Chapter 123: Chapter 123
OLIVIA’S POV
Olivia’s anxiety vanished after she spoke with her father on the phone. During the first call, she felt intense anxiety when he mentioned that Ethan had hired a private investigator to look into Nathan.
Olivia thought she had gotten away with it when Ethan first saw the man visiting the room where Tyler was admitted. She didn’t know how Nathan found out they were at the hospital with Tyler because she hadn’t said anything. It seemed Nathan was keeping an eye on them, knowing everything that was happening in their lives.
Olivia thought she had successfully kept Nathan a secret from Ethan, but she had fallen victim to a false assumption.
Ethan was actually having the man investigated. Somehow, Olivia was thankful that Ethan’s private investigator was greedy, because after he called, he also contacted her father to inform him of Ethan’s orders. The PI was asking for money to report something different to Ethan.
Since her father had no money, he called her. If she wanted to keep her secret from being exposed, she needed to pay to keep Ethan’s private investigator silent. Because she didn’t want her secret exposed, she gave him money to report something different.
Olivia didn’t want Ethan to know the truth because she was sure he would be angry with her. Not only that, she was sure it would be the end of her happy days because he would completely sever the connection they had if he found out that Nathan was Tyler’s biological father. Tyler was the only reason why Ethan hadn’t severed their connection.
If that happened, she didn’t know where she and Tyler would end up. The truth was that she didn’t have a job. Since she and Ethan became a couple, and since he proposed, she had resigned.
She thought she wouldn’t need to work anymore since she would become Mrs.Blackwood and enjoy all the privileges that came with it. Everything he had, she would have too.
All the effort she put into winning Ethan back would be wasted if they found out the truth. If they found out that Tyler wasn’t really his biological child. Not only that, Nathan would also be in danger from her father. Her father constantly threatened that something bad would happen to Nathan if she didn’t do what he ordered.
In truth, since Nathan returned to her life, he wanted to take her and Tyler. He wanted the three of them to be together, and he wanted to introduce himself as Tyler’s real father, but she always stopped him.
They always argued because he always went to the hospital when he knew Ethan wasn’t there. Olivia was surprised to learn that Tyler recognized Nathan when he once saw the man. When she asked how Tyler knew Nathan, her child mentioned that Nathan went to the daycare center where he studied.
She was relieved that Nathan hadn’t revealed himself to Tyler as his father.
When she found out about it, she talked to him and told him not to tell his Daddy about Nathan, and luckily, Tyler listened to her. Even though Olivia’s heart longed for Nathan, she let her head rule. They wouldn’t survive if she let her heart rule.
...
Lane opened her eyes when she felt someone hug her. She knew it wasn’t her child because the arm wrapped around her was heavy.
Lane slowly opened her eyes. Her lips parted in surprise to see Ethan lying next to her and Calvin, hugging them both.
Lane couldn’t help but feel her heart race when she saw Ethan there.
When did he arrive last night? She and Calvin had fallen asleep together, just the two of them. She hadn’t woken up when he arrived and lay down beside them.
Soon, she felt Calvin move. He slowly opened his eyes. She knew that, like her, he was also surprised to see his daddy lying next to them.
"Daddy?" She heard Calvin call out to Ethan.
"Calvin, don’t wake Daddy up. Daddy didn’t get much sleep," she told her son in a soft voice. She didn’t know what time he had arrived last night, but she was sure it was late because she had woken up at midnight and he wasn’t beside them yet.
Lane felt her son nod. She wanted to stay longer, but she couldn’t because she needed to make breakfast and get her son ready for school.
Lane gently took Ethan’s hand and carefully removed it, being cautious not to wake him. He seemed to be in a deep sleep because he didn’t wake up.
Once she removed his hand, she got up from the bed, noticing that Calvin got up too.
He seemed to want to go with her. She picked up her son, who immediately buried his face in her neck.
They both stepped out of the room and headed to the kitchen. When they arrived, she set Calvin down on a chair.
"Stay here, okay? Mommy will just cook breakfast," she told him.
After Calvin nodded, she left his side. She went to the fridge to look for something she could cook.
She was in that position when she heard him calling out their names, his voice filled with panic.
"Lane! Calvin!"
She turned around and soon saw Ethan rushing into the kitchen.
