Beauty's Web

Chapter (5 part 1)

Now you know who to call to make your  100% natural organic clothes

A/N: Sorry for any incoming errors

Astrid Pov

As my consciousness drifted back in time, I found myself standing in the familiar room where my heart once overflowed with joy. It was my old bedroom, the one I shared with Max in his father's playhouse on the outskirts of town. The sunlight streaming through the window highlighted the faint scent of baby powder and the soft hum of a lullaby. I saw myself, younger and happier, cradling a baby in my arms. Max. My precious son. I remembered the feeling of his tiny hands wrapped around my finger, the sound of his gentle coos that soothed my soul.

As if my past self sensed my presence, she looked up, and suddenly time started to move faster - way faster. I saw events that I didn't remember yet, mixed with ones I had dreamed about. It was like watching a movie in fast-forward, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. I was reliving the memories I had tried to bury deep within me.

Then, it suddenly stopped, and I found myself face-to-face with a 5-year-old Max. My heart skipped a beat as I tried to call out for him, but my past self beat me to it. "Max!" she called, and in the blink of an eye, he was at her side. I didn't hear what they said, maybe because I didn't want to remember. I didn't want to relive the pain.

But I knew what would come next. His father barged in, gun in hand, and told me to hand over Max. I acted oblivious, so that Max wouldn't think I was a monster for giving him away to be sold as a slave. The memories came flooding back, and I felt like I was drowning in my own tears. I still remembered the words Riven told me the night prior to that day: "Now you know what to do. If I take him by force, you know it will not end well. So, you better follow the plan if you don't want him dead." But selling him as a slave was like a death sentence already.

I shouted, "How could you do this to your son...our baby? How could you?" But my words were met with a slap on my right cheek. "Now listen here, you ho. My house, my rules. If I say he goes, he goes. Got that?" With a nod, I retreated to my room, seeing Max on our bed, sleeping peacefully. But the peace was short-lived.

As I packed my bags and his, I felt like I was ripping my heart out. I was leaving behind the only happiness I had ever known. But I couldn't bear the thought of putting Max in harm's way. And then, he woke up and asked me what I was doing. When I stared into his innocent eyes, I felt like I was shattering into a million pieces. I couldn't speak.

"Dad said he's bringing me somewhere fun tomorrow," he said, busting my plan. "So we can't go now, okay, Mom?" he said in a calm voice. "Okay, son," I responded, defeated by a 5-year-old's words.

And now we are back in the present. Riven has a gun to my head, asking me to give Max to him. "No," I said, as I hugged my baby tight. But to my surprise, he did not tremble or scream. In fact, he came out of his mother's embrace to comply with his father's orders.

"Mom, you will be more safe if I am not around. Don't worry, everything will be just fine," he said, as he was going away with his father. And as I watched, I just screamed like a pathetic idiot, not even moving, just there, being the useless mom, as always. The mom that can't even protect her son. A mom that was willing to abandon the only happiness she had.

In denial, I refused to accept the truth. "No, no, no! Max would never do that to himself!" I exclaimed. But the monster just laughed, its piercing red eyes gleaming with malevolence. "And who are you to talk, mother? You, who don't even know why or how your son changed?"

The monster's words cut deep, and I felt a stinging sensation in my heart. "No, he was always the one I protected. I made sure he was safe. Safe, safe, safe..." I repeated, trying to convince myself. But the monster was relentless.

"What about the time he saw you get raped? No, don't say he didn't see. He told you he didn't see, and you believed him. How pathetic." I felt a wave of nausea wash over me as the monster continued to taunt me. "Oh, what about the time he saw you get beaten and tried to run away? Why didn't you just run away?"

My voice caught in my throat, and I couldn't speak. I just broke down, and tears started to flow. "If I had known..." I repeated to myself, but the monster was not done yet.

It took the form of my baby, and I felt a chill run down my spine. "But mother, you did know. You knew everything. You knew I was traumatized to the point where every time you came out of his room, I asked if it hurt looks like I needed a reminder, since you don't want to remember."

 The monster, in the shape of my boy, grasped me by the neck, its grip like a vice. I felt a surge of fear as it dragged me towards a dark hole, its depths seemingly bottomless. I struggled to break free, but its hold was unyielding.

"I really don't want to see your pain," I pleaded, trying to appeal to whatever humanity was left in the monster. "I don't want to add to mine."

The monster's response was devoid of empathy. "Too bad, mother," it said, its voice cold and detached.

As I was dragged closer to the edge, the monster's angry expression suddenly transformed into a gentle one. Tears began to fall from its eyes, and for a moment, I saw my son's face, not the monster's.

"I'm sorry, my son," I whispered, my voice barely audible as I fell deeper into the hole, consumed by my memories.

But it was not the tears I had held back that fell. It was the tears that actually mattered – the ones that came from the depths of my soul, the ones that acknowledged my failure, my regret, and my love for my son. Those tears fell like rain, washing away the facade, revealing the truth, and perhaps, just perhaps, offering a glimmer of redemption....

To be continued...

Astrid:"He knows what a shity parent I am but he still smiles at me" 

Max *smiles*

A/N:Do you think she's pathetic person