Chapter 31

"Mom, are you in there?" Jules heard the soft knock before the door opened, revealing her son.

At first, she would admit, her heart almost jumped out of her chest when she heard the faint commotion outside the room.

She guessed she had been dreading every second as she paced the spacious room as if waiting for her sentencing.

She kept telling herself she could do this. However, every minute she spent inside that room made her feel. It was like she was about to sit on the electric chair.

"Yes, my darling." She quickly moved toward the door, opening it wide to check on her son.

She asked her child, whom she had left in his room a while ago. She swore he was already fast asleep with his eyelids closed and even breathing.

"Did you have a bad dream?" That was the only explanation why her son would be up this late as she checked the time.

She guessed last night was a one in a million when her son slept easily without much of a fuss. She could attribute that to exhaustion from too much excitement.

But tonight, she could only assume that just like her, her son was feeling the adjustment period of sleeping in an odd bed and an unfamiliar room. No matter how beautiful it was, it was still not the same as what they were used to.

"Yeah, I woke up with a monster under my bed." Oliver lamented as if more irritated than afraid.

It would take more than just a few ghost stories or monsters to frighten her son. He enjoyed his horror stories. Therefore, she could only conclude that her son was only seeking her attention more than anything else.

She guessed she might be suffering the same situation. She was so used to being just the two of them. Now, it was hard to adjust to their new living condition.

"OK. Come on. Let us check if we can find the monster." Jules dragged her son gently back to his room, hoping they could both get some good sleep tonight.

She opened the door and noticed nothing out of the ordinary in his room, which was what she already suspected. But her son had a very creative imagination, so what could be mundane to her would be magical to him.

"So, where did he go?" She asked as she scanned the room, acting like she was looking for the culprit. But, of course, she was only playing along with her son's imagination.

Suddenly, she remembered a moment in her life where she had been in a similar situation. Her stepfather would rush to her room, chasing the monsters away.

Then, she would have a good night's sleep, knowing she was safe. However, her stepmother would chastise her behavior by morning while her stepfather was not around, saying she better grow up.

"You are now a young lady. You should stop acting like a spoilt princess. Look at Kaely, your stepsister knew monsters aren't real." She could still hear her stepmother's sharp tongue saying all those harsh words to her.

After that night, she had kept to herself. She would cover her head with a blanket and a pillow, hoping it would shut out the world around her.

But eventually, she realized Venus was right. Monsters were just fiction she conjured with her mind. However, her son was still too young to ruin his illusion.

"I think you scared him away. He is gone." Oliver stated as if he genuinely believed that. "Can you read me another story?"

Just as she suspected, her son only used the monster as his ploy to lure her into his room. Now, he had that pleading look on his innocent face that begged her to stay.

But Venus was right. Her son would eventually have to grow up. And the sooner he accepted their current situation, the better.

"I am sorry, kiddo. It is time for bed." She patted her son on his forehead before urging him to return to his bed. "But I can tuck you in and kiss you goodnight."

She guessed that was the best she could do for now.

"But the monster might return once you leave the room." He complained as he lay on the bed with reluctance, showing that he disagreed with her.

Still, she knew she had put her foot forward, or her son would walk over her, undermining her decision. She had to be firm if she wanted her child to learn the value of discipline.

"I don't think that monster would dare cross me." Jules used her threatening voice, frightening any entity that might come near her son. "Right?"

She always believed that her son trusted her judgment. So, she did not doubt that he would listen to her.

"Yeah, I guess." Oliver eventually agreed with her. "But I miss having you sleeping beside me." He said as his face drooped down, lacking his usual vigor.

"I know. And I miss you too. But Damon is right. You are a grown boy now. It is time that you learn to act like a big boy." She touched his face, assuring him she would always be there for him.

Then, the reaction on his face changed as if something clicked in his mind as he stared into her face.

"Oh, so it means I am not your baby anymore." Oliver sounded disappointed as if he had lost something important to him.

"Of course not. You will always be my baby. But I also have to face that you are also growing up." She told her son, pulling him gently into a hug.

"But no matter how big you become, you will always be my baby." She repeated, assuring him she would always love him the same way.

"Mom..." But her little boy stopped as if hesitating about something.

"What is it?" Jules encouraged him to speak his mind. Of course, she did not want any secrets between them.

"Well, Topher said he had to become a big boy because his Mom and Dad were having Ayesha." He told her, making her slightly confused about its relevance to their conversation.

But sometimes, that was just how kids were. They loved to talk about all kinds of stuff.

"That is right. Topher had to be the big brother to his sister." She nodded in agreement, thinking not much of his statement.

But his following words had left her speechless.

"Am I going to be a big brother soon?"