Zoeyâs voice tightened with frustration. âLet her take him? Thatâs my grandson! You need to get him back for me!â
âI know. The divorce isnât finalized yet. Donât worry. I wonât let her keep him.â He hung up with a sharp click, turning to Cara and pinning her against the bed. âStill not satisfied?â
Cara smirked, her nails teasingly scratching across Crowellâs chest. âAre you really going through with this divorce?â
âYes. Didnât I promise you before? Once I divorce her, Iâll marry you.â
Crowell reached for her, but Cara smoothly evaded his grasp, propping herself up on the bed as she looked at him with a cool expression. âBut my parents said, if I marry you, you canât have any children.â
Crowell froze, confusion flashing across his face. âWhat do you mean?â
âGive your child to your wife.â
Without a second thought, Crowell snapped, âNo way, my parents would never agree.â
âThen letâs forget about us. My parents didnât raise me to be someone elseâs stepmother.â
Crowell blinked, momentarily stunned. Caraâs words were unwavering, grounded in her true desires.
Trying to smooth things over, Crowell leaned forward, attempting to reassure her. âCara, my parents will take care of the child. It wonât affect us.â
âEither you leave the child with your ex-wife, or you deal with it.â
âDeal with it?â Crowell swallowed hard, his voice laced with confusion and concern. âHow?â
Cara leaned in, whispering something that made Crowellâs eyes widen in shock. His entire body stiffened as he stood up straight. âAre you crazy? Thatâs my son!â
Caraâs response was quick and biting. âHave you ever cared for him a day in your life? You never bothered with him before, and now that youâre marrying me, you suddenly remember heâs your son?â
Crowell fell silent, his eyes avoiding Caraâs.
Cara, sensing his hesitation, pressed on. âI can also give you a son.â
Crowell sat on the edge of the bed, stunned, his emotions churning inside him, unable to settle.
Seeing his indecision, Cara sat on his lap, her hands resting lightly on his chest.
âCrowell, I get itâyou donât love me.â
âI love you.â
âThen be a man and take care of this.â
With a strained breath, he nodded. âAlright.â
Dulce hadnât asked about Michael in quite some time.
It was a bright, peaceful afternoon in early spring when she sat alone in a café, taking a rare break from her demanding job.
The work was relentlessâlong hours spent on calculations, experiments, and countless attempts to get things right, each failure adding weight to her already exhausted mind and body.
From the childrenâs area came the sound of laughter, and Dulce glanced over, her gaze landing on Crowell. He was walking out of the store, holding Fionaâs son by the hand.
.
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