Page 93 of Pucking Secret

Silence follows my declaration. I feel like I can finally breathe now that I’ve told her how I really feel about Gerald, but I can’t tell what she’s thinking. Mom lowers her gaze and seems to consider my words carefully for several long moments. A part of me starts to worry when the silence stretches a bit longer, questions I’ve barely been willing to consider taking hold. What if she chooses to stay with him? What if she somehow takes hisside in all this? Finally, she looks back up at me with a soft, sad smile.

She squeezes my hand, her voice trembling. “You’re right.”

My heart relaxes.

“Gerald has gone too far.” She shakes her head sternly. “And if what you’re saying is true, his behavior is unforgivable.” She pauses, her expression hardening in a way I’ve never seen before. “The truth is, his family has not been happy with him for a while. They’re fully aware of his ambitions and are sick of his scheming. Besides, it’s already too late for him to produce the first heir - your step-cousin is pregnant, but everyone is keeping it secret so Gerald doesn’t find out. It helps that she’s been traveling for so long so we haven’t actually seen her in person in months. The family has tolerated him for your sake, Owen, but if they find out what he’s done...”

“I don’t care about his family,” I say, my voice sharp. “I care about Millie and Stacey… and I care about you, Mom. I want you in my life, and in my daughter’s life, but not if Gerald is still in yours.”

For several moments, she doesn’t say a word and I can’t fully read her expression. At length, she releases a sigh and nods. “I understand, Owen. I really do. I’m so sorry, honey. Truth be told, I rushed into a marriage with Gerald all those years ago because I knew you needed a man in your life, and we needed some financial support. But I should have seen how miserable Gerald made you long before now. Honestly, I think I knew and just didn’t want to believe it, which only makes everything worse.”

“Mom, it’s okay…”

“No, it’s not,” she firmly says. “Your happiness has always come first for me, and I’m sorry if I haven’t done a good job showing you that. You have been so good to me, son, and it’s time that I do what I should’ve done a long time ago and stand up to Gerald. I don’t want you to worry… I’ll handle it. I’ll talkto his siblings. Gerald won’t be able to stand on his own without their support, and then he won’t have any power to wield over you and your new family.”

Happiness overwhelms me. I wasn’t certain how she would react to all this, and a small part of me worried that she would stand staunchly on Gerald’s side, but she’s not. She’s choosing to stand with me. To support me and defend me. After all these years of trying to protect her, I see now that she’s stronger than I gave her credit for. She’s able to face the truth of who Gerald really is, and is willing to walk away from him.

It’s everything I’d ever hoped for.

I shake my head. “I still have to face him, Mom. I have to do this myself.”

She gives me a small, sad smile. “You do what you have to do, then. Let me take care of the rest, Owen. I won’t let him hurt you anymore or keep me from my granddaughter.”

Relief washes through me. This was much easier than I anticipated. Have I been underestimating my Mom all these years? Assuming she was weak and would go to any lengths to keep Gerald?

Yet, here she is, choosing me.

I lean over and press a kiss to her cheek. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, sweetheart,” she murmurs.

I meet her gaze, and in a firmer tone, ask, “Now where’s Gerald?”

I walk into Gerald’s office, my heart pounding with a mix of fury and resolve. The massive space is as ostentatious as he is — leather chairs, dark wood paneling, and a massive desk thatscreams “control.” He’s sitting there, like a king on his throne. Today, I’m not bowing.

He barely looks up when I enter.

“Owen,” he says, his tone clipped. “Your mother mentioned you were flying in for a visit. I hope you’re here to explain why you’ve been acting like a fool.”

The disdain in his tone is nothing new. It’s the same voice he’s used on me throughout his marriage to my mother. Whenever I failed to meet his impossible standards, whenever I dared to have an independent thought. For years, I let that voice control me, twist me into someone I didn’t even recognize.

Not anymore.

I cross to his desk and slap my hands down on its surface. “I’m here to look you in the eye and tell you one more time that there will be no wedding. I’m done, Gerald. I’m not your son, I’m not a Weston, and I’m not coming back to Canada. Ever.”

The words roll off my tongue so easily, it’s as if they’ve just been waiting for me to speak them into existence. I’ve imagined this moment a thousand times, playing out just how I’d tell Gerald to fuck off out of my life. The reality is so much more satisfying than I could’ve anticipated, especially when I see his reaction.

He’s so angry he barely sputters out his next words. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” I say, my voice steady. “I’ve put up with your bullshit for years, but it ends now. I’m cutting all ties, Gerald. You don’t own me, and you don’t get to control my life anymore.”

He regards me for a moment before releasing a cold chuckle and shaking his head.

“Don’t be an idiot,” he says dismissively. “Stop wasting my time with this nonsense. You know your duty - marry Elise and produce me an heir. Alegitimateone. Simple enough.”

I grit my teeth and shake my head. “No, Gerald. I’m fucking serious. I’m walking away from you and all your bullshit today, and I’m never coming back.”

His face darkens, and he stands, leaning across the desk. “Do you have any idea what you’re saying? What you’re throwing away? Everything you have, everything you are, is because of me!”

---