Veronica's POV
My Own Blood
With each step closer, the ache in my chest intensified. My heart couldn't lie about what it recognized.
This was my boy!
My own son!
"The mute kid's bleeding! He's hurt!"
"Let's get out of here!"
The two bullies tried to bolt, but I stepped into their path, voice sharp. "Hold it right there!"
Both chunky boys stopped dead, gawking at me in shock. One lifted his chin with bratty defiance. "Who are you? What's your problem?"
"What gives you the right to pick on him?" I pointed toward the child sprawled in the dirt.
"We weren't picking on anybody!" they protested in unison.
"I watched the whole thing, and you're still lying? Look at him! Filthy, nose bleeding. You telling me that's not your handiwork?"
I seized both boys by their ears, yanking their heads toward the fallen child.
Joseph pushed himself up, staring at me with wide, bewildered eyes.
My sudden arrival seemed to push his anger and shame to the background, replaced by pure curiosity.
The bullies yelped, but I barked my demand. "Say you're sorry! Now!"
They wriggled free, stubborn as mules. "We're not saying sorry! You can't make us!"
"Yeah, who do you think you are? Butt out!"
Their bratty attitude made my blood boil.
My palm connected with each of their cheeks in quick succession.
Both boys got smacked twice. Usually they ran wild without consequences, but my slaps left them speechless. Then the waterworks started.
"Cut the crying! You hear me? Apologize to him, or you'll get more of the same!"
My threat worked. Both boys reluctantly faced the smaller child and mumbled, "Sorry..."
Joseph blinked those big, questioning eyes, even more fascinated now.
Who was I?
Why was I standing up for him?
The bullies tried to escape, but I grabbed their shirt collars, delivering my warning. "Listen good, both of you! You don't touch this boy again!
"And he's not some kid without family! Anyone calls him mute or orphan again will answer to me!"
Terror-struck, neither boy dared speak. Only when I released them did they flee, sobbing.
I turned to my little boy, tears blurring my vision, my heart shattering.
This was my son!
Nearly school age, and he'd never known a mother's love!
The thought made my chest tight with pain.
The old saying rang true: "A motherless child is like wild grass."
Even in his wealthy home, he couldn't escape cruelty, not when his father failed to shield him.
Now that I'd found my son, I wasn't sure how to reveal myself. I didn't want to frighten him, so I held back the truth about being his mother.
I knelt down, fighting back tears. "You're Joseph, aren't you? Are you hurt? Let me clean you up, okay?"
I reached for my handkerchief to dab the blood from his nose, but the little boy scowled, his stare ice-cold as he slapped my hand away, refusing my touch.
He used his sleeve to wipe his nose, lifting his chin with fierce pride, his expression declaring that he was tough and a little blood meant nothing.
So small, yet so resilient. It broke me.
Swallowing my tears, I smiled and encouraged him. "Joseph, you showed real courage back there. I'm impressed!
I'm proud of you!"
I gave him a thumbs-up, but Joseph ignored my praise. He shot me one cold look and walked right past me.
Joseph kept to himself and avoided others. Even though I'd helped him, he wanted nothing to do with conversation.
In those brief moments, I could see my son was proud and distant, just like his stubborn father.
I hurried after him. "Joseph, I came here looking for you. Don't you want to know who I am?"
Joseph cocked his little head, gave me a sideways glance, then picked up his pace as if I were some kidnapper.
Watching his defiant, proud little figure, I felt lost. I called out, "Joseph, do people call you names?"
That stopped him cold. When he spun around, his small face blazed with fury.
I'd struck a nerve!
Like an enraged little wildcat, he charged at me, ramming his head into my leg.
If he could talk, he'd tell me how much he despised being called motherless or illegitimate!
He wasn't illegitimate!
I stumbled backward before catching my balance. I caught his tiny wrist and crouched down. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just want you to know you're not illegitimate. You have a mother!"
"Hmph..."
Joseph huffed, shooting me a look of cold contempt.
He knew he had a mother, but he had no idea where she was.
"I'm your mother. You're my son. Mommy's home! From now on, Mommy will keep you safe, okay?"
My words left Joseph frozen for what felt like forever.
His big, dark eyes studied me, as if trying to see inside me, to determine if I was lying.
He couldn't accept it. Was I really his mother?
His doubtful little gaze swept over me repeatedly, moving from shock to distrust, then to pain and rage.
Because he had no mother, his brothers bullied him, his classmates mocked him, and even the grown-ups whispered behind his back, saying he was unwanted or that his father had found him somewhere.
I could almost feel his hatred for the mother who left him, but I also sensed how much he craved her.
Every day, he must have wished his mother would return for him.
Now, this beautiful woman claimed to be his mother, but he couldn't trust it.
For the first time, Joseph's eyes welled up. He suddenly shoved me away and ran off, sobbing.
"Joseph... Joseph..."
I chased after him, finally discovering him tucked away in a tiny cave within the garden's rock formation.
He'd curled up in the small space, arms wrapped around his knees, letting his tears and blood mingle and fall, refusing to emerge.
My heart shattered completely. Around others, my son acted like a little porcupine, all spines and defense, but alone, he was like a wounded creature, hiding in solitude.
"Joseph, I'm sorry. Mommy should have come back for you sooner.
"When I had you and left you with your daddy, I had good reasons for going. But trust me, I never abandoned you.
"Joseph, I missed you terribly. All these years, I've dreamed about you, and not one day passed that I didn't think of you.
"I came back to find you, and I never want us to be apart again."
My heart broke as I wept, my eyes full of love for my son. "Joseph, my precious boy, come to Mommy, won't you?"