She noticed the relief on his face upon seeing them. She was surprised when he closed the distance between them in one step. When he got close, he immediately hugged her tightly.
She was even more surprised to feel his shoulders shaking as he hugged her, until she felt her neck getting wet, indicating he was crying.
She was momentarily frozen, but soon raised one hand to hug him.
soon raised one hand to hug him back. She gently stroked his back.
"Why are you crying, Ethan?" she asked him.
"I thought you left again and would never come back," she heard him say.
"I thought you and Calvin left me again." As he spoke, she felt his grip tighten around her.
She was about to open her mouth to speak when she felt Calvin hugging them, stopping her. They didn’t realize he had gotten down from the chair and approached them.
Soon, they heard his muffled sobbing. Ethan paused, then released her from his embrace and bent down to face their child.
Ethan knelt down to meet Calvin’s gaze.
"Why are you crying, Calvin?" Ethan asked him in a gentle voice. He raised his hand to wipe the tears from Calvin’s cheek.
Instead of answering, Calvin immediately hugged his daddy. Ethan almost lost his balance.
Calvin’s sobs grew louder. "Shh," Ethan soothed him while gently stroking his back.
"Daddy, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Daddy," Calvin kept apologizing to his father. " I’m bad," he said to him.
"It’s okay, Calvin. Daddy is not mad," Ethan told his son.
"And you shouldn’t be the one apologizing, son. I should be the one apologizing because Daddy broke his promise to you. I’m sorry, Calvin. I’m sorry." Ethan kept apologizing to his son in a choked voice.
Lane blinked as she felt her eyes welling up. She tried hard to hold back her tears, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t stop them from falling.
"I love you, Daddy."
She saw tears well up in Ethan’s eyes at Calvin’s words, and she noticed how he tightened his embrace around their child. "I love you so much, Calvin."
....
Lane stopped in her tracks when she saw her son and his father happily playing in the living room of her condo. She had been right to think that if given time, her son would be okay.
Look at him now! The sadness that had clouded his eyes over the past few days was gone since he and his father talked, and since Ethan apologized for breaking his promise to pick Calvin up from school.
She also noticed the happiness on Ethan’s face now that Calvin was no longer sulking. At that moment, Ethan was fulfilling his promise to his son that once everything was settled, he would make it up to him, and he really was.
When they were together, he hardly left their side, making the most of every moment.
Sometimes, he would ask permission to spend time with Tyler. They always knew when he did because he would tell them, and when he came home late, he would call to keep them informed.
Lane couldn’t help but smile when she heard Calvin’s laughter as Ethan tickled him.
"Daddy, stop it, please," the child said, laughing, while his daddy continued to tickle him. But instead of stopping, Ethan kept on going.
Soon, Calvin’s gaze turned to her. "Mommy, help!" Calvin pleaded.
She saw Ethan look up at her. "That’s enough playing, let’s have a snack now," she said.
While they were playing, she had been busy preparing their snack. Ethan had actually wanted to join her when she said she was making something, but she told him she would handle it and that he should just stay with Calvin because it seemed like the boy really missed playing with his dad.
Lane had initially planned a simple snack that didn’t require cooking. But once she was in the kitchen, she changed her mind.
She wanted spaghetti with lots of hot dogs and cheese. So that was what she made, loading it up with both.
She stepped closer to them, and when Ethan saw what she was carrying, he quickly stood up to approach her.
She gave him a smile as he took the tray from her hands. Together, they walked to the sofa where Calvin was. She sat beside her son as Ethan placed the tray on the center table.
"Wow, Mommy! The spaghetti you made looks delicious," Calvin said.
"Don’t be surprised, Calvin. Your mommy’s cooking is really delicious," Ethan replied. "In fact, everything she cooks is delicious."
"Maybe you fell in love with Mommy because her cooking is so good, Daddy."
"You’re right," Ethan replied to Calvin with a smile.
Lane couldn’t help but make a face at Ethan’s response.
"What?" he asked when he saw her expression.
"You fell in love with Olivia back then because of her cooking," she said softly, unable to hide the hint of jealousy in her tone.
Lane noticed Ethan’s eyes widen slightly. Then he stood up and moved to sit beside her. Soon, she felt Ethan wrap his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Because I was blind back then, Lane. I thought it was Olivia who had cooked it for me," he explained.
"And now?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you still blind?"
