Elly fell suddenly silent. The words that had nearly exploded from her mouth stalled on the tip of her tongue, creating a suffocating pressure in her throat. Instantly, the bitter memories of five years ago played across her mind like a painful, worn-out film.
She remembered that afternoon in New York, when Elena Vanderbilt, Erick's haughty mother, had met her with a gaze full of contempt.
"I know you are carrying Erick's child," Elena's voice had been ice cold then, as she placed a single check on the table. "This money is more than enough to make you stay far away from my son. Go, and terminate the pregnancy."
Elly could only look down, her face deathly pale. Yet, it was Elena's next sentence that had locked her fate until this very day.
"If you are foolish enough to give birth to it, I will personally ensure that the child dies. I refuse to let a Vanderbilt descendant be born from the womb of a common girl like you."
The memory struck Elly like a physical blow. She realized that this secret was the only shield protecting Felix's life. Her lips clamped shut once more.
"He... he is my most precious treasure," Elly sobbed, her tears flowing freely now, wetting her pale cheeks. "Please, do not hurt him. Hate me as much as you like, insult me as much as you want, I will accept it gladly. Just, I beg you, do not touch my son."
Elly bowed low, her body trembling violently as she knelt before Erick. "I know I have no power to fight you. I am sorry. Five years ago. I am sorry."
Her voice was hoarse, thick with pleading. She knew this apology was the only way to dampen Erick's wrath, even if she had to swallow the entire truth alone.
"How easily you apologize!" Erick barked, his voice cracking from the emotions suppressed for years. "You know. You destroyed my life! I was willing to leave everything behind, willing to live in poverty for years just to be with you! But you? You cheated on me!"
"Hate me all you want, Erick. But please, that is in the past," Elly whispered between her sobs. "Isn't your life comfortable again now? You have unlimited wealth, power. So, please. Forget that past. Pretend I never existed."
"You think I've been fine after your betrayal?!" Erick screamed, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the woman he once loved so deeply, who now looked so pitiful before him.
"Go back to New York," Elly said for the last time, her voice sounding hollow, as if her soul had grown weary. "We do not need to meet again. Isn't that much better for you and your luxurious world?"
Without waiting for an answer, Elly quickly scooped Felix up into her arms. She hugged her son tightly, as if afraid the man in front of her would steal the boy's very breath.
Elly turned and walked away rapidly, leaving Erick standing frozen in the darkness of the apartment courtyard. She let the night chill mask the sobs that refused to stop.
The apartment door closed with a dry click, locking out the world that had just shattered her peace. Elly leaned against the cold door, gasping for air as if the oxygen in the cramped room had suddenly vanished. Her chest felt heavy, crushed by an overflowing tide of pain.
"Felix, Mama is going to the bathroom for a moment, okay, sweetie?" Elly said with a trembling voice, fighting with every ounce of her strength to keep her tone from sounding broken. She set Felix down on an old sofa where the fabric had begun to wear thin.
Felix only nodded slowly. The boy sat stiffly with a blank stare, his face still reflecting the confusion and trauma of the violence he had just witnessed. Seeing her son's vacant gaze sliced through Elly's heart even deeper.
The moment the bathroom door was closed and locked, Elly's strength seemed to evaporate. Her legs suddenly gave out, no longer able to support the weight of her shaking body. She collapsed onto the cold ceramic floor, hugging her knees in the darkness.
"He is your son, Erick. He is your own flesh and blood," Elly whispered through her broken sobs. Her voice was barely audible, drowned out by the wild racing of her heart.
Tears streamed down, soaking her pale face. Elly covered her mouth with her palm so that her crying would not be heard by Felix outside.
"You should have realized it. How could you be so cruel to your own son?" she murmured in agony. "Why did the warm man I once loved turn into a monster this heartless?"
In that cramped, damp room, Elly wept without restraint, mourning the fate that had reunited her son with a father who saw him only as an enemy.