But it shouldn’t have been that way. Maria couldn’t even tell the difference between the real and fake Dolores, so how could Matthew figure it out in just one day?
It seemed impossible!
Maria couldn’t believe that Matthew had uncovered the truth so quickly.
She winced in pain, blood filling her mouth. “Don’t try to frame me,” she spat out.
She firmly believed that it was impossible for Matthew to discover the truth.
At least, not this quickly.
Matthew remained silent, his every step towards her causing her to tremble with fear and a chilling sense of foreboding. He appeared like a demon, moving against the light, intensifying her fear.
Maria wanted to move away from him, but every fiber of her being screamed in agony when she tried to do so.
She shivered.
“What do you want?” she managed to utter, her voice quivering.
Matthew squatted in front of her, one knee on the ground. With gentle fingers, he brushed away the hair obscuring her eyes. “Tell me the truth about Dolores’ whereabouts, and maybe you can still live,” he said.
Maria didn’t want to admit that he had already discovered the rescued woman was not Dolores, but his words made it clear that he knew the person beside him wasn’t the real Dolores.
Whimpering and with tears streaming down her face, she remained unwilling to reveal the truth. “What’s so special about Dolores? Why do you care so much about her? Is it because she gave you two children? But even without her, I, even the fake Dolores beside you, can give birth to your child.”
Matthew frowned, his impatience growing, his voice turning colder. “Tell me, where is she?”
Maria stared at him for a long moment before suddenly smiling.
“Since you already know, I won’t hide it from you anymore. Yes, the woman beside you is Annabelle, not Dolores. It’s true that Dolores left this place with my brother.”
Her laughter grew more and more manic, her face contorted into a grotesque expression. “I know you won’t let me go this time. There’s no harm in dying if it means I can prevent you from finding Dolores. It’ll be worth it… ha ha…”
Matthew gripped her throat, silencing her wild laughter with a painful sob caught in her throat.
His gaze turned fierce. “I think I’ve been too kind to you.”
Maria panicked.
Her delicate neck felt like a young bamboo shoot in Matthew’s hand, as though it could snap with the slightest force.
His fingers exerted incredible power. She had heard before that Matthew had trained in combat in the past and was stronger than Boyce. He hadn’t pursued it further due to his responsibilities in the Nelson enterprise, but if he had, his accomplishments would have been significant.
Pressed against the cold, hard wall, she could see the murderous look in Matthew’s eyes. It sent shivers down her spine, and the pain made her wish for death.
Did he love Dolores that much?
Maria felt a pang of heartache, struggling to squeeze out two words from her throat. “I… talk…”
The pressure in Matthew’s grip eased, and he released her.
Gasping for air, Maria lay on the ground, coughing and spitting blood. Her fingers clenched into fists against the ground.
“Even if you know, it’s already too late. According to our plan, by the time you find the fake Dolores, the real Dolores will have already been injected with a nerve-disrupting drug, causing memory loss. My brother has taken her away from City B,” she said, raising her head to look at Matthew through the disheveled hair obstructing her view. “The purpose of inducing amnesia is to make her forget everything, including giving birth to her children and meeting you in this world. They can find a peaceful place to live, like an ordinary couple. Maybe by now, she’s already with my brother, giving herself to him completely…”
Before she could finish her words, Matthew silenced her with a punch.
His eyes were filled with a bloodthirsty rage, provoked by every word Maria uttered.
His hands were covered in blood, though he was unaware of it. He couldn’t stop trembling.
After a while, he regained his composure and stood up, leaving the room.
Nick greeted him immediately, “Captain Shawn is in his office.”
Matthew’s face was dark. “Don’t let anyone see that woman. Keep a close watch on her, ensure she doesn’t have any major injuries. Just keep her alive.”
“Yes,” Nick replied with assurance. Having followed Boyce for a long time, he was perceptive. “You can trust me, Mr. Nelson. I’ll handle it discreetly.”
Matthew nodded and left.
In the office.
No matter how Boyce teased or tried to cheer up Samuel, the boy never laughed. He stood beside the table, toying with a small five-starred red flag, his hand constantly fidgeting with it.
Boyce sat on the sofa, searching the internet for ways to make children happy. The suggestions he found all revolved around buying toys, treats, or taking them to amusement parks.
But looking at Samuel, he seemed more mature than an average five-year-old.
Those things clearly wouldn’t work in coaxing him.
“Samuel, don’t worry! We will definitely find your mommy,” Boyce assured, his voice filled with sincerity.
