Neptune

Chapter 26 | The Painting

After sending Aiden to school, I step back into the house, still wondering about him.

How will he play with his friends today? What subjects is he taking later? Will he enjoy his day?

A soft smile touches my lips. He has really stolen my heart.

I'm walking along the hallway when a room catches my attention. It's usually closed, but now, the door is opened. Curious, I step closer to it. It doesn't look like a bedroom—no one else in the family lives here anyway—so I slide the door open even further.

A gasp escapes from my mouth as I stare at a room filled with paintings. Judging by the look of them, the paintings were not done by a seven-year-old, aka Aiden. It seems like they were made by a true professional artist.

The paintings, most of which are of scenery and people, are breathtaking. I see mountains, romantic cities, people of different ethnicities and cultures.

While my eyes still travel around the room, a voice snaps me out of my daze.

"Those are Victor's works."

I snap my body around, only to find Ms. Langston standing before me, a smile on her face. "Luke's elder brother."

I'm stunned for a while before I shift my attention back to the paintings. "Aiden's father?" I echo.

Ms. Langston doesn't give me the answer right away, but as I walk further into the room to inspect his masterpieces, she says, "Yes."

I feel her following behind me as I go through the paintings.

"Aiden likes to come here to spend his free time," she says. "Sometimes, he paints here too."

I see. So that's where he got his talent from. Like father, like son.

One particular painting draws me in. My eyes just can't stop looking at a painting of a beautiful woman sitting on a bench, reading a book. She has long, straight auburn hair that reaches her shoulder and a pair of green eyes.

"It's his wife. Emily," I hear Ms. Langston say behind me.

I gaze at her. She's so pretty, even in painting.

A smile forms on my lips as I look at the woman who has gave birth to Aiden. "So, she's Aiden's mother."

Again, Ms Langston goes silent. It's not a question, though, so she doesn't need to answer anything.

However, after a while, she confirms, "She is."

I sigh and turn to Ms. Langston. My heart sinks as I see the sadness in her eyes. She must be remembering the tragedy that happened to Aiden's parents.

"You've been here since forever, have you not?" I ask.

Ms. Langston nods with a soft smile. "I've known Luke and Victor since they were toddlers."

"How did the accident happen?" My voice is small.

It's heartbreaking that Aiden had to go through the pain of losing his parents at such a young age, and Luke too for losing his brother.

Ms. Langston lets out a long sigh.

She looks pressured to answer my question, but then she opens her mouth. "It happened seven years ago. They had a car crash. Emily was in the third trimester of her pregnancy, close to labour. Both she and Victor didn't make it alive, but fortunately, the doctor managed to save her baby."

My mouth drops open. Suddenly, I feel a lump in my throat from hearing about that tragic incident. So, Aiden never met his parents? At all? My heart breaks for him even more.