Chapter 379: Chapter 379
Shelby sat in her private space, the place that Ian had set up for her to draw freely with no interruptions. Even though that did not seem like hers in the few weeks that had passed, she found herself coming to this place more frequently these past few weeks. There had been no major changes in their relationship as a couple since Aliya had resurfaced. Rather, what Shelby could feel an indescribable abundance of emotions from Ian.
She felt like she was being suffocated in that free flow of emotions; it was like he wanted to pour all his love into her so that she could overflow and not have the need to doubt him. It was difficult to put into words, but that was exactly what she felt. Surprisingly, even though Ian kept this steady stream of flow, Shelby was not reassured.
They were as lovey-dovey as ever, making the rest of the family set aside their concerns... that was all of them but Shelby.
Call it a female intuition or anything of the sort, but Shelby just could not bring herself to like Aliya at all. Who could Shelby share her sentiments with? No one came to her mind because she was somehow scared of how she would be perceived.
This was for the simple reason that any words that came out of her mouth on this subject made her seen like a jealous wife, which was her right to feel, but then, what could she do when she could not even convince herself that it wasn’t just jealousy?
Light footsteps drew Shelby’s attention to the doorway, and she smiled. She only glanced up a bit before her attention went back to the unfinished painting. She had resorted to her paintings mostly during this time. As if on cue, she straightened a bit, just enough for Gabriel to slip in between her thighs and rest his head on them. This was his favourite position.
Shelby leaned down and kissed his head, then continued studying the painting.
She heard a chair pull up close to her and a head lean against her left arm. Shelby smiled fondly and moved her arm so that she could wrap it around Ingrid, who sat close to her.
"I guess I should call it a day then," She said with a smile in her voice, just as the third child, Samantha, leaned over her back and engulfed her in a back hug.
She set down the paintbrush in her right hand and patted Samantha on the arm that was over her chest.
Shelby let out a sigh,
"Aren’t you going to see your mum today?" Shelby asked, looking worried. In as much as she was concerned with Aliya over her husband, Shelby knew that Aliya was the mother of these three and made every effort for them to re-establish their relationship after the gap. She felt that it was the right thing to do.
What she had not want to happen, even though she was sad to think about it, was to come in-between that natural bonding between parents and children. Shelby had extensive conversations with the three, but she was surprised by their reluctance. At the beginning, she had thought that time could allow them naturally, but she was wrong on this.
Shelby had spent days convincing Gabriel that he would always be her mama, no matter what, Ingrid was laid back. As Aliya’s only biological daughter, she had the least reason, but Shelby never urged her again after their phone call the day they found out about Aliya. She decided to be Ingrid’s safe haven should she need it.
Ingrid largely remained the same, except that she became more withdrawn around all others except Shelby mostly. The problem was, how all of that would be portrayed to Aliya. Shelby was a woman and could, therefore, understand that point of view. She loved the way the three still saw her in the same light, but it did not change the fact the she was not their mother, and she was worried about the implications.
Samantha, on the other hand, was the person with the most changes.
Shelby distinctly remembered the day this had happened. It was the children’s second or third time visiting Aliya in the hospital. Samantha had gone missing the whole day afterwards and returned on her own in the evening. The sight of her shocked me, especially the traditional-minded Geneva most.
Samantha’s striking features and defiant look had been enhanced. She had gotten herself piercings! Multiple ones at that too. Her dark brown eyes had since then been always accentuated by bold, winged eyeliners, giving her an intense and confident gaze. Her light complexion contrasted beautifully with her newly dyed, darker, slightly unruly hair styled in loose dreadlocks, adding a sense of edginess to her appearance.
The multiple facial piercings included a nose stud, a medusa piercing above her upper lip, and labret piercings below her bottom lip and another on the bridge of her nose. Her ears were adorned with large, gauged earrings, further enhancing her new alternative style.
