Chapter 105: Laughing Out Loud

The room fell into silence, so heavy that Delilah could hear faint noise from outside, people laughing, glasses clinking, life going on as if nothing had just been said.

She frowned slightly, waiting for a reaction, anything at all, but neither of them spoke.

Jade didn’t even spit out the beer in her mouth. Instead, it just dripped down from the corner of her lips, completely forgotten, while Elaine’s eyes widened so much they looked like they might pop out of her skull.

For a moment, they just stared. Then slowly, they turned to look at each other and suddenly, they burst into laughter.

It came out all at once, loud and uncontrollable, making the table shake as Jade slammed her hand against it while Elaine leaned back, laughing so hard tears started forming in her eyes.

Delilah’s eye twitched. "I shouldn’t have told you anything! You two are unbearable!"

She stood up, ready to leave, but Jade immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down onto the sofa, still laughing. It took them a good few minutes before they finally managed to calm down.

"Alright... seriously, Delilah," Jade said, wiping the corner of her eye, "you only have two choices. Either you join them, or you separate them."

Delilah immediately pinched her arm.

"Stop joking around!"

"I’m not," Jade said, still smirking.

"She’s right," Elaine added, straightening her posture, though her lips still twitched.

"There’s no middle option here, Delilah. Also... this would make a great plot for my next manga. Damn, I should really go with the oyakodon troupe! Readers would love it!"

Elaine barely finished her sentence before Delilah hit her in the stomach, making her flinch, but even then, she couldn’t stop laughing.

"Why do you keep saying I only have two choices?" Delilah snapped. "Why can’t I just accept it? Accept their relationship?"

"Oh, darling," Jade said, shaking her head, "I think I understand you better than you understand yourself. You already tried that, didn’t you? And what happened? Gideon started sulking."

"Jade’s right," Elaine chimed in.

"If you try to stay in the middle, it’ll just turn awkward for everyone. Sooner or later, someone’s going to leave because they can’t stand it anymore. And let’s be honest, you don’t actually want them to be with Gideon."

"What? How do you even know Gideon was sulking?" Delilah turned sharply to Jade, then to Elaine.

"And what do you mean by that? I don’t mind if they have a relationship... but Freya is still young, and Summer isn’t exactly... bright. They’ve only known him for less than a month! How could they already... do something like that..."

Her voice trailed off as her face flushed, the memory hitting her again. She quickly covered her face, embarrassed.

"Yeah, Elaine tells me everything," Jade said, leaning forward with interest, "what happened this morning? And you were clearly thinking about Gideon earlier, weren’t you?"

"And that little speech you gave when Summer was gone?" Elaine added casually. "That already says enough. And when he took Freya and didn’t come back in time. The panic is clear..."

She paused, her expression shifting slightly before her lips curled into a knowing smile. "Don’t tell me you’re actually jealous of your own daughters and want Gideon for yourself."

"Oh damn, you might be onto something!" Jade said, her eyes lighting up as she had just discovered something incredible.

Delilah frowned deeply. "No. Of course not. I’m just worried about them, that’s all. Why would I even think something like that?" She let out a frustrated groan. "And my worries turned out to be true..."

But even as she said it, their words lingered.

What if they were right?

Delilah couldn’t tell anymore. Her thoughts were a mess, twisting over each other, and no matter how much she tried to push them away, they kept coming back.

If she really ended up with Gideon... what would that make her relationship with her daughters?

What would people even say?

An old hag like her wants the same man as them.

Without realizing it, she bit down on her lip, her hands clenching tightly in her lap.

Jade and Elaine noticed as one of them finally spoke.

"Well, if you want the safest option, then just don’t tell them," Elaine said as she leaned back against the sofa, her voice calmer now.

"Live in ignorance until you can’t anymore. But I know you won’t be able to do that." She glanced at Delilah for a moment before continuing. "So this time, try thinking about yourself too. You’re a good mother, but that doesn’t mean that’s all you are. You’re more than that."

Jade nodded in agreement. "She’s right. When was the last time you actually enjoyed something without thinking about your daughters first? Eating your favorite food, spending time on your hobbies without worrying about them..."

She paused, then added more quietly, "They’re already old enough to leave the nest. And when that happens, you’ll need to get used to being yourself again."

Delilah’s eyes slowly brightened, as if something finally clicked in her mind.

They weren’t wrong.

There had never been a time when she stopped worrying about her daughters. Every choice, every decision, even the smallest ones, always came back to them.

She worked endlessly, sacrificed sleep, gave up things she once enjoyed, all to make sure they could live comfortably.

Maybe... It was time to think about herself for once.

"But... Why was Gideon sulking?" Elaine suddenly asked. "Shouldn’t you be the one angry at him?"

The question made Delilah flinch slightly.

For a moment, her thoughts froze.

She couldn’t tell them the truth. Not now. If she did, their reaction would be more atrocious than this, and she wasn’t ready for that.

Worse, they might see through her and realize something she herself was still trying to deny.

"...It’s because I forbade him from going out with Summer and Freya," she said, the lie coming out easier than she expected.

Neither of them questioned it. They simply accepted it.

The rest of the night passed more lightly after that. The tension faded, replaced with quieter conversation, occasional laughter, and the slow comfort of alcohol dulling the edges of everything.

By the time they left, the night had already deepened.

Elaine and Delilah returned to the bunker instead of heading back to Climber Rift. It was simply too dangerous to travel that far in the dark.

So they stayed there and for once, Delilah allowed herself to rest.

***

Delilah’s eyes snapped open, her body going rigid as she caught the faint sound of movement from the floor above.

For a moment she stayed still, listening, her breath shallow as footsteps echoed through the ceiling, accompanied by low whispers of men.

Her expression sharpened instantly because she know those weren’t her daughters.

The steps were heavier, uneven, and there was more than one person moving around.

Her heart began to pound as the realization settled in.

She turned quickly and grabbed Elaine’s shoulder, shaking her just enough to wake her without making too much noise.

"Elaine," she whispered urgently, her voice low but firm, "wake up. There are people inside. We’re under attack!"