Willow immediately stood up, closing the distance between herself and their mother in two long strides. She gently took Elina's arm, her strap gaze scanning her for any sign of injury.
"Mum, are you okay? You didn't burn yourself, did you?"
Elina blinked as if only just registering what had happened. Her heart, which had clenched tight from those words, gradually loosened.
Those words… they had struck something deep inside her. She did not understand why, but the very idea of abandonment… the idea of Micah not being her son…felt like a taboo to her, something she couldn't bear to acknowledge.
She did not want to hear them ever again.
It was as if they were magical spells, speaking them aloud would burst the bubble of her happy life and their perfect family.
It felt ominous.
Only a few hours ago, she had laughed while telling the story of Micah's childhood, joking with her son. But she didn't think it would remind Micah about that incident. Now, it was heart-wrenching to hear the word of abandonment coming from her son…
Why did it hurt so much?
Elina swallowed the lump in her throat, forcing herself to speak.
"I am fine…"
Elina mumbled with a shaky voice.
Her eyes bore a hole into the figure under the blanket.
Willow, seeing her mother's dazed state, frowned. She called for a cleaner before leading their mother toward the couch.
Willow folded her arms and managed to control her expression. She was also hurt by Micah's words, questioning their depth of affection and love for him by a mere dream.
With this outburst, Willow was more sure that something had happened to Micah.
The boy was not someone who dwelled on such thoughts. His mind was always on the clouds, insensitive, inattentive and utterly ignorant. Micah was the definition of a narcissistic, loud, arrogant, impulsive, self-centred, rebellious young man who scoffed at sentimentality.
He would never lash out from emotional turmoil. Feelings were just mushy nonsense, beneath a man like him.
So why was he losing his composure now? Was it just a dream?
Her gaze flicked toward the blanket-covered lump on the hospital bed.
Perhaps someone had belittled him… it wasn't the first time that some vicious person had mocked Micah because of his lack of talent and ability compared to others in the Ramsy family.
But this felt different. When she heard her mother and sister's voice messages, she had assumed they were exaggerating, blowing the whole thing out of proportion.
Now, She wasn't so sure. She needed to look into what had happened that night seriously.
Was it really what their mother said the truth? Who would have been suicidal enough to lay a hand on Micah, the young master of the Ramsy family?
Micah, still buried under the blanket, felt like he was suffocating. He was too ashamed to face them. His words had undermined all the love he had received over the years. He hadn't meant to hurt them.
Once again, he had spoken before thinking. But this time, he knew just saying sorry would not be enough.
A soft, shaky voice broke the silence.
"Micah… sweetheart... Mum is sorry…"
His mother's words were so gentle as if she were trying to coax a three-year-old child.
"If I ever made you feel insecure without realising it... If my actions…if staying at the banquet last night made you feel you weren't important ..."
Elina was lost for words.
She thought maybe their action made their son anxious enough to dream about not being their child.
Micah hearing their words, jolted under the blanket and yelled.
"No… no…"
He shot up, throwing the blanket off his head.
"Don't say that, Mum… I wasn't angry or sad because you didn't come yesterday… I even sent Grandpa home. I am sorry. I was just groggy from waking up. I... I spat some nonsense. So, please don't take it to the heart… you know me... I spoke before thinking…"
Micah pleaded with his eyes, hoping they would not take his words seriously.
Elina stared at her son's eyes, which were full of worry and guilt. He wasn't lying about speaking carelessly, but it didn't lessen the pang of discomfort she felt hearing them.
She didn't comment on it and changed the subject.
"So, tell Mum, honestly, why were you feeling down? You aren't yourself today."
Micah sighed in relief, noticing she had dropped the topic.
"I really liked that girl from our class… but after what happened, I felt so humiliated... I totally lost my chance… I even don't want to see those friends anymore…"
Micah lied without batting an eye.
He could come up just with this half-ass excuse to smooth things over.
Elina felt her heart return to its place. With her son's personality and prideful behaviour like a rooster, he would be traumatised by that.
She pondered what would happen if he saw the video that was posted on social media.
She bit her lips.
Good thing, her husband, Jacob, had taken it down.
And those so-called friends should watch their act, filming her son and posting it... Wasn't it just blunt mocking?!
Her expression darkened.
Yeah, it was better Micah cut ties with them.
Still, the dream about abandonment… and his aversion to physical contact with strangers…
She held her tongue. There would be plenty of times to question him later, but right now was not the time.
Elina's gaze lingered on her son's worn-out appearance before she pushed her curiosity aside. Some wounds weren't meant to be pried open so soon.
Willow, like their mother, was unconvinced. She examined her little brother, who was obviously fidgeting and guilty. But instead of exposing Micah's lie, she remained silent.
After understanding the full story, she would get the truth out of him.
Elina stood and reached out to gently ruffle her son's hair.
"There will be many more girls in the future… you are so handsome, who knows?… maybe one day, they will line up at our front door for you…"
Elina said as she laughed.
Micah's lips twitched, thinking it would be the real young master, Darcy, whose pursuer would camp out in front of Ramsy's house, not him…
Ahh.., he remembered them again. He couldn't stomach any of them.
Micah waved his hand, trying to put away his unpleasant thoughts.
"Mum… you forgot to mention boys…"
Willow, who had been leaning against the wall, chimed in.
Micah felt goosebumps prickling his skin.
"Older sister!"
"What? Don't you remember that pink-haired boy in the restaurant last year?!"
Willow raised her eyebrows, her eyes full of teasing.
Seeing his listless expression turning into the flushed look of a red pufferfish from embarrassment eased Willow's worried mind.
Yeah… this was her little brother.
"Please! Don't make me remember that!"
Micah wailed, feeling mortified and immediately diving under the blanket again.
That boy had long hair and with his slim, petite figure, Micah initially had assumed he was a girl. So when the boy winked at him, Micah, without thinking, smiled back.
The moment he realised his mistake, it was too late.
That had led to an embarrassing situation.