M awoke to find an unexpected presence nestled beside her under the covers. A quick nce confirmed it was the child she had rescued, and she decided to lie still, not wanting to disturb him.


    Eugene, standing nearby, shot a nce at the child in M''s arms and muttered through clenched teeth, "This little rascal woke up soon after being admitted to the hospital. Nothing anyone said could calm him. The moment we tried to move him away from you, he kicked up a fuss, crying and struggling. We were worried he might tear his stitches, so we had no choice but to let him stay with you."


    M understood the situation. The child was so young and had gone through such a traumatic experience. The only sense of security he had left was with her, the person who had saved him.


    "But what about his parents? Haven''t they been found yet?" M inquired.


    Eugene shook his head. "Not yet. The police are still investigating and trying to contact them."


    M nodded. Just speaking those few words left her feeling light-headed, a dizzy pain throbbing in her head.


    Eugene moved closer, his warm fingers pressing gently on her temples, massaging softly. "The doctor said it was lucky your head wound started healing. Otherwise, the cold air could have caused a nasty infection, and you would have been in real trouble!"


    Feeling a bit guilty, M quickly agreed with him.


    "By the way, you haven''t told Aunt Mary, have you?" M asked.


    Eugene shook his head, "Not yet. We told her we were going to be out of town for a few days. She doesn''t know about any of this."


    "Good, let''s keep it that way for now. No need to worry her unnecessarily," M said, relieved.


    Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway. Both M and Eugene looked towards the door, expecting Miranda, who had gone to handle the hospital paperwork, to return. But when the door swung open, they were both taken aback.


    Nathaniel? What was he doing here?


    Nathaniel burst into the room, looking disheveled. His eyes quicklynded on the child, whose head peeked out from under the nket. He rushed forward, ready to pull the child from the bed.


    "What do you think you''re doing?" Eugene''s face darkened as he grabbed Nathaniel''s wrist, forcefully pushing him back.


    M held the nket protectively, her expression equally displeased. She was well aware of Nathaniel and his friends, who were close with Lysander and Giselle, and their disdainful attitude towards her. But she hadn''t expected such brazen disrespect.


    "Step aside!" Nathaniel demanded, his voice sharp with urgency. "That''s my family''s child!"


    M blinked in disbelief. "What...?"


    Eugene echoed her confusion, "What?"


    M''s emotions were a tangled mess. She tried to recall, but had no memory of there being a child in the Pembroke family. Then again, it made sense- Lysander''s friends had always looked down on her. After enduring several humiliations post-marriage, she stopped associating with them entirely. Lysander never included her in their gatherings, so she knew little about their personal lives.


    She would have needed a good reason to delve into the affairs of people she had no desire to engage with. Her knowledge of them was surface-level at best.


    To be cautious, she asked, "Do you have any proof?"


    Nathaniel, his hair still in disarray, fished out his phone and showed her the photo gallery. M flipped through the pictures, each one showing the child with Nathaniel. Though the child wasn''t smiling in any, the bond and familiarity between them were clear.


    M handed the phone back and called out, "Eugene."