Chapter 72: Chapter 72: The only one left in the dark

Once a terrifying thought takes root in your mind, it’s impossible to shake off. The more you tell yourself not to think about it, the more your brain can’t help but go there.

In Ryan’s mind, the image of the married woman from the video Ethan showed him overlapped with his mom’s appearance.

His mom had become the woman lying on the ground.

Next to her, a sleazy-looking doctor with a big belly squeezed in beside her.

“Ah?!” Ryan let out a scream and suddenly sat up in bed.

“Ryan, did you have a nightmare?” Sofia was cleaning and looked worried as she furrowed her brows.

“No. It’s nothing.” Ryan covered his forehead with his hand, his back soaked with cold sweat. He suddenly noticed his mom’s bare legs, remembering she had been wearing stockings when she pushed Ethan away.

At that moment, the memory of the married woman’s torn black stockings once again overlapped with his mom.

“Mom… Mom…” Ryan suddenly grabbed Sofia’s arm. “Can you tell me now?”

“Ah.” Sofia turned her head away, her eyes dodging. “Ryan, the truth will only hurt you.”

Ryan swallowed hard, almost feeling like his mom’s words had already told him that her relationships were far from normal.

His eyes dimmed, and his smile was bitter. “It’s okay, Mom. I think I have the right to know the truth.”

At that moment, his expression was like he knew his pure wife was actually secretly engaging in group activities every day.

And his young, beautiful mom, whom he had unwittingly pushed into this, felt like a double betrayal.

“I understand.” Sofia shook her head, took out her phone, and opened the photo gallery to show him.

“?” Ryan took the phone, his mind buzzing. What was this? Was this a photo sent under threat?

He was afraid to look down at the gallery.

Afraid of seeing his mom completely naked or in some bizarre angles and poses.

The struggle and hesitation were momentary.

Ryan finally looked down and was stunned by what he saw on the screen.

In the photos, his mom looked like a woman tenderly leaning on a tall, handsome woman with short hair—someone he recognized.

It was his best friend Ethan’s sister.

“?” Ryan looked up at his mother.

“I’m sorry.” Sofia looked down, her face flushed with embarrassment. This wasn’t an act. Playing a couple with a woman, who was also a minor, and she was the submissive one.

If there were a scale for embarrassment, she’d want to move to another galaxy by now.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“…” Ryan, seeing his mother wasn’t acting, looked back at the phone, scrolling through various photos of the two meeting secretly.

One of them was of the two lying together on a hospital bed, covered with a blanket showing only their heads.

Although you couldn’t see under the blanket.

From the composition, it looked like they had just made love.

Of course, that was just the visual effect,they were fully clothed under the blanket.

His mother, with a spring in her eye, nestled against the underage short-haired woman, looking like a shy, demure lady.

And this bed, it was Ethan’s hospital bed.

The two of them had messed around on Ethan’s hospital bed while he was chatting in his own room. They really knew how to play.

Ryan’s worldview shattered in that moment.

Even though one was a mature, beautiful married woman and the other just a high school student, Blair was six feet tall and naturally had that androgynous, dashing look.

When the two of them were together, there wasn’t a hint of discordance.

“Mom… Mom…” Ryan’s lips twitched. “She’s… she’s still underage, right?”

“I’m sorry.” Sofia covered her face, unable to meet her son’s gaze.

Ryan carefully checked the date the photo was taken. The timeline stretched back quite a bit, confirming it was indeed from the past.

He had pretty much accepted it as the truth.

Even though he didn’t want to admit it, his mom had cheated, and with his best friend’s sister, no less.

At that moment, all the clues came together.

No wonder his mom always disappeared after dropping off Ethan,she was going to meet his sister.

No wonder she couldn’t tell him,such a thing must be the deepest, most hidden secret in her heart, and here he was, forcing her to reveal it.

“I deserve to die.”

Ryan felt like slapping himself.

“Mom, I’m sorry.”

His voice was sincere. Normally, learning that his mom had cheated, especially with a minor, would have blown his mind.

But he had thought his mom was involved in orgies with the obese doctor every day.

Now, it turned out she was intimate with a dashing girl.

Ethically problematic, yes, but somehow easier to accept.

“Does Ethan know?”

“He probably… doesn’t know.” Sofia remembered the story Ethan had set up.

“Ah, we owe him an apology.” Ryan said sorry, but thinking about how he had lost his mom and his best friend had lost his sister, he suddenly felt a strange sense of balance.

He paused, then asked cautiously, “Mom, am I… am I really your son?”

“Damn it, of course you are.” Sofia’s face hardened, and she reached out as if to hit him.

“Sorry, I just blurted that out.” Ryan dodged, a relieved smile spreading across his face. Although the initial shock was mind-blowing, this was the outcome he could accept the most.

“You… you’re not against it?” Sofia looked puzzled. Could such a thing really be forgiven?

“Yeah.” Ryan smiled. “Even if I disagreed, I couldn’t guarantee that the next person Mom meets would make her happy. As long as Mom likes her, I support it.”

Of course, Ryan wouldn’t say he thought his mom was participating in orgies every day.

“Okay.” Sofia saw Ryan smile again, her face lightening from the worry of the past few days.

She had to admit, she felt grateful to Ethan,everything was unfolding as he had predicted.

Downstairs in the hospital room.

Ethan lay in his bed, thanking Blair. “Thanks.”

“It’s nothing, just posing for a few photos.” Blair lounged on the adjacent bed, flipping through a magazine. “The cost to edit the photos was just $300.”

“Yeah, that’s a small matter. Deduct it from my part.” Ethan squinted, all the pieces now in place.

The final step was to make Ryan believe.

Blair could make Aunt Sofia happy.

Ryan’s wish was for his mom to have someone to rely on after he left, so the key to completing the task was getting him to believe.

“Don’t worry, Ryan. Even though we deceived you, I promise I’ll take care of your mom in the future, make sure she’s never alone,” Ethan resolved silently.

“Is there anything else I need to do?” Blair asked.

“No, I’ll take it from here.” Ethan squinted, whether he could stand up or not depended on this final crucial step.

The next day.

Ryan looked at Ethan, guilt flashing in his eyes. Now, this kind-hearted boy was the only one left in the dark.