When a Well-Raised Son Grows Up - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Carlisle asked his mother if she recognized him. Abella nodded enthusiastically, clearly pleased.

She remembered him. Enoch used to live nearby, but he moved away to work for a noble family in the capital.

Abella’s excitement was evident as she approached Enoch. He, too, was excited when he recognized her.

“Abella, it’s you! Good to see you after all this time! How’s Esha?” Enoch greeted warmly.

“I’m always fine! I’m sure Esha will be glad to hear you’re here. What brings you back? Vacation?” Abella responded cheerfully.

“Yeah, got a good long break this time. Thought I’d drop by and visit my family,” Enoch explained.

After Abella stared at him, Carlisle struggled to speak, but now the words came more easily. He watched the two seemingly familiar faces with a darkened expression.

Enoch, noticing Carlisle’s stare, awkwardly acknowledged him and sought clarification from Abella.

“By the way, Abella, who is he?”

Enoch briefly looked at Carlisle before turning back to Abella, showing his discomfort.

“Is he your lover?”

Abella, taken aback, responded loudly, “Oh, no! He’s my child!”

Carlisle intervened by embracing Abella when she was about to finish saying, “No, we’re not!”

Carlisle firmly interjected, “That’s correct.”

“Carlisle?” Abella questioned, surprised.

“It’s nice to meet you, Carlisle,” Enoch said, trying to ease the tension.

Carlisle showed his displeasure by raising an eyebrow and holding out his hand. Enoch awkwardly shook it.

Enoch greeted Abella casually, saying, “Nice to meet you.”

His expression seemed to question her earlier statement about Carlisle being her boyfriend.

Carlisle whispered to Abella, using a tone that only she could hear, “But you cannot call me your son.”

Abella hesitated, replying, “Well, but…”

“But I didn’t want to introduce him as someone I’m not related to,” Abella explained. Carlisle embraced Abella even tighter.

“I’m sorry if I offended you,” Enoch apologized.

“Oh, no, I’m not offended,” Abella quickly reassured him.

“You two seem very close.” Enoch noticed that Abella seemed caught in the middle and commented on their closeness.

“Abella, your expression seems to have brightened up a lot.” He noticed that Abella’s expression had brightened up a lot and remarked on it.

Abella responded somewhat flustered, “Yes, what about my expression?”

“Yeah, you used to smile so rarely,” remarked Enoch, scratching his head absentmindedly. “It is nice to see you smile.”

Upon hearing Enoch’s comment, Carlisle winced. He wondered why Enoch was so pleased to see Abella smiling. Carlisle gritted his teeth and stared at Enoch.

“You’ve been working in the capital for a while now, and you’ve improved a lot,” Abella said.

“I think it’s time for you to stop being a loner,” Enoch said to Abella.

Abella laughed, unable to keep up with Carlisle’s intense mood, and agreed with Enoch. She then looked at Carlisle. He remained on high alert and spoke softly.

“Baby, Enoch is not strange, so there is no need for you to be overly suspicious,” she said.”

Carlisle was speechless. How could she defend him? The man who had been staring at her and smiling at her earlier, wasn’t he weird. It puzzled him. If Enoch was just her friend, why was she rolling her eyes at him like she was some kind of pervert? Carlisle bit his lip, unable to hide his irritation.

“Baby?” Enoch smirked and didn’t move. “You’re calling him a baby?”

Abella was taken by surprise by the question and stumbled over her words. She explained that the nickname was just something casual.

“Oh, it’s just a nickname! Don’t worry about it.”

Enoch observed Abella and Carlisle’s interaction subtly. His look was unsettling enough to annoy Carlisle.

“Abella, didn’t you mention you were hungry earlier?” Carlisle interjected, eager to change the subject.

“Let’s go,” he said, falsely attributing Abella’s desire to end the conversation to hunger.

Abella sensed Carlisle’s discomfort and quickly said goodbye to Enoch.  She added, “It was nice meeting you. I’ll see you around!”

