Chapter 134
If Nina is like an adorable little kitten, then Oscar is a solid rock, and the comparison suits him pretty well.
He never shows his feelings, never lets anyone know what's on his mind; that description fits Oscar perfectly.
"Oscar."
William's face lit up with excitement, and he reached out to take Oscar's hand. But Oscar's next words wiped the smile off his face.
"If you get better soon, my Mommy can come home. She's been gone for days."
"I really miss Mommy. It's all your fault for keeping her here; I haven't had a proper talk with her in ages."
Emily couldn't help laughing out loud.
So that was why he wanted William to get better quickly. She had been moved for nothing.
William's mouth twitched slightly, and a small frown crossed his face.
Oscar really knew how to get under his skin. And for a moment, he had actually felt touched.
But annoying or not, the gift still had to be given.
While William asked Oscar what he wanted, Amelia quietly tugged Emily's sleeve and pulled her out of the room.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Emily looked puzzled. "I could tell something was off with you earlier. Is there something you want to tell me?"
Amelia nodded, then decided the hallway wasn't private enough. She pulled Emily into the nearby stairwell.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
Emily was completely lost. "Why all the mystery? What's going on?"
"Emily, I need you to be honest with me."
Amelia grabbed her arm, her face dead serious. "Who is Oscar and Nina's biological father?"
Emily never expected Amelia to ask something like that. She froze for a moment.
"Don't hide it from me."
Amelia's voice grew firmer as she shook her arm. "Those kids aren't little anymore. Haven't they ever asked about their father? How much longer are you planning to keep this from them?"
"Tell me what happened back then. Where is their father?"
Emily bit her lip and looked down.
"You still don't want to say?"
Amelia's brow furrowed. "It's been so many years. Have you never thought about helping Oscar and Nina find their biological father?"
"Emily, I'm not trying to lecture you, but growing up without a father is really hard on kids. Have you thought about what this means for you as well...?"
"Mom, please stop."
Emily cut her off, rubbing her temples.
She had disappeared from the family when she was young and hadn't grown up with the Johnsons. She had spent more than ten years in the countryside, and she knew better than anyone what it felt like to grow up without a father.
Both a mother and a father matter in a child's life; she knew that. But the truth was, she had no idea who the man was that night.
"Mom, honestly, I always assumed the kids were James's."
Emily gave a bitter smile and shook her head slowly. "I was so foolish. He never even touched me; he didn't even know I was pregnant."
"Just because he stayed over at my place once, I assumed the baby was his. I really was that stupid."
She laughed at herself, thinking back to that rainy day five years ago. Even now, her heart ached at the memory.
She and James had shared something she thought was beautiful—at least, that was how it had felt to Emily at the time.
That was until she found out James had already been with Sophia. She was seven months pregnant, on her knees begging James to help save his own mother, when she finally learned the truth.
The man she'd slept with that night wasn't James. It was someone else entirely.
That was what James said, anyway. Emily still didn't know if it was true.
But when she thought it over, things between her and James were already finished. He had no real reason to lie to her.
So even now, Emily was still in the dark, with no idea who the man that night actually was.
Amelia looked at Emily's expression and felt a headache coming on. "How could you let something like this happen? Are there any other clues at all?"
"You're telling me you spent the night with someone and noticed nothing? Not what he looked like, how tall he was, what his name was—nothing?"
Emily shook her head again and threw up her hands. "If I knew, I would've gone looking long ago. That man still doesn't know he has two children out there."
"Mom, can you please drop it? I'll handle my own life."
"Handle it how?"
Amelia's face went cold. "If you could handle it, you wouldn't still be in the dark about the kids' father after all this time."
"Oscar and Nina are five years old. They remember things now. But they have no memory of a father at all. What are you going to tell them when they start asking?"
"Mom, please—"
Emily rubbed her head. "Actually, it's strange—why are you bringing this up now? You've never mentioned it before."
"Because I noticed something."
Amelia pulled Emily further into the stairwell. "Haven't you noticed how much Oscar looks like William?"
Emily jolted. She stepped back sharply, eyes wide. "Mom—you are not saying Oscar and Nina are William's kids, are you?"
"It's entirely possible."
Amelia raised an eyebrow, completely matter-of-fact. "Look at the two of them. They have the faces of a father and son. Can you honestly tell yourself they're not related?"
"I'm telling you, take Oscar and William to get a paternity test right now. They might actually be his kids."
Emily was speechless. "Mom, that's impossible."
"Why not?"
Amelia pressed on. "Don't tell me you can't see the resemblance. It's not just Oscar; Nina looks like him, too."
"One could be a coincidence. But two? And both came from you."
She nudged Emily. "Stop hesitating. Go get the test done tonight. If you rush it, you can have the results by the end of the day."
Emily sighed. "This is impossible. Stop dreaming."
"Why?"
"Just because."
Emily was getting impatient.
If someone asked why she was so sure, the answer was simple.
Six years ago, right after she graduated from college and returned to the Johnson family, she realized that after more than ten years away, there was no place for her there anymore.
Brian and Harper had a close, happy marriage, and Sophia, as their only daughter, ruled the house. Emily didn't even have her own bedroom, let alone any spending money.
She had no choice but to go out and find odd jobs.
At the time, she was working as a waitress at a fairly ordinary hotel, and she and James were deeply involved.
That day happened to be Emily's birthday. James had promised to book a private room upstairs to celebrate with her.
But when Emily walked in, the room was empty. She drank some of the drinks there while waiting for James, and soon she started feeling feverish and restless. Then someone came in, and in a confused haze, the two of them ended up in bed together.