The Boss Behind the Mask Was My Father Chapter 08

Tears welled up in my eyes again.

I couldn’t stop replaying the look of hopeless resignation on Mom’s face right before everything ended. Even now, the memory filled me with fear.

I wiped my tears and studied her face.

Her features were exactly as I remembered, yet different all the same. Her cheeks were rosy now, and there was healthy flesh on her bones, and genuine smiles on her lips.

She was no longer the gaunt, pale woman lying in pools of blood.

My mom was truly alive.

There was no Teddy Payson, no Ivy Gibson, no cruel system.

No more pain, no more death.

“Mom, I was so afraid you’d leave me!” I threw myself into her arms and cried my heart out. All the pent-up grief and suffering of the past poured out.

I clung tightly to her clothes, gasping between sobs. She held me close, her whole body trembling.

“Sweetheart, I would never leave you. I endured everything there just to earn enough points to bring you away with me.”

“I’ll stay by your side for the rest of our lives.” She repeated the words over and over, her throat thick with emotion.

“Are you hungry? I bought your favorite mango sundae.”

I nodded eagerly.

She smiled, took the sundae out of its container, and held a spoonful to my mouth. “This will have to do for now. Tomorrow I’m taking you out for a huge feast.”

I held the bowl and ate happily. The sweet mango ice cream melted on my tongue, warming my heart.

I could barely remember the last time I’d tasted something sweet. Ever since we were locked away in that fake remote village, food had become a luxury.

Day after day, whenever the guards weren’t looking, we’d sneak scraps of leftover slop alongside that big yellow guard dog.

Enjoying a treat like this felt like a distant dream from another lifetime.

Mom sat across from me, resting her chin in her hands as she watched me eat. “Slow down. No one’s going to take it from you.”

I nodded, yet still ate quickly. I feared this joy would vanish, feared it was all just a dream, feared opening my eyes to see Mom trapped in agony once more.

Mom reached out and stroked my hair gently. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore, Nadia. There’s no Teddy, no Ivy here. It’s just you and me.”

I stared at her hand, the sundae still in my mouth. Tears fell steadily into the bowl below.

That night, I fell asleep clinging to Mom’s arm.

She told me all about what had happened to her after she returned.

Right after graduating from college, she had stumbled into a time tunnel and been bound to the system. That was how she met Teddy in that other world, and eventually had me.

For my sake, she’d struck a deal with the system. Her mission was to stay by Teddy’s side until his heartbreak meter reached ninety-nine percent.

She had thought she’d failed completely, never expecting that I would follow her into fire.

“Nadia, would you like to live here with me forever?”

I hugged her tight and nodded without hesitation. “Yes! I want to stay with you forever!”

I squeezed her fingers tightly, terrified she might disappear.

Sensing my fear, she said no more and began to tell me soft bedtime stories instead.

Her bedroom was spacious, with a large bed covered in fluffy, sun-warmed blankets. I closed my eyes, listening to her steady breathing and feeling the warmth of her arm beside me.

It was the first full, peaceful night of sleep I’d had in years.