Carlisle grasped Abella’s hand and squeezed it. They wore a smile of triumph as they turned away from Enoch. However, Enoch’s voice rang out once more, reminding them of the encounter they had just left behind.

“Are you two living together?” Enoch’s sudden question prompted Abella to turn around.

“We? Yes, we live together. Why do you ask?” Abella replied, curious.

Enoch responded by saying, “Oh, I understand. It’s nothing.”

“Alright then, go get some rest while you’re in town!” Abella suggested, trying to wrap up the conversation.

The day’s outing ended on an awkward note. Carlisle tightened his hold on Abella’s hand as they hurried away, unsettled by Enoch’s questioning.

* * *

Carlisle asked, “Are you friends with that guy from earlier?” He prepared a simple dinner using ingredients from the market.

Abella, who had been watching Carlisle cook, smiled. “You mean Enoch?”

“Yes,” Carlisle confirmed, still suspicious of Enoch.

“We used to be pretty close. I’ve helped him gather herbs many times. He also assisted me with some tricky situations,” Abella explained.

“Tricky situations?” Carlisle asked, growing more wary of Enoch.

“Oh, I had a burglar here in my house once… Enoch helped me out a lot,” Abella revealed, showing her trust in Enoch.

“You might think that fungus is good, Mom, but it’s not,” Carlisle began, expressing his concerns.

Abella seemed uninterested, but Carlisle sensed a blend of emotions in her eyes. However, he persisted in his determination.

‘She’s already mine,’ Carlisle thought to himself, but the sight of Enoch’s eyes on her was unwelcome, and it made him uneasy. His expression remained unchanged as he continued slicing carrots.

While working, Carlisle intentionally cut his hand with the blade, pretending it was an accident. He exclaimed, “Ah!” as red blood splattered onto the cutting board. Abella, who had been watching, jumped up in alarm.

“Carlisle! Oh, my God!” she exclaimed.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was distracted for a moment,” Carlisle apologized, pretending it was an accident.

“You’re bleeding a lot! And that last cut hasn’t even healed yet,” Abella noticed, concerned.

“Wait, I’ll get some herbs!”

Abella searched her drawer for healing herbs. She tended to Carlisle’s wound with a sigh of pity. Her touch was gentle and practiced as she skillfully applied the herbs.

“I can’t get rid of the feeling from earlier… that you were talking to some other guy,” Carlisle expressed.

“Ew?” Abella responded, surprised.

“Yeah, it just feels strange,” Carlisle admitted.

“Still, you need to focus on what you’re doing while you’re cutting,” Abella advised.

Carlisle confessed, “I can’t stop thinking about it.” His eyes were moist with emotion, and he looked tired, which caused Abella to feel sorry for him.

“Mother…” Carlisle began softly.

“Yes, baby?” Abella replied.

Carlisle pleaded, “You’re my favorite mom in the whole world, and I want to be your favorite too.”

In a weak voice, Carlisle muttered, and Abella smiled warmly, meeting his stare.

“Don’t worry, baby. You don’t need to feel jealous. I know Enoch and we were close, but we’re just friends,” Abella reassured him.

“Are you sure? Carlisle asked for confirmation

“Yes, I’m sure,” Abella affirmed, welcoming Carlisle into her embrace.

“Then tell me I’m the best thing in the world,” Carlisle requested, displaying a mix of vulnerability and silliness that seemed fitting for him. Abella gently stroked his head as he cried.

“Of course. I love you, Carlisle. You’re my favorite person in the world, and I’ve always felt that way,” Abella whispered reassuringly.

As Carlisle listened to her words, he felt his nerves settle. “I’m sorry; it’s always like this,” he apologized.

Carlisle spoke in a subdued and self-critical tone as if he were feeling sorry for himself.

“I want to make things better,” he expressed.

He aimed to make things better but found it challenging to capture his mom’s attention without resorting to eliciting sympathy. He feared that once her need for his sympathy waned, she wouldn’t give him the same level of attention as she does currently.