Chapter 168
When Nora got home, Samuel and Joseph were playing with clay in the living room.
Nora was a bit surprised. Samuel was actually playing with Joseph?
"Mom!" Samuel shouted happily when he saw Nora.
Joseph lowered his head guiltily and scooted closer to the sofa.
He used to dislike Samuel and Nora, thinking they were thieves, and had said many mean things.
Even little kids know when they feel guilty.
"Why is Joseph..." Nora asked quietly.
Samuel whispered in Nora's ear, "Mom, Joseph's dad doesn't want him anymore, so Dad brought him home to play with me."
Nora froze for a moment. Mason didn't want Joseph anymore?
After rubbing Samuel's head, Nora took his hand and walked over to squat down beside Joseph, "Well, you two play nicely, and I'll make you something good to eat. Joseph, what would you like?"
Joseph stared at Nora blankly.
Why was someone else's mom so gentle?
"Can I have braised pork ribs and baked pumpkin?" Joseph asked from where he sat on the floor.
"Pretty fancy taste. You'll eat whatever I make." Michael, having changed into casual clothes, walked over and picked Joseph up by his little overalls and tossed him aside, finding him in the way.
Joseph puffed out his cheeks, "Uncle Michael, Samuel's in the way too. Why don't you pick him up?"
Michael looked at Samuel, then at Joseph. Both were kids, but he still preferred Samuel.
Sure enough, adults have double standards.
"Because he's..."
"Because Joseph is wearing overalls, which makes him easy to pick up." Nora interrupted Michael, afraid his words would hurt the child's feelings.
After all, Mason wasn't exactly a good father.
If Michael favored Samuel too much, Joseph would definitely feel hurt.
"Ms. Adams, do you know how to make braised pork ribs?" Joseph was starting to like Nora.
"I do." Nora rubbed Joseph's head and got up to go to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
"From now on, call Nora 'Auntie' when you see her." Taking advantage of Nora's absence, Michael grabbed Joseph's head threateningly, "Got it?"
Joseph nodded obediently.
Michael raised an eyebrow and followed into the kitchen to help.
"Mr. Smith." Nora panicked a little. Every time Michael came to help in the kitchen, he made a mess of things.
"It's after work hours." Michael leaned against the counter, lazily reminding her.
"Michael, why don't you go play with the kids?" Nora really didn't want to watch him cause trouble.
"Play with clay?" Michael frowned.
Nora couldn't help but laugh, then bit her lip hard to hold it in, afraid of Michael.
Imagining Michael, such a cool and aloof CEO, sitting on the floor playing with clay with two little kids—the contrast was so strong.
If she took a photo and posted it online, it would definitely trend.
"How many times should I wash the ribs?" Michael took the initiative to help Nora wash the vegetables.
"Wear disposable gloves." Nora brought over some disposable gloves.
Michael held out his hands, wanting Nora to put them on for him.
Nora lowered her head, blushing as she helped him put on the gloves.
Michael quietly watched Nora carefully helping him with the gloves, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Mr. Smith... Michael, just wash them three times, until there's no more blood." Nora said softly, her ears burning red.
Michael nodded, learning to wash the vegetables very seriously.
Turns out, doing housework could also bring a strong sense of happiness.
Watching Michael wash vegetables while she prepared the other ingredients, Nora felt warm inside.
But along with the happiness came a deepening sense of fear.
Because she was afraid of drowning in this pool of warm water, and once Michael left, she would be devastated.
"Is this okay?" Michael kept asking Nora like a curious child.
Nora's face showed a gentle smile as she nodded warmly.
"Put them in cold water." Nora placed the ribs in the pot, not forgetting to teach Michael.
"Next time I'll cook for you." Michael said very seriously.
Nora was surprised. Michael was actually interested in cooking?
That was rare.
Then when Aria married him in the future, she would surely be very happy.
Feeling down, Nora lowered her eyes and fell silent.
"Nora, six years ago, could you be sure that the person that night was Walter?" Michael took a deep breath and asked quietly.
Nora's fingers stiffened, almost burning herself, "I'm not sure, I forgot."
She was afraid, and also avoiding it.
Whenever that night was mentioned, Nora would become very off.
"Nora, that night..." Michael wanted to know how Nora viewed what happened that night.
Suddenly, Nora's hand touched the edge of the pot, burning her finger red, and she dodged in panic.
"Nora." Michael instinctively wanted to check Nora's burn.
"Don't touch me!" But Nora panicked and pushed Michael away, her eyes red as she kept apologizing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Then she wanted to run.
"Nora, you didn't choose Walter but chose to work with me—is it because Walter was the one who hurt you that day?" Michael asked nervously and anxiously.
"Yes." Nora nodded, her eyes red, "I can't escape my own mental prison, can't forget the hurt from that night, so I can't forgive Walter, and I can't accept him getting close to me."
Because whenever she thought about that night, fear and disgust would haunt her.
"I can't even accept being touched by men." Nora's fingers kept trembling.
Michael's fingers holding Nora's wrist went cold.
If Samuel was really his son, that meant the person who went to the wrong floor and entered the wrong room that night because of alcohol and hurt Nora was him.
For six years, he had let that hurt magnify infinitely for six years.
Walter wanted to use Samuel to tie Nora down, but didn't know how much that night had hurt Nora. His plan failed because Nora was afraid of him.
But what if the person that night was him?
Michael didn't dare to think about it.
If Nora knew the truth, given her personality, she would avoid him at all costs.
And turn to work with Walter instead.
Taking a deep breath, Michael pretended to be calm as he held Nora's hand under cold running water.
He had always thought of himself as a very calm person who wouldn't panic when things happened and wouldn't regret his actions.
But right now, Michael regretted it so much he wanted to slap himself.
Six years ago, why did he leave early after sobering up?
Without checking who the other person was, without taking the initiative to find her first, to keep her, to make amends.
At that time, Michael had always thought he'd been set up. The disgust and anger he felt after sobering up made him not want to know who the other person was at all.
But every day after that, he lived in self-blame.
So much so that when David found out the other person might be Aria, he gave the Clark family huge concessions.
His eyes darkened, and Michael's mood grew cold.
If the woman that night was Nora, that meant Aria had been lying to him all along.
She had impersonated someone else, lied, and made him miss out on Nora for so long.
Aria deserved to die.
"Does it hurt?" Michael asked quietly.
Nora shook her head, "It doesn't hurt."
"Mr. Smith, please go out. I can handle it alone." Nora wanted to be alone for a while and asked Michael to leave the kitchen.
Michael felt guilty and obediently left.
He was panicking badly now, his heart complex and conflicted, both hoping Samuel was his son and hoping the person who hurt Nora that night wasn't him.