Samuel’s hands stilled, tears welled up in his eyes, finally breaking free and streaming down his face.
His mommy was gone. He felt worried and scared.
“Matthew.”
Matthew entered the room, and Boyce immediately stood up from the sofa, sighing. “This kid is too mature.”
He wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing.
Matthew glanced at the little figure standing by the table.
It seemed like Samuel had anticipated Matthew’s arrival. He silently wiped away his tears, turning around to hide his emotions. “Are you back?” he asked, trying to appear unaffected.
“Yeah,” Matthew replied.
“Check all the ports, terminals, and airports. Station people to monitor all the exit points,” Matthew instructed.
As long as Dolores hadn’t left the country, there was still time.
Understanding Matthew’s intentions, Boyce nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t let her leave here. But what about Maria?”
“She doesn’t want to live. I’ll grant her wish.” Matthew remained calm and composed, as if her life held no significance in his eyes.
Boyce gasped in shock before finally saying, “I see.”
“I’ll have Armand meet you,” he said, realizing that Armand and Terry would be useful in this situation.
After speaking, he waved to Samuel. “Let’s go now.”
Samuel approached and took the initiative to hold Matthew’s hand.
Watching the tall and small figures walk out the door, Boyce walked toward the desk and made calls to arrange for people to investigate various exit points.
Samuel climbed into the car and buckled his seatbelt himself. “Can we go home first?” he asked.
Matthew didn’t question why and agreed, “Okay.”
The car left the detention center and meandered through the residential area before finally stopping by a tranquil forest.
The engine turned off.
Samuel hesitated for a moment before speaking up. “I think I need to make something clear to you,” he said.
Matthew turned to look at him. “What do you want to say?”
“No matter if you like Mommy or not, or if I like you or not, right now, I don’t want to fight with you. Let’s work together to find Mommy. What happens afterwards can wait until she comes back home.”
Until now, Samuel couldn’t be certain whether his father truly loved his Mommy or not.
He didn’t want to harbor hatred towards him at this moment because he had the ability to help find his Mommy.
“You may not be that old, but you sure think a lot,” Matthew remarked.
Samuel lowered his eyes, his thick curly lashes trembling lightly.
“Uncle Sampson has always told me one thing. He said that my mother sacrificed her life for me and my sister. When Mommy was pregnant with us, she got into a car accident and was injured. She needed surgery, and if she didn’t undergo the operation, she could have been disabled for life. But to perform the surgery, they needed to use anesthesia, which meant that my sister and I would be affected and might not have been able to be born…”
He widened his eyes, holding back his tears. “She underwent the operation without any anesthesia to save my sister and me. I don’t know how much it must have hurt. I only heard that she passed out from the pain multiple times and nearly died…”
“I’ve been the only ‘man’ in my family since I was a child. I want to protect her, love her, so that she will never be hurt again and never experience pain.” He sniffed. “I don’t care if the man who takes care of her in the future is my biological father or not. As long as he loves her, cherishes her, cares for her, and protects her, I will accept him and even call him Daddy.”
Samuel made it clear that regardless of whom Dolores chose in the future, he would understand and accept it.
But if even his biological father, Matthew, couldn’t fulfill all of the above, he wouldn’t accept him.
His Mommy deserved a remarkable man to take care of her.
Matthew rested his forehead against the hand pressed on the car window. Shrouded in the shadow of a tree, his features were enveloped in darkness, leaving only a faint outline. On closer inspection, it was apparent that his whole body was trembling slightly.
There were no words that could describe his inner turmoil at this moment.
The shock and impact he experienced caused a pain in his heart that defied description…
After a long while, he managed to regain his composure enough to speak, but his voice remained hoarse as he said to Samuel, “Let’s go home.”
With that, he restarted the car.
“Wait a minute.” Samuel noticed the blood on the back of Matthew’s hand. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” Matthew replied, though none of the blood on his hand belonged to him.
Samuel inexplicably felt relieved and pulled out a wipe from the wet wipe box in front. “I’ll clean it for you.”
Matthew extended his hand, and Samuel, lowering his head, held Matthew’s hand with one hand while earnestly wiping away the remaining blood with his other hand.
He was remarkably sensible and didn’t inquire about how the blood got on Matthew’s hands in the first place.
Matthew looked at him, his face young and immature, yet carrying a depth beyond his years.
His maturity pained Matthew’s heart, an ache that gnawed at his core.