Chapter 1334: But I won’t do it.

As her son had asked, Eleanor listened to Adrian without interrupting.

He had plenty of time, while he was lying down and recovering from Idan’s beatings, to reflect and realize, if not all, then at least a significant part of what he had accomplished over the past two decades.

She noticed that Adrian still couldn’t forgive himself for his brother’s death. However, at least he stopped hiding behind his brother’s mask.

Eleanor finally saw in this man a glimmer of the image of her son, whom she also considered lost.

That was enough for her to start with.

Having spoken, Adrian was silent for a long time, looking down. Eleanor didn’t rush him.

"I do not know what to do now, Mom," he finally confessed.

Eleanor turned away for a moment and looked out the window at the garden.

After spending time thinking and making a decision, she finally spoke.

"You have to accept one thing first, Adrian."

"Which one?" Adrian looked up.

"I will not mediate between you and my grandchildren."

Her son didn’t say anything.

"You were hoping that I would talk to them, weren’t you? Will I tell them what you said? Shall I ask you to give you a chance?"

Adrian remained silent. His silence was eloquent enough.

"I understand why you thought of that," Eleanor continued. "But I won’t do it."

"The past can’t be brought back," she continued with a sigh. "You’re not bringing your brother back..."

Eleanor was silent for a moment.

"You can’t bring back the years that Idan and Ryan lived without you. You can’t bring back their childhood, which was spent without a father. You won’t erase the deception just because you repent now."

Every word was hard for her, but Eleanor didn’t stop.

"And I want you to understand something else. Maybe you’ve already missed all the chances. Maybe Idan and Ryan will never forgive you. They might never recognize you as their father, no matter what you do."

Adrian paled, but he didn’t look away.

"Do you... do you think everything is already lost?"

"I think you should allow this possibility. You should not cling to the hope that words or actions can bring their recognition back to you. You don’t have the right to ask them to forgive you just because you finally admitted your guilt."

Adrian lowered his head.

She gave him time to process her words before continuing.

"Don’t forget about Ina, the twins, Estelle, and Inessa. Your actions didn’t just affect Idan and Ryan. But also on others."

"Who do you want to be for them?"

"Ina..." he said the name of his daughter, the only one of his five children to whom he was a father and spent most of her life by her side.

However, then he abandoned her and her mother at the most difficult moment, when they needed him most, a father, a man who could protect them.

"I don’t have the courage to look her in the eye after everything that’s happened..." his voice was trembling.

"Estelle only came once after everything that happened, and she didn’t say anything. But her look said a lot. And the twins... I do not know what to do with them. They remind me of me and Damian..."

Inessa is the most painful memory. She was his wife and had been with him the longest. Even after he was beaten up, she stayed by his side and took care of him. However, she hasn’t said a word since. Adrian realized that he had lost the trust of the woman he truly loved.

"Adrian," — Eleanor called. "First, tell them the truth. Admit your guilt. Don’t make excuses with your brother, circumstances, or fear. And then give them the choice."

"What if they turn away?" This was his biggest fear in recent days.

"You’ll have to accept it."

Adrian closed his eyes. The answer was harder than he had expected from his mother.

"Are you saying that I should just accept it?"

"no. To accept is to stop resisting the truth. But this is not the same as giving up trying to become a better person. You can change. You can stop lying. You don’t have to hurt them again. You can be there if they ever want to be there."

Eleanor paused and continued:

"However, after everything you’ve done, you can’t expect them to take you back."

Adrian was silent for a long time, then asked quietly:

"And if... if they never forgive me?"

"In that case, you’ll have to live the rest of your life without hiding behind someone else’s name or shifting responsibility to others."

He smiled painfully.

"I believe you can change, Adrian," — Eleanor replied, "but I don’t think regret alone is enough to bring back the past. Maybe one day they will see your changes, and maybe not. You have to be prepared for any outcome."

Adrian looked down again.

This time, he didn’t argue or seek comfort in her words. For the first time, he realized that he was asking his mother not so much for advice as for hope.

But Eleanor didn’t give him the hope she couldn’t guarantee. Instead, she left him with something more difficult—the truth and the opportunity to decide for himself what kind of person he would be next.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door, and it slowly opened. A maid entered the room.

"Madam," she said, "Lady Lyudmila has arrived and insists on meeting you."

"Lyudmila?" The eyebrows of the mother and son rose in amazement.

"What brings her here?" Adrian asked with displeasure. Of all her father’s mistresses, Lyudmila was one of those whom he did not favor.

Eleanor rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then turned to the maid.:

"Bring her," she said, and turned to her son, "The family doesn’t know you’re here yet, so you’d better leave."

Adrian couldn’t comprehend his mother’s plan, but he decided to listen to her words.

Before leaving the room, he noticed how his mother’s appearance began to transform right in front of his eyes. In a matter of moments, the young woman turned into an old woman with graying hair and wrinkles.

Eleanor, noticing her son’s wide-open eyes, put her finger to her lips, accompanied by a slight smile.