“No.” Anathea quickly pulled her hand away from her stomach and stepped out of the car.
She stumbled a little, but Jenny was quick to catch her. “Careful, Mrs. Sinclair.”
With Jenny’s help, Anathea made her way inside slowly.
“What would you like for dinner, Mrs. Sinclair?” Bella asked.
“I’ll skip dinner.” Anathea didn’t have any appetite.
“But Mr. Sinclair ordered me to make you dinner. You should eat something, Mrs. Sinclair,” Bella said, clearly uncomfortable.
After all, when Gregory was angry, his presence was so overwhelming that she truly feared him.
Anathea didn’t want to make things difficult for her. “Just make some oatmeal.”
“Okay.” Bella immediately went to work. Out of the corner of her eye, she kept glancing at the bloodstain on Anathea’s neck. She wanted to say something but held back.
Anathea, noticing her gaze, quietly went upstairs to wash up.
She didn’t go to the master bedroom because Gregory was there. Instead, she went to the guest room and asked Jenny to bring her a fresh set of clothes.
After washing up, Anathea sat at the vanity, applying skincare products.
“Mom,” a crisp voice called from the doorway.
Anathea turned and saw Xander standing there.
Though she wasn’t sure how to handle things with him yet, seeing his hopeful eyes, she couldn’t help but ask, “Did you come back from your equestrian lesson?”
“Yeah!” Xander’s face lit up. He walked over to her, eager to share. My teacher said I did the best today! But there’s this new girl who joined the class, and she learned everything we did in a week in just two days.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
After Anathea said that, she was surprised to see the hint of disappointment in Xander’s expression. She smiled softly and added, “You’re impressive too.”
Xander’s face brightened instantly. “Mom, Bella said the oatmeal is ready. Let’s go eat.”
Anathea nodded and stood up. Xander reached out and took her hand. Seeing that, Anathea froze for a moment. Her fingers curled slightly.
Xander looked at her with uncertainty, unsure if she would mind him holding her hand.
But Anathea didn’t pull away. She let him hold her hand and said, “Let’s go.”
Xander’s eyes instantly lit up with a bright smile. “Okay!”
Gregory had finished washing up and was about to head downstairs when he caught sight of Anathea holding Xander’s hand and descending the stairs together. They appeared unusually close.
He paused in his tracks, a frown forming on his brow.
For some reason, he suddenly wanted to replace Xander’s hand with his own. Only his hand should be holding Anathea’s. No one else’s. Not even his son’s. 1
Gregory was momentarily taken aback by the surge of jealousy inside him. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then turned
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Chapter 229
and walked into the master bedroom. He refused to believe Anathea wouldn’t return.
Downstairs, Anathea was sipping her oatmeal leisurely.
+25 BONUS
Xander was eating the healthy kids‘ meal Bella had prepared for him. But after only a few bites, he seemed disinterested.
For some reason, ever since he’d gotten sick, he felt like the food a home was missing something. It didn’t tempt him as it once had.
But with Anathea here, he still wanted to show her he was a good kid, so he pushed through and ate half of his meal. He even handed Anathea a tissue after she finished her oatmeal.
Anathea was surprised by his thoughtfulness and smiled as she took it. “Thank you.”
She’d noticed how different Xander seemed to be ever since he’d started going to school. But still, the idea of keeping him by her side wasn’t something she was ready for.
She’d once believed that by keeping him close, she could fix the fractured bond between them and slowly rebuild their mother- son relationship.
But then reality had hit hard, and Xander’s actions had made her realize how naive she’d been.
