Ethan’s face went white.
Renee immediately covered the boy’s mouth.
Her fingertips were trembling.
“Kids say the craziest things. He does this all the time. He gets people mixed up…”
“Really?”
I took Mia’s hand and walked over to the couch.
“But I have to say, he seems pretty comfortable calling Ethan ‘Dad.'”
Brenda immediately jumped in to smooth things over.
“Oh, you know how kids are. A few weeks ago, Mr. Charles from next door came over, and Leo followed him around calling him Dad too.”
As she spoke, Brenda shoved a peeled orange into my hand.
“Here. Have some fruit. You must be exhausted after driving all the way here.”
I accepted it politely.
“Thank you.”
The moment Ethan realized I wasn’t pressing the issue, some of the tension visibly left his body.
He came up behind me and reached for my shoulders, probably intending to massage them like he always did.
I stepped aside before he could touch me.
His hand froze in midair.
He forced out a dry smile.
“This is Renee. She’s a distant relative. There was some trouble back home, so she’s staying with us for a few days…”
“A relative?”
I handed Mia a piece of orange.
Then I smiled again.
Ethan had grown up in a remote little town and worked his way into one of the most prestigious universities in the Commonwealth of Aurelion.
Once he went off to college, he cut ties with most of the struggling relatives he’d left behind.
So what distant relative could he possibly have now?
I looked directly at him.
“How come I’ve never heard of a distant relative named Renee Miller? I thought you cut ties with your extended family years ago.”
He faltered.
His eyes shifted away from mine.
“She is a distant relative. Very distant. She’s from my grandmother’s side of the family.”
I nodded slowly.
“I see.”
Very distant indeed.
Richard and Brenda exchanged a quick glance.
There was calculation in both their eyes.
Suddenly, Renee pulled Leo forward.
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
“Vivian, I know I shouldn’t have come here and imposed on you. But I didn’t know what else to do. Leo got sick, and we need money. I had no choice but to come to Ethan…”
“You came to him for money?”
I glanced at her.
Renee shook her head quickly.
“No, no. It’s not like that. We just… We’ll pay it back.”
Her words tumbled over each other.
Ethan couldn’t stand seeing her look so desperate.
His expression tightened.
“That’s enough, Vivian. Who pissed you off tonight?”
I smiled without answering.
Instead, I reached down and stroked Mia’s hair.
Years ago, when I gave birth to Mia, I nearly bled to death.
Ethan had been terrified.
His face had gone completely white as he swore that for the rest of his life, Mia and I would always be the two women he loved and protected most.
Apparently, his promises had meant nothing.
Ethan grabbed Renee by the arm.
“Take Leo to the guest room.”
“Don’t.”
My voice stopped them.
My eyes had already fallen on Leo’s wrist.
He was wearing a gold bracelet.
It looked almost exactly like the one I had given Mia for her birthday last year.
Mia’s bracelet had disappeared a long time ago.
Now I finally knew where it had gone.
Renee instinctively reached down and pulled Leo’s sleeve over the bracelet.
If anything, that only made her look guiltier.
I gave a quiet, mocking laugh.
“That bracelet looks a lot like Mia’s. Funny how it ended up on his wrist.”
Mia shrank closer to me.
Leo, however, suddenly yanked his arm free from Renee’s grip.
He pointed straight at me.
“You’re the mean woman who stole my dad! The bracelet is mine! Everything in this house is mine! I’m not giving you anything!”
“Leo!”
Renee screamed and lunged to cover his mouth.
Tiny beads of sweat had appeared across Ethan’s forehead.
Then Richard slammed his palm against the table.
“Vivian Sinclair!”
His voice thundered through the room.
“Enough with the sarcasm! It’s just a bracelet. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?”
His face darkened as he continued.
“My son has taken care of you all these years. He’s given you everything you could possibly want. What more do you want from us?”
He pointed angrily at the bracelet.
“Are you seriously saying an old married couple can’t even decide what to do with one gold bracelet?”