Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 109: Chapter 109

It felt like a giant hand was squeezing Lane’s heart when she walked back to her son. She had gone to get him some water after seating him on the sofa the moment they got back to the condo.

Her son was staring at the floor, completely silent. Honestly, he’d been like that for a while now. Even in the car on the way home, he didn’t say a word. And in his world, silence always meant something was dead wrong.

He wasn’t talking, just looking down and fidgeting with his hands.

She wanted to grill him about what really happened, but she’d decided to wait until they were home. She wanted Ethan to be there when they finally sat their son down to talk.

Lane took a deep breath before walking over to him. When she sat beside him, he didn’t even look up.

"Calvin, drink some water, sweetie," she said, keeping her voice gentle.

"Mommy, I’m really not thirsty," he murmured, still avoiding her gaze.

She sighed again, placing the glass on the coffee table and facing him. "Calvin, look at Mommy."

When he still didn’t budge, she cupped his face and gently lifted his head so their eyes would meet.

She saw the sadness immediately. His eyes were bloodshot from crying earlier, and new tears were already welling up, ready to spill over.

She had told herself she’d wait for Ethan so they could do this together, but she couldn’t hold out any longer. She needed to know. "Calvin, what really happened? Did you punch Tyler?"

To be honest, at first, she didn’t think Calvin had it in him to hurt anyone. But when he stayed quiet and didn’t even try to defend himself back at the school, she started to think it might be true. Still, she wasn’t about to judge him without hearing his side first.

"S-sorry, Mommy," he choked out. "Please don’t be mad at me."

"Why are you saying sorry?" she asked.

He opened his mouth to explain, but he stopped when the door swung open. Both of them looked up to see Ethan walking in. He’d kept his promise. He was here for them, and he hadn’t stayed behind with Olivia and Tyler.

A second later, Lane looked away from Ethan because Calvin suddenly lunged for her, burying his face in her chest.

She frowned when she felt his little body trembling in her arms, like he was terrified.

What was he so afraid of?

Was it Ethan? Why on earth would he be scared of Ethan?

She saw Ethan’s mouth drop open when he noticed it too. He rushed over and sat on the other side of the boy, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "Calvin?"

Both of them froze when their son started sobbing into her shirt, his grip on her tightening even more.

"Calvin, baby? Are you hurt?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Let me take him, Lane," Ethan said. He reached down and lifted Calvin onto his own lap. The boy was hesitant at first, but he eventually let it happen.

"Calvin, look at Uncle Daddy," Ethan said when he saw the boy looking down again.

"S-sorry, Uncle Ethan," Calvin whispered.

Lane noticed right away that Calvin had dropped the " Daddy " part. Ethan clearly noticed too.

"Uncle? What happened to Daddy?" Ethan asked.

Calvin finally looked up at him. "I won’t call you Daddy anymore, Uncle Ethan, because Tyler will get mad at me," he said.

Ethan’s brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Calvin hesitated for a beat.

"Tyler gets mad when I call you Daddy since you’re not my real Daddy. He says I should only call my real Daddy that. Then he said I’m trying to steal his Daddy. He said Mommy is stealing you from his Mommy. He called my Mommy a flirt," Calvin explained.

Ethan looked like he’d been slapped. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

" Your Mommy is a flirt! Your Mommy is a flirt! That’s what Tyler told me. That’s why I punched him in the face. It was because he was bullying my Mommy."

It all clicked for Lane. Her son hadn’t just lashed out for no reason. He’d been triggered by Tyler’s insults toward her. She saw Ethan clench his jaw, his eyes dark with anger.

"I’m sorry, Uncle Ethan, for hitting your son. It’s okay if you’re mad at me."

It took a long moment before Ethan could find his voice. "Why would I ever be mad at you?"

"Because... because I punched your son. But I don’t regret it. I don’t want him bullying my Mommy."