She felt his embrace tighten around her. "No, Lane. I know now who I love and who my heart beats for," he said in a tender voice.
"Who?" she asked, even though she knew he meant her. She just wanted to hear it.
"Do you even have to ask, Lane? Of course it is you. You are the one I love."
At that moment, she couldn’t help but smile, satisfied with his answer. She squeezed the hand that was wrapped around her waist.
"Let’s have a snack. I’m getting hungry," she said.
Ethan finally released her from his embrace, and she let him serve both her and Calvin.
"Ethan, can I have that hotdog in your spaghetti?" she asked when she saw one on his plate.
Lane didn’t need to repeat herself because Ethan moved the hot dog from his plate onto hers.
"Thank you," she said to him with a smile.
"Mommy, you can have my hotdogs too," Calvin said, spearing the sliced hot dogs and placing them on her plate.
"Thank you," she said to Calvin with a smile.
Then they happily ate their snack. When they finished, Lane offered to wash the dishes, and although Ethan offered to help, she said she could handle it. She told him to just stay with Calvin and play with him.
Ethan had no choice but to comply. Lane carried the tray with their dishes as she walked toward the kitchen. But suddenly, she stopped when she felt dizzy. She closed her eyes, trying to gauge her condition. When she felt better, she continued walking.
Ethan’s face turned serious when he saw who was calling him. He stared at his ringing phone for a moment before answering.
"Adam," Ethan said.
"Where are you, Ethan?" Adam asked.
"At my wife’s condo," he replied. "Why? Is there any update on the favor I asked of you?"
"Yes," Adam replied. He couldn’t help but clench his jaw. "Do you want me to send it to your boss, or do you want me to give you the report in person?"
"I want you to give it to me personally, Adam," he replied.
"Okay. Let’s meet," Adam said. After that, he told him the place where they would meet.
Once he knew the location, Adam hung up. Ethan put the phone back in his pocket and returned to his wife and child in the room.
"Lane, Calvin," he called for their attention. Both of them looked up at him. He approached them fully. "Why, Ethan?" Lane asked.
"I just need to go out for a bit. I’m meeting Adam," he said. He hadn’t told her about the investigation concerning the private investigator because he wanted to know the results before telling her everything. He had asked his friend Adam to look into the PI he had hired. He didn’t want to act on his own in case someone was watching his every move, so it was better for Adam to handle it.
"Okay," Lane replied. He glanced at Calvin.
"Okay, Daddy," Calvin also replied.
He bent down to kiss the two most important people in his life. "I’ll be back," he assured them.
"Take care, Daddy."
"I will," he replied. After that, he stepped out of the room and left the condo.
A few moments later, Ethan was driving to meet Adam. It didn’t take long to arrive at the coffee shop. His eyebrows furrowed as he got out of the car and entered. He immediately scanned the room to look for his friend until he saw him at the far end of the shop. He quickly walked toward him.
"Adam."
"Ethan," Adam said, looking up.
Ethan sat in front of Adam. "Where’s the report?" he asked, eager to learn the results.
Adam took the folder from the table and handed it to him.
Ethan accepted it. His expression didn’t change as he opened the folder to read the report. He almost crumpled the paper he was holding when he read the contents.
"You’re right, Ethan. The PI you hired is fooling you," Adam told him.
"And this isn’t the first time he’s fooled you. The reason you couldn’t find Lane, even after sending someone to look for her? It’s because your PI deliberately misled you. He knew where your family really was, and that they were in Virginia, but he didn’t tell you. Do you know why? Because he was being paid double not to tell you the truth."
Ethan’s jaw tightened with anger.
"And do you know who’s behind all this?" Adam asked. When Ethan didn’t respond, Adam continued.
"It’s Lucas, Ethan. Olivia’s father."
At that moment, even though he wasn’t looking at his own reflection, Ethan knew his face showed pure anger. There was no need to ask what Lucas’s motive was. Ethan knew it was to make room for Olivia in his life.
"And what about Olivia and Tyler?" he asked.
Adam was about to speak when he was interrupted by the ringtone of his phone. He pulled it from his pocket to see who was calling. He stared at the screen for a moment.
Ethan drew a deep breath before answering.
"Morgan."
Ethan couldn’t help but feel his heart race when he heard the words.
"Ethan, the results of the DNA test are ready."
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