Samuel clasped his sister’s hand tightly. “Simona, let’s go find Mommy. This isn’t our home, and he’s not our daddy.”
Simona hesitated, unable to comprehend why her brother was suddenly angry. “But he is Daddy…”
“No, he’s not.” Samuel had never shown such fierceness towards his sister before. This time, he was truly enraged. How could Simona understand that the man was unwilling to acknowledge them?
Why should they shamelessly remain here in this situation?
Simona’s eyes welled up with tears, her red-rimmed eyes growing teary, and her shoulders hunching slightly.
She didn’t dare to utter a word. She realized that her brother was upset.
Gently, she reached out to touch Samuel’s hand. “Samuel-”
“Stop calling me that. Go to your unfaithful father. You can abandon me and Mommy!”
“Boo-”
Simona burst into tears, her tears streaming down. She hastily held onto Samuel’s hand, afraid that he would leave her.
Although she longed for a daddy, her brother meant more to her.
After all, they were twins, born of the same mother, and had been together for six years. The bond of family ran deep in their veins.
That couldn’t compare to the father whom she had just met a few days ago.
“Samuel, I’m sorry. I don’t want Daddy. Please don’t leave me. Boohoo-”
“We still have Mommy. Why are you crying?” Samuel wiped away her tears, his eyes red. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he fought to keep them from falling.
Holding his sister’s hand, he said, “Let’s go find Mommy.”
“It’s late now. Where are you going?” Jessica hurriedly stepped in to stop them.
Victoria and Jayden had a private conversation with her when they arrived. She knew why they had come here.
She wasn’t entirely clear about the details. She didn’t understand why Matthew was the father of those two children.
However, the DNA test wouldn’t lie, and Jayden wasn’t foolish. He wouldn’t acknowledge someone unrelated to his grandchildren.
The Nelson family was affluent and influential. They wouldn’t joke about such matters.
They took their lineage seriously.
Samuel looked up at Jessica, his eyes widening. “I want to find Mommy.”
He strained to widen his eyes, preventing the tears from falling.
He didn’t want to cry in front of that unfaithful man.
He refused to reveal his vulnerability to him.
Jessica tried to calm Samuel down. “I’ll call your mommy first, okay? If we go out like this, we won’t know where she is. Just wait for a moment. I’ll grab my cell phone.”
“No way! I want to find Mommy now.” Samuel refused to wait any longer.
“Samuel-” Coral also approached, attempting to persuade him.
Seeing the two children in such a state, her nose tingled, and her eyes turned red.
Victoria turned away, secretly wiping her tears. Those two kids were so pitiful.
No one could convince Samuel, who was determined to leave the house.
“Please stop trying to convince me. Please don’t cry. You think my sister and I are so pitiful, don’t you? But we’re not. We have Mommy. She loves us and spoils us. She bathes us, sleeps with us, tells us bedtime stories, teaches us to read, and teaches us to be good. Having Mommy is enough for us. We’re not pitiful at all.”
After speaking his mind, Samuel pulled his sister, ready to go.
“I’ll come with you.” Jessica hurriedly followed them.
But someone moved faster than she did. A dark figure rushed forward-it was Matthew, who had remained silent all this time. Standing in front of Samuel and Simona, he blocked their path and spoke in a deep, hoarse voice, “It’s already dark outside. Where are you going?”
“Please step aside. We’re going to find our mommy.” Samuel raised his head, his eyes obviously filled with tears, but he stubbornly hid them.
Looking into Samuel’s determined eyes, Matthew felt a dull ache in his heart, making it hard to breathe. He bent over, as if the position could alleviate the indescribable pain.
He knelt in front of them, observing every detail of their faces-their brows, eyes, cheeks, noses, and lips. He didn’t miss an inch. His hands trembled as he reached out to touch their faces. But when his hand hovered in the air, he couldn’t bring himself to make contact.
He had lost his courage.
He had never felt such embarrassment in his entire life.
This truth had dealt him a devastating blow and shock.
Overnight, he had become the father of a son and a daughter.
And it was the woman he had always loved who had given birth to them.
How could he not feel overwhelmed with excitement and a surge of emotions?
He had never taken a single responsibility for those two children, not even for a day. How could he not feel guilty?
They had been with their mother for six years, and he had been oblivious. How could he take it lightly?
“Please excuse us. We’re going to find our mommy.” Samuel tried to push past the “mountain” in front of him.
“May I take you to find her?” His voice trembled involuntarily.
He sounded cautious.
“No, thanks,” Samuel still refused.
“I’ll call Mommy and ask her to come get us.” As he spoke, Samuel activated his cell phone and dialed Dolores’s number.
But the response he received was: “I’m sorry, the subscriber you dialed cannot be reached at the moment. Please try again later…”
Samuel didn’t give up. He dialed again, only to hear the same message: “I’m sorry, the subscriber you dialed cannot be reached at the moment. Please try again later…”
Samuel furrowed his brows. His mother would never make her phone unreachable, nor would she cut off contact with Grandma and him.
He couldn’t help but wonder what was going on.
“I know where she is. I’ll take you there.” Matthew tried to please him, something he had never done before, but was now fully willing to do.
Samuel didn’t agree.
In Matthew’s perspective, he remained silent because he refused to acknowledge the presence of Samuel and his sister. It shattered his heart, leaving him deeply disappointed in himself.
Simona also hesitated, lacking the courage to agree, although secretly, she wanted to. She gently tugged her brother’s hand, whispering, “Samuel, please let Daddy take us to find Mommy.”
“He’s not Daddy!” Samuel, who had just managed to calm down, was once again consumed by anger at his sister’s words.
Fear gripped Simona, preventing her from uttering a word. She fought back tears, desperately trying to hold them in. “I… I won’t call him that anymore. I won’t…,” she sobbed, struggling to speak, “I won’t upset you, Samuel.”
Samuel realized he had unleashed his anger on his sister, regretting his actions. Apologizing, he embraced her. “I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry, Simona.”
“Samuel, it’s not your fault. I know Mommy and you both love me.” Simona hugged her brother tightly. “Samuel, I miss Mommy.”
Samuel glanced at Matthew, contemplating for a moment. Eventually, he relented. “Do you really know where my mommy is?”
Matthew nodded solemnly. “Yes, I do.”
Samuel pondered for a moment. “Okay. Thank you.”
His tone was polite yet distant.
The familiarity between them had vanished.
Matthew’s expression stiffened but quickly returned to normal. He understood that Samuel was genuinely upset with him.
Extending his hand, Matthew attempted to hold Simona. After all, she was clinging to him so dearly.
For the first time, Simona took a step back, studying her brother’s expression intently. She longed to be held by Daddy, but feared Samuel’s anger.
Samuel held his sister’s hand tightly. “I’ll hold your hand. Soon we’ll see Mommy.”
Matthew’s outstretched hands froze in disappointment. Struggling to contain his emotions, he spoke calmly. “Let’s go.”
He slowed his pace, waiting for the two little ones.
Samuel excelled at taking care of his sister. When the car door opened, he let Simona sit in first, then settled in himself, closing the door. He helped his sister fasten her seatbelt before fastening his own. He didn’t require any assistance from Matthew.
Observing their tender and adorable faces through the rear-view mirror, Matthew couldn’t help but notice the striking resemblance they bore to him, a fact he had never considered before.
Suddenly, he clenched his hands, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Veins protruded on the back of his hands, a testament to his inner struggle. Emotions surged within him, assaulting his senses.
After a long while, he finally regained his composure, starting the engine. Dolores had mentioned returning to the store for something. With that in mind, he drove towards LEO Corporation.
…