"Tilly is good girl! It rang!""It rang?" Deirdre glanced at the cell phone Tilly had thrown on the bed and froze for a second. The number on the screen was etched in her memory—it was Brendan's number, a number she hadn't forgotten even after losing her vision. For four years, Brendan hadn't changed his number."Mommy?" Tilly tilted her head.Deirdre composed herself, picked up her phone, and said, "Brendan? Why did you call me?"Brendan clenched his fists. "The kid..."He took a deep breath and asked, "Who is the kid answering the phone?"Deirdre pursed her lips. She hadn't wanted Brendan to find out about Tilly, but now that he knew, she couldn't hide it any longer."It's none of your business," Deirdre replied, her voice cold. "These are my family matters and personal affairs. They have nothing to do with you, and I have no reason to explain anything to you.""It's none of my business?" Brendan held his breath, trying to remain calm. "No, you can't have a child. She must be
Deirdre's entire body froze as she glanced at the drawing on the paper.The artwork depicted a mother holding a boy's hand, capturing the mother's tenderness and the child's longing despite its simplicity.A sudden tightness gripped Deirdre's heart. 'Could this be a tribute to his mother?'As Sean heard the noise, he looked up and quickly hid his drawing, his face filled with embarrassment.Deirdre tried to regain her composure, but her mind was in turmoil.Just yesterday evening, she had started suspecting that Sean might be her child with Brendan, and now she saw him drawing a picture in memory of his mother. How could she not read into it?It was only when the little girl touched her face with her hand that Deirdre managed to compose herself.Deirdre took a deep breath, crouching down with a forced calm smile. "Steve, if I'm not mistaken, the person in your painting is your mother, right? You miss her very much?"Sean pursed his lips and silently nodded.Suppressing her emo
Deirdre anxiously waited for two days, but the outcome was unexpected."We have thoroughly investigated, but there is no information about that child. Brendan has concealed him very carefully. So far, no one has been able to uncover anything. I'm sorry," the investigator explained."How can this be?" Deirdre couldn't believe it. She knew Brendan was discreet, but she never imagined he could hide the child so well."Is there really no way at all?" She frowned. "He told me the child had disappeared. How can he keep all the information hidden... or is he lying to me?""It's highly likely that he's lying," the investigator dismissed it. "After all, he is a ruthless business elite skilled in deception."Deirdre's head throbbed.The investigator added, "If you decide to take legal action against Brendan to fight for custody, your chances of winning are not high. However, there might be an opportunity for you to see the child.""No," Deirdre declined. "I have never met the child before
Could such coincidences really happen in the world? Had he truly returned? Right there, by her side?Deirdre's heart raced.She took a strand of hair from Sean and left the room.Then, she took a strand of her own hair and carefully placed it on the bedside table before she went to sleep.After a while, the door was gently pushed open.Sean poked his little head in, his beautiful face filled with conflict.He knew it wasn't right, but it was the only way... The only way! Only by doing this could he become Deirdre's child!Then, he wouldn't be an orphan anymore. He would have a mother.After making up his mind, he walked barefoot to the bedside table where two bundles of hair were placed—one short and one long. The short one was his, and the long one belonged to Deirdre.He opened his palm, revealing a delicate, wavy lock of hair.It was taken from Tilly's pillow.He quickly exchanged his own hair with the little girl's and returned to his room.Back in his room, his heart p
Deirdre witnessed the scene and couldn't help but feel overjoyed.After getting off the ride, she squatted in front of Sean. "You really enjoy these rides, don't you?"Sean nodded.Deirdre patted his shoulder. "Great! How about trying even more thrilling attractions to show how brave you are?"-Meanwhile, at the hospital.Brendan's face looked worse than ever since his assistant informed him that they couldn't find any information about Sean.It had been enough time for a child to quietly disappear from the city without a trace."Mr. Brighthall, please try to remain calm. We are still investigating. Even though he's just a five-year-old child, he couldn't have gone far alone... We will review the surveillance footage from the streets as quickly as possible. Once we locate Sean, we will—""What will you do?" Brendan's face darkened.Was he expected to sit and wait like that? It was his child, his bloodline."I told you to do whatever it takes to find him, not wait for him to
Deirdre noticed that Sean's heart wasn't as closed off as she initially thought. He seemed to be under a lot of pressure due to certain factors, and she felt he needed to release it all.Sean eagerly nodded, his eyes filled with longing.Deirdre seemed to understand. "Would you like me to join you for another ride?"Sean's obsidian eyes sparkled, indicating his interest in her offer. Deirdre unintentionally froze for a moment, captivated by his gaze.Quickly shaking off her thoughts, she reminded herself that she couldn't jump to conclusions about the child's resemblance to Brendan until the paternity test results were out."Let's go! I'll queue up with you again."Sterling playfully teased Tilly from behind. "Look, Mommy is going to ride the Dragon Train."The Dragon Train referred to the roller coaster.Sterling wiped Tilly's drool. "Tilly, are you brave enough? Will you ride it like a grown-up?"Tilly giggled, but when Sterling actually joined the queue, she clung to him, a
"They're refusing to come out," Sterling replied, shaking his head."If they don't want to, let it be." Deirdre patted Tilly's back. "Maybe it's just an inexperienced driver who recently joined the road. As long as nothing happened, let's forget about it."Deirdre didn't want to dwell on such insignificant matters."Alright." Sterling nodded and walked gently to Deirdre's side. He asked, "Did it scare you too? Are you okay?""I'm fine." Deirdre smiled. "Thanks to Mr. Fuller's excellent driving skills.""You're teasing me again." Sterling sighed, placing his hand on Deirdre's shoulder.Suddenly, a loud crash reverberated from the car, clearly coming from inside. Deirdre immediately turned to look at the car, unintentionally noticing its model.It was a limited edition Prestige, and there were very few people in Neve who could afford such a car. In fact, there was only one person...Deirdre's breath hitched.In the next moment, the car door swung open.The most striking feature
Deirdre's trembling arms held onto Tilly tightly, but she quickly regained her composure, though disappointment still filled her eyes.She had cut off all attachments five years ago, so why did Brendan's words still pierce her heart?Perhaps Deirdre had hoped that Brendan could regain some sanity deep down, but now she realized he was beyond redemption."You're right. It was my fault for allowing myself to be imprisoned. I was foolish, holding onto hope for certain people. But over these past four years, I've come to understand that some people aren't worth expecting anything from. Rest assured. I won't be so foolish in the future."Her words carried immense weight, especially the promise she made at the end.Brendan furrowed his brow, his face turning pale. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he gnashed his teeth and swallowed his words."When did it happen?" He stared fixedly at Tilly.What pained him was that Tilly bore a slight resemblance to Deirdre. If Tilly was he