Chapter 123: Mother and daughter

The tension in the room was almost palpable. Since Strax had appeared in this world, he had never felt such a... strange sensation? That's how his mind was processing it. It was exciting in a way, but he had no idea how Beatrice would react, because she was quite explosive... well, that was evident from her reaction to a few silly lies...

"She's going to explode, isn't she?" Samira murmured, seeing the two just staring at each other, not knowing what the first words between them would be. The silent gazes of the two women crying... without a sniffle or a sad grunt, just tears streaming down their eyes... "I'd like to say no... but for some reason, I only hear the sound of the clock," Strax murmured to her. Well...

he didn't know what would happen, but...

"Why... why did you..." Beatrice was the first to break the silence between them. Her golden amber eyes were looking directly into Monica's, trying not to focus on the tears of the maid claiming to be her mother. "I-I didn't want... you to grow up in misery... so I..." she murmured, and Beatrice commented, "You...

gave me to that family..." Beatrice said. That wasn't entirely true, but she knew the words carried much more weight than her thoughts...

"Why... didn't you tell me before... Why did everyone know and not me?" Beatrice said, looking at Strax, who was probably the first to know. After all, he had a guilty look he couldn't deny. "Things aren't always the way we want them to be," Strax commented. "It's only been a week or two...

it was before you were kidnapped." Strax clarified and looked into her eyes, "I found out that day that I and she... well, I had suspicions since I left Steinhardt," he continued, "Even so... did you never notice your similarities?" Strax questioned, now not understanding...

"I mean, you even have similar birthmarks. Didn't you ever notice that on Monica? Not only that, but your eyes are identical." Strax said, and Monica shrank back, and Beatrice remembered something... a faint mark she had on her butt... "You... you bathed me with a towel because you didn't want me to see..." Monica heard that and couldn't help but feel guilty for a moment, but...

Despite her toughness, Beatrice was feeling many things in her small heart...

"I was afraid to tell you and affect our relationship. I agreed to Mr. Steinhardt's contract to maintain this lie... but after he died..." Monica wanted to say more, but the words wouldn't come out. It was as if she were stopped multiple times by something in her mind, in her heart... She knew she was wrong, she was well aware of that.

Damn it! She gave up everything for Beatrice. The best moments of Beatrice's life were recorded by another woman, her first words, her first crawl, her first moments with teachers, the first time she tried horseback riding or riding in a carriage. Damn! She gave it all up for Beatrice to have a comfortable life while she lived as a maid. Still, she felt so guilty, so...

lonely... She had so much trapped in her throat, so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to express and apologize to Beatrice, who lived a life of illusions. She was always there but could never be what she was. And that made Monica feel terrible. She didn't want Beatrice to see her now...

Beatrice would never be sad to know that her mother was Monica. He always had this conviction and knew very well that Monica was the first person Beatrice thought of when asked about her family. Even he didn't have a place in this equation compared to Monica, and he didn't mind at all. After all, Monica was, without a doubt, her mother.

"Mommy..." Beatrice kept repeating it over and over as she hugged Monica, who couldn't hold back any longer and finally spoke... "My daughter... my little Beatrice..."

Monica and Beatrice continued to hug, the world around them seeming to stop as they surrendered to that moment. Monica's tears fell silently, each drop carrying years of pain, regret, and love. Beatrice, for her part, felt a mixture of joy and euphoria. There was much she still wanted to know and understand, but just knowing this fact already made her so happy.

Strax and Samira observed the scene in silence, respecting the intimacy of the moment. Strax knew that Monica had always been a maternal figure to Beatrice, but seeing the confirmation of this bond was something different. Samira, with a soft smile, felt the emotional weight in the air, almost as if she could touch that renewed connection.

Beatrice pulled away slightly, just enough to look into Monica's eyes. "Mom," she repeated, the word now full of new meaning, of complete acceptance. Monica smiled, a shaky but loving smile.

"My daughter," Monica replied, her voice breaking with emotion. "I'm... so sorry... I've always been here for you, even if you didn't know... I know it doesn't change things but..."

Beatrice shook her head, "It's okay..." holding Monica's hands tightly. "I know that now. And that's all that matters." She smiled, a smile that lit up her face despite the tears. "I love you, Mom."

Monica couldn't hold back her tears, but this time they were tears of joy. "I love you too, my little Beatrice."

Strax and Samira exchanged glances, sharing a moment of mutual understanding. Strax gave a slight nod, indicating that everything was fine. Samira smiled in return, her eyes shining with emotion.

Finally, Beatrice and Monica pulled back a little, still holding each other's hands. Their red and swollen eyes reflected the intensity of the moment, but now there was a light in them, a new hope and love.

Monica looked at Strax, her smile shy but sincere. "Thank you for supporting this... I thought that... no, it's better not to think about that," she murmured. "Thank you for helping me get here."

Strax nodded, a confident smile on his face. "You were always her mother, Monica. You just needed to believe it."