Chapter 160
Ella hadn't been able to reach Zachary for half a month now.
After dropping Dorian off at kindergarten, she returned home to find Rhea still there and went over to ask for her help.
"Mom, could you do me a favor?"
Since coming here, Rhea couldn't bear to leave.
She worried that Ella and Dorian wouldn't do well here on their own.
Her heart was concerned, and she didn't want to be apart from Ella.
If Ella didn't want to go back to Emerald City, then she would just stay here with her.
Seeing Ella approach with a worried expression, Rhea stood up to meet her.
"Whatever it is, just tell me. I'll definitely help you."
Ella pulled Rhea to sit down, her face serious. "I'm worried something might have happened to Zachary over there. Could you go to Eldoria for me and see what's going on?"
Michael was looking for her.
If Rhea went, she should be safe, right?
Besides, the Lewis family had a decent social standing. The Baker family would have to show Rhea some respect.
Rhea had been keeping Ella company these past few days. She'd been frowning a lot over Zachary's situation. Not wanting Ella to worry too much, she agreed.
"Okay, I'll make this trip for you."
With that, she got up to pack her luggage and prepare to leave.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Ella said, "I'll get it."
After almost half a month here, she'd gotten to know a few neighbors.
They were nice people who would often bring over fruits and vegetables from their gardens.
This time, Ella assumed it was a neighbor too.
But when she walked to the gate and pulled open the fence door, she froze.
The man standing at the door was dressed casually, with a bright and handsome smile, strong features, and beautiful eyes gazing at her tenderly.
Suddenly, Ella felt her heart ache, tears of joy welling up.
She couldn't contain her happiness and threw herself into his arms, asking with concern, "Why didn't you contact me all this time? I thought something happened to you over there. Are you okay? Did you handle everything with your mom?"
Zachary raised his arms to hold her.
Feeling Ella's warm body in his embrace, his anxious heart finally settled.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he said with emotion, "Yeah, everything's handled. I'll never go back there again. Nothing there will have anything to do with me anymore."
From now on, he would stay by Ella's side.
He wouldn't go anywhere, even if others called him a live-in son-in-law of the Lewis family, he'd accept it.
"I'm just glad you're back."
Ella let go of him, her lashes growing moist, her voice slightly choked as she held his hand.
"You must be exhausted after all this time. Are you hungry? I'll go make you something to eat."
Zachary followed her inside, watching as Ella held his hand, her face full of concern for him, her eyes even welling up with tears at his arrival.
His heart stirred, like ripples spreading across water.
"I'm fine, not too hungry."
But Ella still made him sit on the living room sofa while she went to the open kitchen to prepare food.
Rhea came downstairs and was quite surprised to see Zachary. "Zachary, you're back."
Zachary quickly stood up to greet her. "Mom, I'm so sorry for making you worry."
Rhea looked at Zachary, seeing he was unharmed, still tall and handsome, and felt genuinely happy for Ella.
"It's good you're back safe. You have no idea how worried Ella has been these past days. Just now she asked me to go to Eldoria to check on you. Look, I've already packed my luggage."
Zachary's gaze unconsciously turned toward the kitchen.
He'd always thought Ella married him just to get back at Joshua.
Turns out he did have some place in her heart after all.
From now on, he definitely wouldn't let Ella down.
Not seeing Dorian in the house, Zachary asked, "Where's Dorian? Wasn't he already found?"
Rhea pulled him to sit on the sofa and chatted with him slowly.
After Ella finished preparing the food, she called them over, and they all sat down in the dining room.
During the meal, Zachary couldn't help but mention, "I was able to come here safely because someone helped me."
Both mother and daughter's eyes fell on him, as if asking who had helped him.
Zachary kept his head down eating, then after a moment,Did met Ella's gaze and told the truth, "Joshua sent someone to negotiate with my grandfather. That's why my family let me go. After Joshua brought me here, he even wrote me a letter of commitment."
He handed the commitment letter to Ella.
Ella was shocked.
Joshua actually help Zachary?
What was Joshua playing at?
Worried, Ella opened what Zachary handed her.
When she saw Joshua's handwritten promise to give up fighting for custody of Dorian, she was stunned.