Her new carefree expression that had been in place since her heart-to-heart talk with Shelby and after Raye’s incident had been replaced with a thoughtful yet slightly detached, suggesting a mix of confidence, defiance, mystery and something else. The overall aesthetic combination had an individuality with a touch of rebellion, making her presence both captivating and unique.
Shelby had tried, to no avail, to find out what had happened during that visit, but Samantha had been close-mouthed about it.
To Shelby’s relief and all the others in the estate, Samantha’s attitude did not change. She kept her promise to Shelby. So, even though her outlook and the way she presented herself had changed, Samantha’s attitude did not revert to the old way.
"Can I not go, Mama?" Gabriel whined, his face scrunched up as if he was about to cry. Ingrid just snuggled closer, and Samantha made no move to move from that position. That was all the answer that Shelby needed but then she still wanted to try her best.
"Gabriel, you have to make an effort, or Mama Aliya will be sad-"
"But I will be sad if I go there! I don’t want to go! Mama, do you not like Gabriel anymore? I’ll be good, I promise! I’ll be a gentleman! Please don’t make me go!" Gabriel cried out, and tears ran down his cheeks.
"Hey... why would you think that? You’ll always be my Gabriel, but that does not change the fact that Aliya is your mother, Gabriel."
The last part of the sentence only made Gabriel cry louder. The sounds met Ava at the doorway.
However, when she attempted to enter the room, Suzie stopped her.
"What is it, Suzie? Can I not see her today, too?"
"I’m sorry, Ava. I know that you are close to the mistress, but this is really not the time. Her hands are full."
Ava sighed. The past month had been hard on her. True to Murray’s words, she had been the harshest of training each and every morning, to her chagrin. It was tough training, but Ava could see changes in her physique and reflexes as well. Her only problem was Shelby. It was unusual that they had not had a single conversation since that night.
"Fine! Tell her that I’ll be here this evening to talk to her. No excuses!"
Ava sighed, and then left, especially hearing the little tantrum that Gabriel was throwing about. She kind of understood that Shelby was under a lot of pressure from all sides, but still... she wanted her friend.
Ava was on pins and needles the longer it took them in this no-communication phase. Ava wanted to be there for Shelby, but Ava also noticed that there had been a lot of changes in her since she had married into the Thornston estate, with the major change after Aliya.
Ava’s heart hurt, but she wanted her friend’s understanding, and she also wanted to be there for her. This was, but Ava had suffered through life in her own way, and this would never deter her.
Ava walked away, and Suzie sighed, listening to the conversation going on inside. She bowed her head as Ian walked past him a few moments later and into the room.
"Give your mother some breathing space!"
Ian said in his calm and commanding voice, making Shelby frown. Samantha straightened immediately, and Ingrid followed suit reluctantly. Gabriel made no move at all and still clinging on.
Ian walked up to them and lifted Gabriel from Shelby’s arms only for him to cry louder.
He sighed and walked up the nearest seat and set Gabriel down in front of him with stern eyes.
"You’d better behave!"
Gabriel’s cries mellowed into hiccups.
Shelby stood up and took the girls in each hand, walking back to the couch just beside Ian and sitting with them.
"He’s just a child, let him be...."
"He is a man now and should at as one!"
Shelby shook her head, wondering why Ian always referred to Gabriel as a man when he was still clearly a child! She reached out to pull Gabriel from Ian. Gabriel gladly hopped up on Shelby’s lap and curled up, making Ian glare at him. Shelby chuckled and patted Gabriel’s back.
The couple shared a look over their heads. It was obvious that something had been triggered in the three of them, and they needed to find out what it was. Ian’s heart ached, seeing all the children surrounding Shelby like that.
"I-" Ian started, but then Suzie walked briskly in,
"I’m sorry to interrupt...." She started and bowed deeply, but Shelby could feel the slight edge in her voice,
"Miss Aliya is here."
The whole family whipped their heads to Suzie.
"Here? Is she not supposed to be in the hospital?" Shelby asked,
"She is here, Miss, and I think you need to go to the receiving room. I gave the go-ahead to the security at the gates to let her in but ...."
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