On the Ruins of His Regret I Soar novel Chapter 50

“You always assume the worst in people,” Lance said with a cold laugh. “While you were in the asylum, Catherine was the one constantly reminding Amy not to forget you. Your accusations are a slap in the face to her kindness.”

Jessica trembled, his words and his unwavering trust in Catherine like a thousand tiny knives stabbing at her heart.

She took a ragged breath, fighting back tears. “Lance, I don’t care how you feel about Catherine, but I need to know what happened to my daughter.”

She tried to reach for Amy again, but Lance blocked her. Desperate, Jessica tried to push past him.

“Enough!” he bellowed, his voice raw with disgust. “You make me sick, Jessica.”

Her hand froze in mid-air.

He pulled the small blanket over Amy. “How can someone like you even call herself a mother?” With that, he turned and carried Amy out of the room.

He paused at the door, his back still to her. “If I could,” he said, his voice hoarse, “I wish Amy never had a mother like you.”

Then he was gone.

Half an hour later, Jessica’s phone buzzed. It was a video from Catherine.

It showed Amy at home, tucked into bed, laughing and playing with Catherine, calling her “Mom Catherine.” Lance was visible in the background, sitting on a nearby sofa with a laptop, glancing over at them from time to time. Catherine was only wearing a nightgown. She was clearly staying the night.

“I get it,” Laura said, patting her hand sympathetically. “I have a daughter, too. Divorced her father a while back. He has money, so my daughter decided she’d rather be on his good side. She blocked my number.”

Jessica stared at her, stunned.

“I made my peace with it a long time ago,” Laura said, her tone matter-of-fact. “The only real bond is the nine months you carry them. After that, they’re their own person. They’re not your property. They have the right to choose a path completely different from yours. That’s their freedom.”

“But my daughter is only four,” Jessica whispered, her voice breaking.

Laura’s expression was blunt. “I’m going to say something harsh, but a four-year-old who already doesn’t like her own mother… you should just let her go. A kid like that is just going to grow up to be an ungrateful brat anyway.”