Alpha's Regret, Begging My Convict Luna Back Chapter 47

Aria’s POV

"Ms. Darvin, your grandmother left you a substantial inheritance. You must return ho soon to handle it." That was the ssage I got while in the marketplace. The person who sent it identified himself as my grandmother’s lawyer.

I had imdiately asked Peter to take ho, my mind buzzing with confusion. Inheritance? Why now, of all tis?

Upon getting ho, we were still outside when I got a call. It was my mother, Margaret, her number flashing on the screen. I hadn’t spoken to her in months, no surprise there.

I answered the phone, my grip tightening around the device. "Since you’re out of prison, co ho," my mother said, cutting straight to the point, no pleasantries. Her voice was sharp and clipped, as always. She never did believe in soft words.

I hesitated, my breath catching in my chest as I stared blankly at the small, dingy apartnt around . I had no desire to go back, but I couldn’t avoid her forever.

The silence on my end sparked a flicker of unease in her. I could practically imagine her eyes narrowing. "Aria, are you even listening to ?" Her tone rose with irritation, sharp and biting.

A faint scoff escaped before I could stop it. I pressed my lips together, squeezing my eyes shut to keep the flood of emotions at bay. This is just like her. This is how it always is.

"I am here," I whispered, barely a breath, my voice flat.

Her irritation spiked. "What’s with that attitude? Your grandmother’s death was your fault! Her morial is in a few days, you’d better show up."

I could feel the sting of her words, but I wasn’t surprised. Nothing ever changes with her. The bitterness swirled in my chest, sharp as ever. She always blad . She always had a way of turning everything around to be my fault.

My grip on the phone tightened, and for a mont, I considered throwing it across the room. But I didn’t.

This is the Margaret I know. The one who never let forget my mistakes. Who never held back in telling where I stood in her world. If she’d been any kinder, I might have wondered if soone had replaced her while I was away. But I knew the truth.

"Fine," I said, my voice flat. "I’ll be there."

"Make it soon," she pressed, oblivious to the chill creeping into my voice. "And why are you hiding out there? I heard Nathan’s looking for you. Don’t you think it’s ti to settle things with him and end that marriage?"

Her words were like daggers, each one cutting deeper into the parts of I thought I’d sealed away. I stayed silent, my teeth clenched as I listened to her complaints, saying nothing, not even bothering to defend myself.

For years, my mother had been the one pushing for the divorce. I used to wonder why, but just before I went to jail, I understood. She was never on my side.

Her words, "You won’t be happy with Nathan," "You deserve soone who loves you," it was all a façade. It was about Sophia, her adopted child. It was always about clearing the way for her. The thought made my chest tighten, the cold laugh in my heart bitter and dark.

"I’ll co for Grandma," I said coldly, cutting through the air between us. "Then I’ll deal with it."

I hung up before she could say anything more. The mont the phone clicked off, a sense of finality washed over . It was like slamming a door shut, and for the first ti in a long while, it felt good.

But I didn’t have ti to think about that. I had to figure out what to do with Lana.

When Peter found out I was heading back to my hotown, he offered to hire a nanny for her, but the idea didn’t sit right with . I couldn’t bring myself to do that. She needed to be taken care of, and I wasn’t going to trust anyone else with her, not even soone he’d hired.

I took a cab with Lana to the staff dormitory where I used to work as a cleaner. I hadn’t been back since I’d left, and the building felt like another world altogether.

"Hi, I’m looking for kara," I said, stepping inside.

A woman crouched in the corner, munching on snacks. She didn’t even look up at first, just flicked her hand impatiently when I tapped her shoulder.

Then Lana’s soft babbling filled the space between us. The woman’s gaze lifted, and when she saw , her face broke into a wide grin. "Hey! Aria! You’re here?" she exclaid, as though seeing after all this ti was a pleasant surprise. "Looking for kara? I’ll drag her out!"

She grinning, her eyes lighting up as she pinched Lana’s chubby cheeks before running to find kara. I watched, surprised by the sudden warmth in my chest. There was sothing about the way the won in the building greeted . It was with so much warmth and so much familiarity. It felt nice.

Soon, not just kara, but a small crowd of won who had seen off before sward around , each one offering greetings and friendly smiles.

I handed Lana over to be cuddled and cooed at by the familiar faces, a rare warmth blooming in my chest. Maybe I wasn’t entirely alone, after all.

As the won chatted around , I pulled kara aside, my mind already racing with the next steps. "kara," I began quietly, "I need to head back to my hotown for a few days. I can’t take Lana with . Could you look after her?"