Chapter 235 - 235. Hope

Aaron had been very curious about it since the first time he saw his grandson's presence, it's just that he chose to suppress it, not because he didn't dare to ask, but he was more afraid that the question would only make Claire feel uncomfortable.

So he decided to shut up and find out for himself.

Slowly but surely, Aaron tried to calm the boy down by rubbing his head very gently, until he unconsciously fell asleep next to him leaning on the bed.

***

At this time, it was already eight o'clock in the evening. Claire still hasn't woken up since she fell asleep this afternoon.

Anyone can see the dried tears on her cheeks, the edges of her eyes are swollen and red, indicating that she seems to have fallen asleep crying.

No one knows how many times Aaron checked his nephew's room and still found Claire who didn't move at all in the same position as before.

As it was now, it was almost past dinner time and there was no sign of his nephew waking up yet. A rough sigh escaped his lips.

"Do I need to wake her up, sir?" asked a maid to Aaron.

Turning to the source of the voice, the man replied, "No need. Leave it alone. Make a night for her and give it when she wakes up."

"Yes sir."

"Now I will eat together with my grandson," he said again then closed the door to Claire's room slowly.

"Okay, sir. All the food is ready downstairs," replied the Maid.

Hearing that, Aaron just nodded. Then walked to Dave's room.

...

Maybe around eleven o'clock at night, Claire was showing little movement. The sound of a wake-up groans slowly filled the room. The woman then blinked her eyes to adjust the light entering her retina.

Slightly frozen in place, and then slowly rising from her slumber. She grabbed the flat-shaped object that she had previously placed on the nightstand.

"Eh?" She was surprised when she saw the clock displayed on the screen of her cellphone.

"I slept all this time?" she muttered as she rubbed the back of her neck. Her body felt stifling, it looked like she needed to take a shower immediately.

And also filled her stomach which was screaming in hunger.

Only a few minutes later, and the woman had changed into her pajamas with mocha nuances.

Knock...knock...knock...

The sound of a knock on the door was heard, making her immediately step up and see who was the mastermind behind the sound.

"Uncle?" said Anna when she saw the figure of a man behind the door.

"Are you awake? Even though I was just about to wake you," the man replied while rubbing the nape of his neck.

Since earlier, who knows how many times he has gone back and forth to check on his nephew's condition until late at night he had to wake her up because there was no way he could let Claire continue to sleep without eating anything.

And apparently, his nephew was awake.

"Yes, Uncle, just now," said Anna.

"Then come down, your dinner is ready," Aaron replied.

"Or do you want to eat here?"

"No need, Uncle. I can go down," replied Claire.

"Okay, then I'll go."

"Okay."

Claire didn't move an inch from her position until Aaron disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Suddenly her body froze, "Dave," she mumbled as she suddenly remembered her son. Immediately a feeling of guilt filled her for having yelled at him this afternoon just because of her personal feelings.

Whereas Dave was innocent and she had treated her so harshly, even abandoned him and ignored him until now. A hint of regret welled up in her heart.

It seemed she had to learn a lot to restrain herself so that something like this wouldn't happen again.

She suddenly realized one thing, that it was not only she who felt lost but her son as well. And she shouldn't have yelled at Dave like she had this afternoon.

Claire took a shaky breath. She had made a fatal mistake as a mother, thinking about it all, her eyes welled up with tears and the next second, clear tears were flowing obediently and running down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Whether she was crying for herself or because she felt guilty for her son, Who knows. It all blended, mixed up inside her making her chest feel tight again at that very moment.

Staying in that position for a few minutes, Claire then started to walk. Instead of going in the direction where the elevator was, the woman walked in the opposite direction, approaching her son's room.

Yes, she wanted to see Dave first before deciding to come down and fill her stomach.

Opened the room which was not locked, a dim atmosphere immediately greeted her, the dim light that came from the sleeping lamp on the nightstand right next to Dave's bed was enough to provide light for her.

With slow steps, Claire approached her son who was already asleep. She tried her best not to make a sound.

She then raised the blanket to cover the boy's chest then kissed his forehead for a long time.

"I'm sorry, honey," Anna muttered and rubbed her son's head gently.

Seeing such a peaceful face in front of him, a drop of clear grain escaped from her eyelids again.

It seemed that Claire deeply regretted her actions this afternoon. Only because she got carried away with emotion and had snapped at a child who didn't know anything.

Claire sobbed.

"I'm sorry, honey. I promise not to do it again. I love you very much," she said once again and gently stroked Dave's cheek.

"Sleep well, good night," she said again and then got up from her seat, slowly stepped back, and left the room.

Tonight, it's raining again, accompanied by the occasional strong wind, creating a perfect lullaby.

After dinner, Claire returned to her room. Her eyes, which she refused to cooperate with, kept her awake, now the girl seemed to be sitting in front of the balcony, watching the raindrops falling from the tile, enjoying the chill of the night which was so refreshing.

Occasionally her hair fluttered when the wind blew, revealing her long, white neck.

Claire was pensive, her mind wandering far away.

Even though she had met her real family, even though she already had people who cared about her around her, even though she wasn't alone anymore, for some reason Claire still felt an emptiness in her heart.

It would be a lie if she didn't expect Devan to come.. But, remembering the fact that Byanca is pregnant with Devan's child makes her realize that all her hopes were just her selfishness. Wouldn't that fact further clarify her status in the man's eyes?