A Wrong Surrogate for the CEO-Chapter 130: I forgive you

The doorbell rang.

Lisa’s brows furrowed into a slight frown. She wasn’t expecting any visitors.

Maybe it was Laura. With that thought, Lisa waved for the maid to open the door for whoever it was.

And she was so engrossed with her cell phone that she didn’t hear the footsteps until someone stopped a few feet away from her.

"Hello, Mother."

Lisa’s head snapped up at the sound of her son. Curtis stood so still, and he was like a statue. His expression was blank, and Lisa was stunned to see him.

Because ever since they fell out, her son hadn’t been there to see her. Except when it came to something that had to do with Lara.

"Curtis. Is everything okay? Did Lara reach out to you? I’ve been trying so hard to reach out to her but she seems to have left that place again. I...I didn’t want to say anything because I don’t want to upset you," she rambled.

Curtis didn’t move from where he stood, but he stared so intensely at her that she started to fidget.

"I am not here to talk about that, Mother. Lara is back. She came back yesterday," he stated.

Lisa’s jaw dropped open.

"She’s back? For real? And her memory is all intact? What...what about that boy we saw her with?"

The questions streamed out of Lisa as relief flooded her chest, her body and soul. Curtis’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker in his heart at how obviously relieved his mother was at the news.

Maybe she really had changed, he thought.

"Save all your questions. She’ll be here to see you tomorrow. She actually wanted to come with me today, but you and I need to talk. Privately. When she’s here with the kids tomorrow, you can ask her all the questions you want to," he declared, his voice firm and unwavering.

Lisa halted at his words. Then she swallowed the lump in her throat and composed herself.

"What do you want to talk about? Is anything the issue?"

"You don’t have to be so tense, Mother. Please, take a seat," Curtis gestured at the couch. Lisa’s expression flickered with confusion, but she did as he said.

He took the seat opposite hers and stared at her for a long time before finally speaking.

"Lara told me everything. The conversation you guys had. What you said to her. She told me every single thing."

Lisa’s heart started to pound in her chest. She wasn’t exactly sure of the words she had said to Lara, but Lisa was sure that it wasn’t something Curtis ought to be mad about. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She wasn’t sure though, so Lisa got a little scared.

Curtis went on.

"Did you, and do you still, mean all the words you said? Without any lies or hidden agenda?" he asked.

Lisa nodded. "Of course I do. I might have been so horrible in the past, but I have learnt my lesson. You are my son. Whatever makes you happy makes me happy too. I should not have tried to control your life, and I am so sorry about that. Please, forgive me," she stated, her voice dripping with sincerity.

Genuine sincerity.

Surprise made Curtis’s expression flicker, but he hid it well. His mother sounded sincere, and she also looked the part.

Besides, she had been a very active member of the search party. Lisa seemed to have changed from the evil mother who almost ruined his life to the supportive mother she was supposed to be.

When the silence dragged between them, Lisa got anxious.

"I promise you, Curtis. I am saying the truth. Believe me, please. Forgive me too. If there’s anything you think I should do as an atonement, I will surely do it. Just...stop being so mad at me."

There was a hint of desperation in her voice, and it made Curtis speak.

"I am not mad at you. At least not anymore. I just...when Lara told me what you said, I found it hard to believe her. But hearing you apologise in person, seeing the tears you’re trying to blink back. The way you helped during the search of my wife, I think it’s safe to say that you meant all of those things you said. I have just one question for you though."

He stopped and took a deep breath, making sure to hold her gaze, unwavering.

"Deep down, from the deepest, darkest concern of your heart, do you regret everything you did?" he asked.

Lisa didn’t hesitate before she responded. "I do. I wish I hadn’t done any of it. At all. I was stupid and unreasonable. I regret all of the bad decisions I made."

Curtis stared at her for a long moment before he smiled and nodded.

"Okay. That’s good enough. I forgive you."

Lisa’s gasp was audible. The tears she had blinked away rushed back, and she stood up in shock.

"Really?"

Curtis eventually let his mask slip. He smiled at his mother, and the sight was like seeing the sun rise for the first time, in Lisa’s eyes.

He nodded. "Yeah. Really!"

"Oh my God. Oh my Goodness. Thank you. Thank you so much, my love. Oh. You have no idea how much this means to me," she rambled as she rushed over to him.

Curtis stood up and let her hug him. Lisa was so unbelievably happy. She hadn’t imagined that her son would ever forgive her for all the horrible things she had done.

But here they were, and he was willing to give her another chance.

Lisa could not hold back the tears. They streamed down her face in torrents, and Curtis held her while she cried.

When Lisa finally managed to compose herself, she took a deep breath and stepped back. When she saw the huge tear stain on his shirt, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry about that," she said sheepishly.

He waved her words away. "I have to go. Lara is the only one with the kids and I can’t leave her all alone with them for too long. Goodbye, mother."

Lisa waved her son out of her house, and she was so happy that her heart felt as though it was going to burst.

The chasm between them finally started to close.