Joshua had known all along that Dorian was with her.
He'd known all along that she'd found Dorian.
But he didn't come to take him. Instead, he brought Zachary here and even handwrote this commitment letter.
Ella was confused, completely unsure what Joshua meant by all this.
Rhea took the commitment letter, and after reading it, she too felt nervous.
"Can we trust what Joshua wrote? We can't let him fool us."
Zachary said, "He wouldn't go to all this trouble to rescue me just to fool us."
He looked at Ella. "He hopes I can bring you and Dorian back to Emerald City. He also said that as long as you come back, he'll never appear before you and Dorian or disturb your lives."
Joshua had been excessive in the past.
But this time, he couldn't be fooling them.
If Joshua wanted Dorian, he would have sent people to take him already.
He wouldn't have brought him here and personally written a letter giving up custody rights.
Ella lowered her head, silent.
She thought maybe Joshua had developed a conscience?
Even if he took Dorian away, Dorian wouldn't accept him, and would try to escape again when he got the chance.
He was probably afraid Dorian would get hurt again, so he chose to let go.
That was for the best.
Ella took a deep breath and looked at Rhea.
"Mom, then I'll go pick up Dorian in a bit, and let's go home!"
As long as Joshua wouldn't fight her for Dorian, she was willing to go back to be with her parents.
Besides, her Aurora was in Emerald City.
She couldn't really leave Aurora behind and live somewhere else with Dorian.
Otherwise, when she missed Aurora and wanted to see her, it would be very difficult.
"Good, I'll go pack right now. We'll all go home together."
Rhea was touched. Ella was willing to go home with her. Their family could be together again.
After keeping Zachary company through the meal, Ella took him along to pick up Dorian from kindergarten.
It wasn't dismissal time yet, but Dorian was called to the school gate.
When he saw Ella, he looked puzzled, "Mom, did you come to find me because something happened?"
Ella stepped aside, and behind her, Zachary's figure appeared.
Dorian's eyes lit up when he saw him, and he leaped straight toward Zachary.
Zachary raised his arms to catch him, and the child held his face and kissed him repeatedly. "Dad, you're finally here! I thought you didn't want Mom and me anymore. Do you know how much I missed you these past days when you weren't here?"
Hearing the child call him dad, Zachary felt warmth in his heart.
He thought to himself that from now on, he would treat Dorian as his own.
He would raise him as if he were his biological son.
He kissed the child and responded gently, "I'm sorry for making you and your mom worry. Dad missed you too."
Dorian hugged his neck, nuzzling affectionately, "So dad won't leave again, right?"
Zachary nodded firmly, "I won't leave again. From now on, I'll stay here with Dorian forever."
Ella stepped forward and said, "Let's get in the car first. We can talk more on the way back."
Only then did Zachary carry the child to the car.
Rhea was already sitting in the car.
Dorian called out "Grandma," then asked Ella with some confusion, "Mom, where are we going?"
Usually, when Ella picked him up from school, they didn't need to take the car. On the way back, they would stop to buy groceries.
Why did they all come to pick him up today, and in a car too?
Ella patiently explained to Dorian, "We're going back to Grandma's house. Haven't you been telling me you're worried about that sister? We'll pick her up and take her to the hospital for a checkup."
Dorian understood. Now that Zachary was back, no one could bully them anymore, so they were going back.
But he wasn't afraid of Joshua taking him away again anyway.
He had plenty of ways to escape.
When he grew up, he wouldn't let Joshua off the hook.
At that moment, Joshua, who was in a company meeting room, suddenly sneezed twice.
Brian thought he had caught a cold and was quickly handed him a cup of warm water.
Joshua didn't pay much attention. After the meeting ended and he returned to his office, he asked Brian, "Did Zachary go pick them up?"
Although he said he wouldn't interfere with Ella and Dorian anymore.
He still kept track of their movements.
He seemed truly unable to let them go and start a new life.
Brian nodded, "He did. They might be back tonight."
It was obvious that Joshua still cared deeply about Ms. Garcia and Dorian.
He tentatively asked, "Mr. Thomas, are you really going to let them be together?"
Joshua leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling with a bitter smile.
