A Shotgun Wedding with the Mafia Don-Chapter 33: Only a monster

"What’s wrong, Mom?" Caleb looked at her funnily as if she had something on her face when she exited her room and found him loitering in the hallway.

"Did you have a bad dream?" He appeared concerned, studying her face.

It was nothing like that, but the image of her husband out with another woman played continuously on her mind, keeping her awake all night.

It seemed he hadn’t changed at all. One minute, he acted as if he was into her. Next, she found him in another woman’s arms.

Classic Oliver.

As they said, once a cheater, always a cheater.

But why did it bother her that much? She should be used to this. After all, he was one of the most successful men in the world, in business and in the underworld.

Women would surely be buzzing around him. But the thought was not exactly comforting.

Was she jealous?

No, of course not. She just hated his gut. That was all.

"No, I didn’t have a bad dream." She answered reassuringly, but she had a terrible hangover, paired with a sleepless night. "Anyway, what are you doing here outside my room?" Furrowing her brows in puzzlement.

Of course, she noticed the dark circles that manifested under her eyes. She must have looked like a zombie in the child’s eyes.

"Well, Grandma Dianne said that I shouldn’t bother you when you’re sleeping. So, I waited for you to wake up." The boy cheerfully said as he wrapped his scrawny arms around her.

"Oh, that’s so sweet." She didn’t know what to say. She never thought that having a son would ever feel like this.

All butterflies and rainbows.

"Have you eaten your breakfast?" She asked, but judging by the lateness of the morning, the young boy probably had already done so.

"Yeah, I ate breakfast with Grandpa and Grandma," Caleb informed her as he walked alongside her in the hallway and down the stairs.

"Oh, that’s great." Having grandparents was a real treat for a child. She recalled her own childhood when her grandparents were still alive.

Her grandmother baked the most delicious cookies, while his grandfather built a swing under the old oak tree where she would sit and play for hours until the sun set.

After they died when she was still young, it was just her and her parents. Unfortunately, her father was an only child, while her mother was an orphan. So, she didn’t exactly have many close relatives around when she was growing up.

"Well, I’m going to get some coffee in the kitchen. Do you want to tag along?" She invited her stepson to join him. Truthfully, she loved having him around.

It was late for breakfast, but too early for lunch. But it didn’t matter because she just needed a caffeine-rich drink to fix her fuzzy brain.

"I can ask Maria to cook you anything you like." He offered, but she quickly declined.

Since losing her son, she never dreamt of becoming a mother again. But now that she had a second chance, she was going to be the best mother Caleb ever had.

"If I want to eat something, I can cook it myself." She assured him, not needing to bother the help who was probably already busy cooking for lunch.

"You can cook?" Caleb suddenly asked in surprise. When she nodded, he casually said. "Hazel couldn’t be bothered to go get her own drink, let alone cook."

"Hazel?" She asked, shocked that Caleb called his mother by her name. "Shouldn’t you be calling her Mom?"

As far as she could remember, Caleb called Oliver, Dad. Then, his grandparents, Grandpa and Grandma.

Wasn’t Hazel his mother?

"Oh, Hazel doesn’t like it when I call her Mom. She said it could ruin her image if her fans learned that she had a child." Caleb said nonchalantly, which was odd.

Truthfully, she was flabbergasted that the child didn’t seem to mind their arrangement. He didn’t seem hurt.

"Are you okay with that?" She finally asked, a bit concerned by his lack of reaction. "I mean that you can’t call her Mom." She clarified.

"I’m used to it. When Hazel left, I knew that she had stopped being my Mom." He shrugged his shoulders as if it were no big deal.

"Besides, I have you now. I have a new Mom who loves me." He declared as his eyes lit up and his lips grinned into a big smile.

Suddenly, her heart swelled upon hearing his statement while tears threatened to spill in her eyes. She couldn’t imagine what the young boy had gone through at such an early age.

What kind of mother would abandon her child?

A monster.

"Yeah! I’m here now." She just smiled, a heartwarming smile. And that was all that mattered.

"No matter what, I’m not leaving you, Caleb. Because from now on, you’re my son." She ran her fingers through his hair, looking into his eyes, before wrapping him in her warm embrace.

Even if they never shared the same blood, it would never change what she felt about Caleb.

Even if this marriage was nothing but an arrangement, Caleb would always be her son.

"There you are, Master Caleb. Rosita had been looking for you." Taylor suddenly appeared from nowhere.

Perhaps it was Taylor’s power. To sneak into anywhere without anyone noticing him. He moved so stealthily that by the time anybody noticed him, it was too late.

"Caleb has an afternoon class that he needs to prepare for, Madam Sophia," Taylor informed her.

"But I don’t want to go." The young Master pouted and crossed his arms in protest. "I want to stay with my Mom."

"What about this?" She knelt before the boy so she could talk to him face-to-face. "I’ll bake my favorite cookie. Then, we can share it later when you come back from class."

Although she loved to have the kid around, she didn’t want him to miss his chance to learn. After all, she knew exactly the value of a good education.

The boy agreed after he made her promise. "But you have to make my favorite chocolate drink too," Caleb added, which made her smile as she watched the boy leave with Taylor.

After pouring herself a generous amount of coffee, she sat on one of the empty stools by the kitchen counter and observed as Maria moved around the kitchen.

"There are fresh muffins in the basket." Maria pointed to the far side of the counter. "Or I can make you anything you like." She offered.

"No, I’m good." Lifting her hot coffee to her lips. Actually, keeping solid food inside her stomach would be challenging in her present state.

"But I certainly need your help with something." Remembering that she promised Caleb some cookies.

Since she was unfamiliar with the kitchen, she had no choice but to ask Maria’s assistance.

"Of course, Ms. Sophia. Anything you need." Maria readily said yes.

Besides, she thought this was her chance to talk to the people who had been working with the Morton family for years.

"If you don’t mind, how long have you been working for the Morton family?" She casually asked, hoping she didn’t sound too eager.