly hung up. He couldn’t risk lashing out at Caspian after asking for his help recently.
“Harry, did you hear what I said?” Elisa’s voice broke through his thoughts. “What are you doing? Why did you pick up the phone, only to put it down?”
Harry felt completely deflated. “Elisa Storm, I’ve lost all my dignity because of you!” he snapped.
“What?!” Elisa seemed genuinely confused. “How did we get to this point? I don’t understand.”
“With your brain, what could you understand?” Harry shot back. “Stop jumping to conclusions. Mom’s tired—let her rest.”
After locking himself in the bathroom for a while, Harry glanced at Caspian’s number on his phone. Finally, he dialed it, a little reluctant but determined.
“Hello, Harry,” Caspian answered, his voice indifferent, though Harry could sense an underlying eagerness.
“Caspian, are you thinking we should switch back?” Harry asked, his voice sharp.
Caspian’s eyes lit up. “Of course! Why, are you ready to switch?”
Harry, jealous of the way Caspian seemed so eager to be with his mother and Elisa, gritted his teeth. “Don’t get too excited. We’ll swap again, but this time, it’s only for a few days.”
Caspian’s disappointment was palpable. “Just a few days?”
“Yes, just a few days,” Harry replied. “I’ll be back after I’ve gotten my revenge on Alaric.”
“Alright, a few days. When do we switch?” Caspian asked eagerly.
The boys set the plan in motion, deciding on a spot to meet and switch identities. As soon as Harry hung up, he snuck into Galatea’s room. She was fast asleep, exhausted from the ordeal. Harry whispered to her, “Mom, I’m going away for a few days, but I’ll come back and settle things for you.”
He then left her room quietly.
“Mia, Elisa, the rain has stopped. A friend invited me to play ping pong, so I’m heading out,” Harry called to the other women.
“Why are you going out so late again?” Elisa asked, suspicion in her voice.
“Because I love sports,” Harry replied quickly, not wanting to draw attention, then hurried out the door.
As he stepped outside, Harry noticed Alaric’s car parked by his building. His anger flared. How dare Alaric show up here, acting like a caring partner after all the chaos he caused his mother?
Jerk! Just wait and see how I deal with you!
To avoid being noticed, Harry took a longer route out of the building. Meanwhile, Caspian was at Cormac’s place, packing up the toys that had been bought for him. Cormac, puzzled by his actions, asked, “Caspian, what are you doing?”
“My dad’s coming home tonight,” Caspian replied. “I need to head back.”
“Is Galatea discharged from the hospital?”
“Yes,” Caspian nodded, his impatience growing.
“Alright, then I’ll drive you home,” Cormac offered.
“No need, Cormac,” Caspian replied quickly. “I’ve already called my dad’s driver.”
With that, Caspian left, carrying the toys, leaving Cormac confused.
At the designated spot, Caspian and Harry met, quickly exchanging clothes and phones.
“Wait for my call. Whenever I say we switch back, we do. Got it?” Harry instructed firmly.
“I understand,” Caspian agreed. “A few days is fine. After that, I can be with my mom and Elisa every day.”
They parted ways, each heading in their separate directions.
Back at Galatea’s apartment, Harry quickly dialed Alaric’s number. Alaric had yet to leave, still parked downstairs from Galatea’s building.
Harry’s grip tightened on his phone. He was worried about his mother’s health. But when he saw that it was Caspian calling, he exhaled in relief. “Hello, Caspian.”
“Dad, I’m back from Cormac’s,” Caspian said, his tone urgent. “Where are you? I need to see you now.”
Alaric, still thinking over things, looked up at Galatea’s apartment. “Okay, I’ll head back now.”
After ending the call, Alaric took one last glance at the apartment before starting the car and driving away.
Not long after Alaric left, Caspian arrived at the apartment, still carrying the two large bags of toys. He greeted Mia and Elisa, who were surprised to see him so soon.
“Where’s Mom?” Caspian asked, eager to see her.
“She’s asleep,” Elisa answered. “She went to bed after you left.”
Asleep? Caspian thought. Guess I’ll have to ask her tomorrow about whether she got the certificate with Dad.
Elisa, noticing the bags in Caspian’s hands, raised an eyebrow. “Harry, what’s that you’re holding?”