She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 15

A brief, heavy silence fell over the hospital room.

Herbert's lips parted slightly, as if he were about to speak.

But Sylvie beat him to it. "Mrs. Jewell, I'm begging you, please don't divorce him! It's all my fault. I apologize. I'll get on my knees right now. I know I was wrong. What do I have to do for you to forgive me and stop misunderstanding him?"

With that, Sylvie threw off the covers, her bare feet hitting the floor. Before anyone could stop her, she dropped straight to her knees in front of Hulda. Her thin hands latched tightly onto Hulda's pant leg, and she began sobbing hysterically. "Please, I'm begging you! Don't be mad at him anymore! Everything is my fault. I'm on my knees, isn't that enough?"

The flicker of shock on Herbert's face vanished entirely the second he saw Sylvie on the floor.

"Sylvie, what are you doing?! Get up!"

He rushed to her side, reaching down to pull her to her feet.

"No!" Sylvie thrashed wildly, shaking her head in tears. "If she doesn't forgive me, I won't get up!"

At this point, Herbert's fury reached a boiling point. He forcefully scooped Sylvie off the floor. "You did absolutely nothing wrong. You are not the one who should be apologizing!"

Sylvie leaned weakly against Herbert's chest, gasping for breath through her tears. Her pale face was the picture of pure, tragic suffering.

Seeing the woman he adored practically crying until she passed out, Miles screamed at the top of his lungs, "Mom! Apologize to Sylvie right now! You're making her so upset she's going to pass out! If you don't apologize, I don't want you to be my mom anymore!"

"Okay," Hulda said, her gaze completely calm as she looked down at the little boy. "Then don't."

She stared deeply at the child she had nearly died giving birth to. Once again, she experienced that utter, hollow numbness that only comes after the most agonizing pain.

"That works out perfectly, because I don't want you either."

Miles froze, staring at her in stunned silence for a few seconds before erupting into a piercing wail. "Fine! I don't want you either! I have Sylvie to be my mom! Go away! Get out!"

"Hulda!" Herbert couldn't believe she would say something so vicious to their son. "He is your child. How could you say something so cruel to him? You are unbelievable!"

...

Hulda was already quite a distance away, yet she swore she could still hear Miles crying. The sound made her stomach churn.

He used to be so attached to her. He used to follow her everywhere, unable to be separated from his mother for even a minute.

When exactly did she become the villain in his eyes?

But it didn't matter anymore. She was divorcing Herbert. Miles was the absolute center of the Jewell family's universe; there was no way they would ever let her take him. She wouldn't even fight for custody.

The afternoon sun beat down harshly as she kept her head lowered, making her way to the cab stand.

"Hulda Sterling?" a familiar, sharp voice called out.

Hulda froze in her tracks. It had been a very long time since anyone had called her that.