"What else can I do if I don't? Dorian doesn't like me. If I take him away again and something happens, I can't bear those consequences."
He was too afraid of Dorian having an accident like Aurora did.
But having promised not to disturb the mother and son anymore, Joshua felt empty inside.
He felt especially reluctant. Sometimes he didn't even know what to do.
Brian didn't dare say more.
Actually, this was fine too. Everyone going their separate ways.
In the afternoon, Joshua returned to the old mansion.
In the living room, his parents sat with worried expressions. He paid no attention and went straight to the dining room.
Jasper and Ava had also learned that Ella had found Dorian.
But since Joshua forbade them from disturbing the mother and son, they didn't dare go looking for them.
Ava followed him to the dining room and sat down, trying to persuade Joshua.
"Since you've let go of the mother and son, and won't allow us to see Dorian anymore, could you at least find another woman to marry and give us another grandchild?"
Joshua was almost 35 years old now.
If they didn't let Dorian return to the Thomas family to acknowledge his roots, the Thomas family wouldn't even have an heir.
As parents, how could they let the bloodline end in this generation?
No matter what, they had to persuade Joshua to remarry and have children.
But Joshua had no interest in that at all. Since Ava had lost Dorian, he still resented her, and his tone was cold.
"If you want a child, I can adopt one from an orphanage for you. But asking me to marry and have children, I have no interest in that."
His love couldn't be divided to give an extra portion to someone else.
Rather than harm someone else and make them the next Ella and Dorian, he'd rather die alone.
"Joshua, are you trying to end the Thomas family line?"
Ava knew Joshua blamed her. She lowered her head and covered her face, crying, feeling very wronged.
Joshua didn't care about Ava's appearance and was too lazy to say more. After a few bites, he put down his utensils and left.
Jasper and Ava were left sitting there, embarrassed,that with no other options.
After a long while, Jasper said, "How about we go to the Lewis family and try to get on their good side? Even if we can't bring Dorian back, at least let us see him."
Ava was afraid Joshua would get angry and quickly waved her hand in refusal.
She felt what they should do was go beg Ella.
As long as Ella forgave them, maybe in the future she would allow them to visit Dorian often.
That evening, Ella arrived at the Lewis family with the child and Zachary.
Heath had the housekeeper prepare a lavish meal.
The family was finally reunited, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.
Mason still looked down on Zachary living in their home. Plus, with Scarlett's death, he always felt it was Ella's doing.
He also felt that since Dorian was Joshua's child, they should be with Joshua to be a real family.
What man in the world would truly be willing to raise another man's son?
Over time, Zachary would eventually care about this.
During the meal, Mason took a photo and sent it to Joshua.
He didn't do this to have Joshua come and ruin their family's happiness.
He just hoped Joshua would come and ask for Ella's forgiveness.
So Ella would willingly separate from Zachary and return to the Thomas family with Dorian.
Joshua, alone at Tranquil Villa.
Looking at the photo Mason sent him.
Looking at Ella, Dorian, and Zachary together in the photo, they really looked like a family of three.
His heart, which had just calmed down, inexplicably became restless again.
It seemed truly difficult to completely let go of the mother and son.
Joshua leaned against the sofa, his chest aching in waves, his handsome face showing an expression of pain and suppression.
That night, after Ella put the child to bed, she struggled with whether or not to go back to Zachary's room.
If she went, as husband and wife, certain things would be unavoidable.
But she wasn't mentally prepared for that aspect of things.
While she was struggling internally, Zachary pushed the door open and walked in.
Seeing Ella lying down next to the child, he felt a bit disappointed, but pretended not to care.
"Ella's already asleep, so you stay with Dorian. I'll go back to my room too."
Ella sat up, and as if possessed, followed him out of the room and into his room.
Zachary turned to look at her. He had wanted to be gentlemanly and tell her not to force herself.
But there was always an impulse deep in his heart, driving him to lose control. He couldn't help but suddenly pull Ella over and press her against the wall.
Ella was startled.
Especially seeing Zachary lean down to kiss her, she unconsciously turned her head away to avoid him.
Seeing her evasion, Zachary felt a sharp pain in his heart, disappointment spreading in his eyes.
"Ella, can't we?"