Raising Gideon had never been hard, but it was no reason to conclude that being a mother was an easy task. She had just rushed into the school, trying to find the little brat who dared to make his own decisions just because he was a bit taller now.
Odette left the shop under the care of Arvin and Azeal, who themselves wanted to come, but the call specifically asked for the parent, and she needed to deal with his school phobia today.
School hours were over.
Corridors were being swept by the janitors as the distant sound of a football hitting the ground and walls echoed through the empty hallways. The children who stayed back for extracurricular activities, playing the piano and rehearsing with the orchestra club, could be faintly heard.
She hurried to his classroom, which was on the second floor, next to the Teachers' Room on the right.
There was mumbling and shadows in the teachers' room. Odette peered through the nearest window and entered the classroom, where the tables were neatly arranged with chairs tucked in for the next day.
She had been told by the receptionist that the teacher would meet her in the classroom promptly.
She waited.
Heart pounding from the sequence of events.
Who knew...
This moment alone could change the entirety of her life once again.
"I apologise for the delay."
All the hair on her skin stood on edge. She felt everything around her freeze and her hands shake slightly. A cold warmth uncomfortably swept over her as she turned around, responding to that abysmal voice.
Dense obsidian eyes blinked matter-of-factly, his head slightly tilted as he leaned on the doorframe.
"You must be Gideon's mom."
"Caius..."
By instinct, she staggered back, hitting the back of her thigh against a nearby table. Her chest heaved visibly, her eyes never leaving his smiling face.
"You are..."
It was really him.
…
It was him.
The barren eyes that bore no emotion and the long nose. She remembered his face clearly, her eyes traveling up and down. It was indeed Caius, carrying such authority within him. Full lips stretched into a slight smile. Familiar lips.
He walked into the classroom very patiently, taking his time, his eyes never leaving her.
"Why the baffled look, Ms. Ferguson?"
Standing a few feet away from her, he sat on the edge of the teacher's table, gesturing for her to take a seat in a nearby chair.
She blinked out of her stupor and looked away.
I need to calm down.
She forced herself, biting her tongue to compose her heaving heart and shaking hands. When she looked back, there was an uncomfortable smile and a nod.
"I will stand for now, Mr..."
"Constantine."
He rolled the name off his tongue, eyeing her from head to toe.
"Of course."
He blinked matter-of-factly.
Another one of his dashing smiles.
Her face scrunched up in shock.
Truly seeing him- the familiar sharp features of his face, the well-defined jawline, and the usual sense of formal clothing sent a shiver up her spine.
Even if it was not as extravagant as how he dressed before, the light blue shirt tucked neatly in and rolled up at the sleeves, paired with a black tie and brown pants, really did suit him as a teacher.
Not to mention the pair of glasses he wore.
She had to cut herself out of this delusion—missing him and remembering him so much that she confused him with another male teacher.
His eyes never left her. The smile never left his face. Without letting him notice, her hand pinched her back, trying to bring herself back to reality.
"I'm…" Odette cleared her throat when she saw the same man still in front of her. "Um… I'm sorry." She chuckled nervously. "I zoned out quite a bit."
Adjusting her watch, she continued, "Yes. Um… my child, Gideon Ferguson—"
Her eyes looked away at the mention of the boy, but he nodded in acknowledgement.
"I am his homeroom teacher, Odette?" At the mention of her name, she was pulled back to the mansion, where he would always call her like that.
He tilted his gaze and looked her up and down. "Or should I call you by your surname?" He chuckled. "Anything is fine as long as you are comfortable."
"Ms. Ferguson would do." Odette nodded uncomfortably.
"Right." The fact that he maintained this much patience was a surprise to her.
"Your son has not been attending school for some time now, Ms. Ferguson." He brought out a file, flipping through the pages without wasting time to look at her.
Odette could only stand there, body tensed, heart pounding fast.
"I see." She gulped and looked at him. "What do you think the reason could be… Mr. Constantine?"
At the mention of his name, he raised his head, looking deep into her fearful eyes.
"Has there been conflict at your home? Perhaps that could have made things hard for him to pay attention to his studies."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "I don't think so."
What is he trying to say exactly?
"I have been helping him a lot with his homework and… I think…" Hesitantly, her mind went to just one conclusion. Looking at the tall figure in front of her, she wanted to slam the table and exclaim: "It's definitely because you're his homeroom teacher, duh!"
"You think what?"
"I think maybe because he's growing, you know," she stammered, shifting from one leg to the other. "Maybe he wanted to skip school, bunk classes like any teenage boy would do."
Many questions were pooling in her mind—why was he acting as if they had just met? Was he going to lash out at her? Did he secretly plan something dangerous? The possibilities were endless in this empty classroom.
Caius puffed out a laugh and stood up from where he was seated.
"Any teenage boy would of course do such things, but in this school, and especially in my classroom…" He stepped closer, eyes devoid, carrying what seemed like wrath to her.
"There is no room for anyone like that."
Anger flared up.
"What do you mean, no room?" Odette could take any accusation thrown at her, but she would not tolerate anyone insulting her child.
"I don't know what you mean by that, Mr. Constantine, but as my child's teacher, perhaps you might want to see things from the classroom's perspective."
His eyes no longer held the smile or gentleness from the beginning of the conversation. He held her gaze in an ire deadlock.
"Maybe the reason my child does not like school is because of something inside this school itself."
Her eyes dared him to respond. The tension between them thickened.
…
Caius knew the moment he walked into this city, this town, and this school, Gideon would begin to show signs of fear again. He had returned after a year of recuperation, planning to make sure everyone paid for what they did.
And if Odette thought she could live a life without him, he would prove her utterly wrong.
"Perhaps we could look into this together," Caius offered, extending a hand. "As his teacher and you as his mother… we should always work for his betterment, am I right?"
He did not want to lie. Her beautiful eyes were still as captivating as before. The restless expressions, the slightly twitching eyes; it all tugged at him. He had kissed those lips before. There was not a day he did not miss her.
"I thought you did not want my son in your class," she said sharply.
That tone. He remembered it. It was always an ailment for him.
"I thought my son was not worthy of your teaching, Mr. Constantine," she mocked.
He chuckled, though it lacked warmth.
"Think about it, Odette." He drew closer. "Do you really want Gideon to turn out like this?"
She stayed silent.
"Do you want your precious son to grow up with no discipline… no humanity… someone who can only hold others under his boots?"
His breath fell on her face as he spoke.
"This is about you," she said suddenly. "Not him."
Something in her broke the tension. "My son will never turn out to be that."
She stepped back slightly, gathering herself. "Just being his mother is enough for me. One day, if you become a parent, you'll understand."
Without another word, she walked out.
Caius remained still, watching her leave. The empty classroom swallowed the silence.
He remembered everything. How she left him when he was at his weakest point in life. How she never really cared about the fact of whether he would make it out alive or not. His mind always had that voice banging at the back of his brain, screaming - "I wish you were never even born!"
He sighed, tilting his head back
"People who wish me dead are now dead."