Lane took a deep breath. "Calvin, you know it’s wrong to hurt people, right?" she said softly.

Calvin bit his lip. "I’m sorry, Mommy. And I’m sorry, Uncle Ethan." It was clear he was sticking to his decision to stop calling him Daddy.

"You can still call me Daddy, son," Ethan said, his voice trembling.

"Huh?"

Instead of answering the boy, Ethan looked at Lane. She swallowed hard, her heart hammering against her ribs.

"Calvin," she said, getting his attention.

"Yeah, Mommy?"

"W-would you like to meet your real Daddy?"

"My real Daddy?" he asked, sounding confused.

She nodded, tears starting to blur her vision. "Do you want to meet him?"

Calvin glanced at Ethan, looking a little unsure, but finally nodded. "Yes," he whispered.

She reached out and stroked his hair. She couldn’t stop the tears now; they were streaming down her face.

"Just turn around, Calvin. Your real Daddy is right there."

He followed her lead and turned toward Ethan.

"H-hi, son," Ethan choked out.

Calvin blinked rapidly, staring at him. "I-I am your real Daddy," Ethan added, tears finally falling from his own eyes.

"M-mommy?"

Even through the sobbing, Lane managed a smile. "Yes, Calvin. He’s your father. Your real Dad."

Calvin was silent for a few seconds while it all sank in. Then, it felt like a wave of pure emotion hit the room when he suddenly threw his arms around Ethan’s neck.

"Daddy! My Daddy!" Calvin sobbed, holding on for dear life.

"Are you really my Daddy?"

Ethan pulled him in close, burying his face in the boy’s hair. "Y-yes. I’m your Daddy."

Lane sat there, unable to stop crying as she watched them. After a moment, Ethan looked up at her.

Their eyes met, both of them a mess of tears and pure joy. He reached out with one arm and pulled her into the hug too.

He held them both so tight, like he was never going to let go. "I love you both so much," he whispered. "Always remember that."

...

"I love you, Mommy. I love you, Daddy."

A smile spread across Lane’s lips when she heard Calvin say that. He even gave them both a kiss on the cheek before lying down on the bed. She could see the pure joy on her son’s face at that moment.

"Mommy and Daddy love you, Calvin," Ethan told their son a moment later.

She shifted her gaze from her son to Ethan. Just like Calvin, his face was glowing with happiness. His eyes filled with love, too.

Even without looking in a mirror, Lane knew her own face reflected that same joy. Her heart was just overflowing.

If she’d known it would go like this, if she’d known explaining things to her son wouldn’t be a struggle, she would’ve introduced Ethan to him a long time ago. But she didn’t regret the delay because it proved that their bond was instinctive.

Even though Calvin had no idea Ethan was his real father, he felt that biological pull and knew in his heart that Ethan was special. Despite having just met, Ethan had already found a place in their son’s heart.

"Good night, Mommy and Daddy," Calvin said after a while.

She kissed his cheek before he closed his eyes. They stayed there until they felt him drift off to sleep.

"I’m going to turn off the light," Ethan whispered. He didn’t wait for her to respond, carefully getting up so he wouldn’t wake the boy.

She watched him walk over to the light switch. The room plunged into darkness the moment he flipped it. She could only see his silhouette now since the room was dark and she hadn’t turned on the lamp.

She heard his footsteps approaching. She assumed he was headed back to his side of the bed, but she was surprised when she felt his presence right behind her. He actually squeezed in right next to her.

She looked back at him. "Ethan?" she whispered.

"I just want to lie beside you, Lane," Ethan said. She wanted to close her eyes as his fresh breath brushed against her face while he spoke.

"I want to hold you," he added. She felt his arm wrap around her waist, pulling her close against him.

She pressed her lips together as she felt his strong frame against her back. Her eyes drifted shut when Ethan tucked his face into the crook of her neck.

"Good night, Lane," Ethan murmured softly.

"Good night, Ethan," she replied.

