CHAPTER 56: GOOD NEWS

"Welcome back, Mom!" I cried out as I ran towards my mother and threw my arms around her. My mother just laughed before returning my hug. She probably thought that I was happy to welcome her back, but she probably had no idea that at that moment that I felt like the savior that I had been waiting for for such a long time had finally arrived. With Bennett and my mother back, that meant that I no longer had to live alone with Raphael in the very large mansion.

"Welcome back," Raphael said from close to me. I hadn’t realized when he had gotten so close to me, but I decided to ignore him. Hopefully, now that our parents were back, the two of us would no longer stray away from the right path, and we could live our lives peacefully and in harmony as stepbrother and stepsister.

"Did you have fun? All the photos that you sent me looked amazing," I said with excitement as I clapped my hands together.

It was true that all the photos of the setting sun, the beaches, and other views that my mother sent to me looked gorgeous, and they made me believe that my mother had the perfect honeymoon. I couldn’t have been any happier for her. The radiant smile that she had on her face, as well as her sun-kissed skin, were also great evidences that their honeymoon trip was a success.

"Of course, I had so much fun! I honestly wish that you were there with us," my mother said before letting out a cheerful laugh that made her look way younger than her years.

"How could I possibly join you guys? It’s supposed to be your honeymoon trip," I pointed out before laughing as well.

"Let’s head inside. Even though it’s only been one week that we were away, I feel that there’s so much that we need catch up on," Bennett said before leading the way inside the mansion.

That evening, the four of us sat down at the dining table to observe our customary family dinner together. For once, I was excited about having dinner together as a family because I wanted to hear everything that my mother had to share about their honeymoon trip. A part of me was curious to find out what they did on their trip, while another part of me wanted to hear all the details to make myself feel better. I needed to feel that everything that I had to endured was worth it for the sake of my mother’s happiness.

"I love sunbathing. I have no idea when was the last time that I got the chance to sunbathe. Oh, and the food was also amazing. The views were amazing, everything was just so amazing," my mother chatted away.

"I guess everything was truly amazing," I replied with a laugh. It was clear that my mother thought everything was amazing by the number of times that she used that word to describe her experiences during their honeymoon trip.

"The trip was fun, but it also feels good to be back," my mother said before smiling at me.

I wanted to tell her that I was beyond thrilled that she was back, and I hoped that a peaceful life awaited us now that my mother was back.

"I also think that it’s good to be back. The trip was amazing and it gave us a very good opportunity to relax," Bennett said in agreement before he turned to offer my mother a smile.

He reached out his hand, and my mother quickly took it as she returned his smile. The two lovebirds appeared to be so in love that for a moment, it was quite difficult for me to look at them without feeling a tinge of embarrassment.

"I have to say that I missed you while I was on the trip. I couldn’t stop worrying about you," my mother confessed before she smiled at me.

"What are you talking about? I keep telling you that there’s nothing for you to worry about," I said.

Raphael was oddly quiet all during the conversation, but I could tell that he was listening intently.

"Oh, by the way, Rosabella’s father sent me a message while I was on the trip," Bennett said to Raphael.

"Isn’t that kind of bad manners?" Raphael remarked.

"Well, I guess he’s getting impatient, and I can understand him because to a certain extent, I feel the same way," Bennett replied before letting out a soft chuckle.

I had no idea what the two of them were going on about, and I also had no idea how Rosabella’s father was involved.

"He sent me a message, and then I gave him a call, and we chatted for a little bit," Bennett explained.

Raphael stared at his father as he waited for Bennett to continue with what he wanted to say. I could tell that my mother was slightly curious as well.

"Raphael, have you thought about what I talked to you about before?" Bennett asked his son.

"Do we have to talk about this right now? You just came back from your honeymoon, and I’m sure there’s plenty of things for us to catch up on," Raphael said, and his tone was quite cold. It was clear that Raphael did not want to talk about it, and that made me even more curious about what it was that Bennett was trying to bring up.

"Well, this is actually a pressing matter, and it is very important," Bennett replied with a nod of his head.

"Can we discuss this some other time, perhaps in private?" Raphael suggested.

"Come on, it’s not like this is supposed to be a secret. Anyways, it’s just the four of us now, and we’re family, so you might as well discuss this together," Bennett said, and he sounded strangely joyous.

"Is this some kind of good news?" my mother asked with wide eyes after picking up the same sentiment that I had. Bennett looked like he was about to break some very wonderful news to us, and I could tell that my mother couldn’t wait to hear it.

–To be continued...