Chapter 57: A Family Without Her

Chapter 57: A Family Without Her

Arthur’s small fingers moved, carefully fitting each block into place.

Diane watched him from a short distance, sitting across from him on the floor.

She had spent some time trying to get closer to him, trying to connect with him—but Arthur remained distant, more colder after the incident at school.

He barely looked at her.

He barely acknowledged her presence.

And the worst part?

He had never spoken a single word to her.

It wasn’t just the silence that hurt—it was the way he acted, as if she were a stranger.

As if she didn’t belong in his world.

But today, Diane was determined.

She took a deep breath and leaned forward slightly. "Arthur," she called gently.

Arthur didn’t look up.

He continued working on his Lego structure, carefully placing another block on top of a small figure he had built.

Diane hesitated, but then asked, "What are you making?"

Arthur finally glanced at her, just for a second, before returning to his task.

"A family," he drew on the paper and mumbled some words she couldn’t really understand.

Diane’s heart clenched.

She shifted closer, studying the Lego pieces in front of him.

There were two taller figures and one small one.

A man, a woman, and a child.

A family.

She swallowed. "Is that Dad and me?" she asked, pointing at the taller figures.

Arthur paused.

Then, slowly, he shook his head.

He pointed at the male figure, and wrote down on a paper, "dad."

Then, he pointed at the female figure, and wrote down, "My mom."

Diane’s fingers stopped.

Her chest ached in a way she couldn’t describe.

She opened her mouth, trying to form words, but nothing came out.

Arthur had called Rachel his mother rightfully, but if only he knew the real monster Rachel actually was.

Not the sister who had tried so hard to protect him.

Not the woman who had spent now every day fighting battles just to keep him safe.

Just Rachel.

Diane took a shaky breath, forcing herself to stay calm.

"And where am I?" she asked, trying to keep her voice light.

Arthur didn’t answer.

Instead, he quietly reached into his small backpack, pulling out a piece of paper.

A drawing.

Diane took it from his tiny hands, unfolding it carefully.

And what she saw shattered her.

The drawing was of her.

But she wasn’t standing beside Arthur and Leon.

She wasn’t smiling or holding Arthur’s hand.

She was burning.

Flames surrounded her, bright orange and red, licking at the edges of her body.

Her face was twisted in pain, and above her, in a child’s messy handwriting, were the words:

"DIE."

Diane’s breath hitched.

She looked up at Arthur, searching his face, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

Her fingers trembled as she held the paper. "Arthur..." she whispered. "What is this?"

Arthur shrugged.

Diane felt like she had been stabbed.

She forced a shaky smile. "Why... why am I burning?"

Arthur finally looked at her, his small face looked completely blank.

And then he wrote it down again, "Because my mom said you want to take me away from her," he mumbled something under his breath, and continued writing.

"And bad people should burn."

Diane’s entire world stopped.

She gripped the paper, her chest tightened so hard she could barely breathe.

Rachel.

Rachel had poisoned him against her.

The small family she had left—the child she had wanted to protect—hated her.

Diane blinked rapidly, forcing back the sting of tears.

She would not cry in front of him.

Instead, she carefully folded the drawing and set it aside.

She had to be careful.

If she pushed him too hard, if she got angry, it would only prove Rachel right in his eyes.

So she inhaled deeply, calming her voice.

"Arthur..." she started softly. "I would never hurt you."

Arthur stayed silent.

Diane placed a gentle hand on his Lego structure.

"You said this is your family," she murmured. "But where do I go in your world?"

Arthur stared at the blocks, thinking.

Then, slowly, he picked up a single Lego piece—a tiny, broken block—and set it far away from the others.

"Here," he wrote quickly.

Diane felt her throat tighten.

"You don’t want me in your family?" she asked.

Arthur’s small fingers gripped the Lego piece, his brows furrowed, and then he typed again. "I don’t know."

Diane swallowed the lump in her throat, nodding slowly.

She had to fix this.

Rachel’s poison was deep, but Diane refused to let it take everything.

She reached out and gently touched Arthur’s hand.

"You don’t have to choose between me and your mom," she whispered. "I will always love you, no matter what."

Arthur didn’t pull away.

But he didn’t answer, either.

Diane exhaled, glancing at the drawing again.

Rachel had already started turning Arthur against her.

But Diane wasn’t going to let her win.

As she was still sitting on the floor, staring at the heartbreaking drawing in her hands when a knock echoed through the room.

She lifted her head, blinking away her emotions.

"Door’s open," she called out, thinking it was Riot.

Micha stepped inside with his usual cocky smirk in place.

"Well, well, you look like you just crawled out of a funeral, rabbit."

Diane exhaled slowly, folding the drawing and slipping it into her pocket.

"Not now, Micha..."

He sauntered forward, casually dropping onto the couch beside her.

"Oh, but it is now. The operation’s done." He stretched his arms out, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

"Richard’s little empire just took a serious hit, and as a bonus, he’s losing his mind thinking Adrian is behind it."

Diane forced herself to push aside her emotions. She needed to focus. "No loose ends?"

Micha’s smirk wavered slightly. "One of my men didn’t make it."

Diane’s chest tightened.

She wasn’t naïve—she knew their actions had consequences—but hearing it still sent some sort of guilt through her.

Micha must’ve noticed because he waved a dismissive hand.

"Don’t look like that, sweetheart. He knew what he was signing up for."

Diane sighed, rubbing her temples. "So, what now?"

Micha grinned. "Now? Now you owe me that date."

Diane arched a brow. "You’re still on that?"

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You scared?"

She let out a dry laugh. "Of you? No. Of my husband finding out? Maybe."

Micha chuckled, shaking his head.

"Oh, rabbit, if I was scared of Gabriel Frost, I wouldn’t be here flirting with his wife."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read