"I love you," he whispered again.

She bit her lower lip. With her eyes still closed, she reached for his hand around her waist.

"I love you," she whispered back.

She felt him stiffen from behind. But once he recovered from the shock, he pulled her even tighter. Her lips parted when she felt a wetness on her neck.

Is Ethan crying?

She tried to turn around in his arms. He seemed reluctant to let go, but he eventually gave in. When his grip loosened, she turned to face him.

"Are you crying?"

"Hmm?" was all he said.

She reached up to cup his face. She could feel his wet cheeks and gently wiped the tears away.

"Why are you crying, Ethan?"

It took him a moment to answer. "Nothing. I’m just happy to hear those words from you."

"That I love you?"

She felt him nod. "I really do love you. I always have," she told him in a soft voice.

"I know," Ethan said. "I was foolish for not realizing it sooner. But I’m not stupid anymore, Lane. I will repay your love with all of mine and I will love you for the rest of my life."

Instead of saying anything, she let her hand slide down from his cheek. She found his lips and leaned in to give him a quick kiss.

"Thank you for loving me back, Ethan."

"No, Lane. Thank you for loving me still, despite the way I treated you," he told her.

"Thank you for not giving up on me."

Then, he was the one who kissed her. But it wasn’t a quick one like hers.

His lips lingered on hers. The kiss was tender, and he used it to show her exactly how much he loved her. She kissed him back, matching his rhythm. She wanted him to feel her love too.

They shared that kiss for a few seconds before Ethan pulled away. She felt him rest his forehead against hers.

Even in the dark, she could feel the intensity of his gaze.

"I love you so much, Lane," he told her.

Instead of answering, she closed her eyes and hugged him. He held her tight. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Lane expected her husband and son to be the first things she saw when she woke up, but she was wrong.

It looked like the two of them had gotten up early and let her sleep in.

She sat up in bed. Instead of heading straight out, she went to the bathroom to do her morning routine. Once she was finished, she went out to look for them. She knew exactly where they were.

She knew they were in the kitchen preparing breakfast. She was right. She saw the two of them there, busy cooking.

"Daddy, should I wake Mommy up? Our breakfast is almost ready."

A smile touched Lane’s lips when she heard Calvin say that to Ethan. He wasn’t calling him "Uncle" or "Uncle Daddy" anymore. Just Daddy.

She noticed the joy on Ethan’s face when he heard it. He was about to answer his son when he stopped because she spoke up to let them know she was awake.

"No need. I’m up."

They both looked her way at the same time.

"Mommy!"

"Lane." They spoke almost in unison.

Calvin ran over to her, reaching his little arms up. She immediately picked him up, and he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, Mommy," he greeted her.

"Good morning,Calvin," she greeted him back.

A moment later, she looked up from her son when she heard Ethan walking toward them. She couldn’t help her heart racing when she saw him staring intently at her.

As he got closer, she looked at her son and noticed he was covering his eyes with his hands.

When she and Ethan saw that, they couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed the boy knew exactly what his dad was about to do.

And Ethan definitely followed through with his plan, leaning down to kiss her.

She couldn’t help but blush when he gave her lower lip a tiny nip before pulling back.

"Good morning, love," Ethan greeted her, making her blush even harder.

"Love?"

"Daddy, Mommy’s name isn’t Love," Calvin spoke up after hearing what his father said.

Ethan let out a chuckle at Calvin’s words. He reached out to pat his son’s head. "I call your mommy ’love’ because I love her, Calvin. That’s my pet name for her," Ethan explained.

The boy didn’t respond for a second, seemingly absorbing what his dad said. Once it clicked, he looked at her.

"Good morning, my love," he said to her.

Lane and Ethan couldn’t stop themselves from laughing. It looked like he wanted to call her "love" just like Ethan did.

The two of them didn’t just look alike, they apparently thought exactly the same way too.

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