Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 89: Chapter 89

Ethan sat beside his son, completely unable to tear his eyes away. Calvin was focused on his coloring book, and as Ethan watched him, he couldn’t help but grin.

The kid really looks like me, he thought. Every single angle showed just how strikingly alike they were.

He especially noticed it in the way the boy’s eyebrows knit together. It was like looking at a tiny reflection of himself in the mirror. In that moment, watching his son, it felt like a warm hand was gently brushing against his heart.

He had a mountain of work to finish today, but here he was, just staring. He knew he’d never get tired of looking at the boy. It was just like with Lane. He could stare at her all day and never get bored.

Speaking of her, Ethan smiled to himself, remembering her reaction to his confession earlier. He’d made it clear just how serious he was about his feelings for her.

She had tried to play it cool and hide her reaction, but she couldn’t hide the way her cheeks turned bright red from their son’s question.

Seeing her blush like that made it almost impossible for him to stay in his lane. If Calvin hadn’t been standing right there, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to resist kissing her. It reminded him of that other time they’d been so close he could almost taste it.

To be honest, that tiny brush of their lips hadn’t been nearly enough. But he had to play it smart for now since he hadn’t fully won her back yet. He promised himself he’d make it up to her once she finally returned his feelings.

After a few minutes, Calvin must have felt his gaze because he looked up. He flashed a smile when their eyes met.

"What is it, Uncle Ethan?" he asked.

Ethan reached out and ruffled Calvin’s hair.

"You’re a handsome kid, Calvin," he said, unable to hold back the compliment. He chuckled when he saw the boy’s cheeks turn pink, exactly like his mother’s.

"Mommy tells me I’m handsome, Uncle. Other people say it too," he replied.

"And over at Grandma’s house, they say I look just like my Daddy." His voice trailed off, turning soft and quiet at the end.

"Y–your daddy?" Ethan’s heart hammered against his ribs.

Calvin nodded. He looked down, falling into a heavy silence. When Ethan looked closer at his face, his heart dropped. He started to panic when he realized Calvin was actually crying.

He quickly cupped Calvin’s cheeks and lifted his face. It felt like a giant hand was squeezing his heart, making it hard to even breathe as he watched the tears fall.

Instinctively, he pulled the boy into a hug. As he held him, the sobbing only got louder, and Ethan started to lose it. His chest ached hearing his son cry like that.

"What’s wrong, Calvin? Did you hurt yourself? Tell Da—" he caught himself and cleared his throat.

"Tell Uncle what’s wrong."

"Calvin!" Lane’s breathless voice cut through the room a second later. Ethan looked up to see her standing right beside them, her eyes full of pure terror.

He let go of Calvin as Lane scooped him up into her arms. Calvin immediately clung to her, burying his face in her neck and sobbing his heart out.

Ethan couldn’t take his eyes off them. He watched Lane hold him tight, clearly fighting back her own tears. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around both of them.

"What’s the matter, Calvin?" Lane asked softly, her voice trembling. "Did you get hurt? Tell Mommy where it hurts."

"M-mommy, my heart hurts," Calvin sobbed.

A wave of pure panic washed over Ethan.

Does my son have a heart condition?

Ethan took a step toward them, his voice shaking.

"Let’s get him to the hospital, Lane. Right now."

Lane looked up at him, and he wanted to lose it when he saw the tears streaming down her face.

"We need to go. Something could be wrong with him," he urged. He couldn’t handle the thought of anything bad happening to his son.

"C-Calvin is okay," Lane replied.

But Ethan wasn’t buying it. "But he just said his heart hurts," he argued, repeating the boy’s words.

Instead of answering him, Lane looked back at Calvin.

"Calvin, why does your heart hurt? Mommy isn’t hurt, right? I’m not crying, see?" she said.

Finally, it clicked for Ethan. He remembered Calvin telling him once before that he hated seeing his Mommy in pain because it made him feel the pain too. So that’s what he meant?

"B-because, Mommy," Calvin sniffled. "I really miss Daddy, even though I don’t know him. T-that’s why I’m crying."

Ethan saw Lane freeze. Hearing those words felt like thousands of needles piercing his chest.

"B-because, Mommy," Calvin continued. "I-I just want to see him. Even if he doesn’t love me, I just want to see what he looks like."

Damn it! My son is suffering because of me.

________

Lane was floored by her son’s answer. It explained the sudden tears and the heartache he was feeling.

Initially, she had been frantic when he started crying. He’d been perfectly fine just moments before, coloring quietly in his book until she heard him talking to Ethan.

She had left them to it, trusting that Ethan would keep his word and not reveal the truth to Calvin yet. But right in the middle of their chat, the sobbing started. When she turned around, Ethan was already pulling the boy into a hug.

Lane blinked rapidly as she felt her cheeks grow damp. She fought with everything she had to keep the tears from spilling over. Her heart felt like it was being crushed, leaving her completely breathless.

It was as if a thousand daggers were stabbing her every time Calvin’s words replayed in her mind.

Guilt was eating her alive. She was the reason her son was in this kind of pain. She was the one depriving him of the chance to know his own father.

She bit her lower lip and glanced at Ethan. His jaw was clenched tight as he looked at her, but she could see the raw agony in his eyes.

She looked away, focusing back on her son, who was clinging to her like his life depended on it, his face buried in the crook of her neck. She could feel the heat of his tears soaking into her skin.

She took a shaky breath. She’d had no idea her little boy was carrying this much longing for a father. She really believed he was happy and content with just the two of them since she gave him her entire world.

She poured all her love into him, but apparently, it still wasn’t enough. Lane couldn’t stand seeing him like this, his pain only magnifying her own.

She inhaled deeply once more. Maybe it was finally time to stop being selfish. Maybe it was time to finally introduce father and son.

Lane was just about to speak when a soft knock at the office door stopped her.

A moment later, it swung open. She looked over, her lips parting in shock when she saw Olivia and her son standing there.

Seeing them, Lane tightened her hold on Calvin, instinctively trying to shield him from even more heartbreak.

"Daddy?" the boy called out. "Daddy!"

She watched as Olivia’s son bolted toward Ethan and threw his arms around him. Lane bit her lip so hard it hurt.

She wasn’t just hurting for herself anymore, she was hurting for Calvin. It felt like a twisted joke that the father her son was dying to meet was standing right there, hugging another child he’d had with another woman.

Calvin lifted his head from her shoulder to see who had come in, but she quickly pressed his head back down.

She couldn’t let him see this. It would destroy him to see a father-son moment like that, especially when he was about to start searching for his own.

"Daddy? Why are you here?" she heard the boy ask Ethan.

Lane stole a look at Ethan and noticed he hadn’t answered yet. Her breath hitched when she realized his eyes were locked on her and Calvin, his face a mask of desperation and pleading. She tore her gaze away and focused on her son when he called out to her.

"M-mommy?"

She gently rubbed his back. "I’m right here, Calvin," she whispered, kissing the top of his head.

"What are you doing here, Olivia?" Ethan finally asked. His voice was ice-cold.

"We just came to visit my cousin," Olivia replied smoothly. "It’s been five years, and I really wanted to catch up."

She saw Ethan’s jaw flex at Olivia’s response. Even from the corner of her eye, she could tell he was barely holding his temper in check.

"Is that my nephew, Lane?" Olivia asked a moment later.

Lane pulled Calvin even closer. "Yes," she managed to say.

She heard the click of Olivia’s heels getting closer. "Hi there," Olivia said with a fake-sweet smile, peeking at the little boy hidden against Lane’s neck.

Calvin looked up, wiping at the tears on his cheeks. "H-hello," he said politely.

"What’s your name?" Olivia asked.

"C-Calvin Miller," he answered.

Lane bit her lip when she saw Ethan’s jaw lock again at the mention of Calvin’s last name.

She glanced at him discreetly and saw his brow furrowed, his lips pressed into a thin, angry line. Was he pissed that she hadn’t given Calvin his last name?

She looked back at Olivia. Lane’s fists clenched when she caught a subtle, smug curl at the corner of Olivia’s mouth while she looked at the boy. The look vanished the second Olivia realized she was being watched.

"So, why the waterworks?" Olivia asked.

Calvin, being the honest kid he was, explained exactly why he’d been crying.

"Where’s your Daddy?" Olivia’s son piped up.

Everyone looked down at the boy. "I-I don’t have a Daddy," Calvin said, his voice small and heartbreakingly sad.

"You don’t have a Daddy? That sucks," Olivia’s son said.

"I have a Daddy. See?" He turned and hugged Ethan’s leg.

"And Daddy loves me more than anything. Right, Daddy? You love me, don’t you?"

Ethan couldn’t even find the words to answer. His entire focus was on Calvin. His expression had softened into something incredibly tender as he looked at his son.

Lane looked down at Calvin and saw him staring at the two of them. Her heart shattered when she saw the pure envy written all over his face.

She gently guided his head back down, hiding his face in her neck so he wouldn’t have to watch anymore.

"M-mommy..."

"I love you so much, Calvin," she whispered, squeezing him tight.

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