Chapter 121 Incident
Early the next morning, Olivia took Leo to kindergarten.
As they reached the entrance of their neighborhood, she suddenly felt a gaze fixed on her from behind, making her feel uneasy all over.
The feeling was strong, as if someone was secretly watching her from the shadows.
She turned around sharply, but saw nothing—just the usual passersby and cars moving along.
"Weird. Am I imagining things?" she muttered to herself, feeling a bit creeped out.
Holding Leo's hand, she quickened her pace toward the kindergarten, glancing back every now and then, but each time, there was nothing unusual.
Not far away, at the corner of the street, Luca hid behind a tree, his heart pounding hard.
He had almost been caught just now, but luckily, he reacted quickly and ducked out of sight.
He only wanted to see more of Leo, this son who felt both unfamiliar and so close to him. He hadn't meant to scare Olivia.
Watching Olivia squat down, gently adjust Leo's backpack straps, and remind him to behave at kindergarten, Luca felt a mix of envy and bitterness.
He envied Leo for having all of her tenderness, and felt bitter for missing out on so many precious moments.
He silently vowed to himself that he would soon reclaim his child and reunite their family.
After dropping Leo off, Olivia returned to her studio and threw herself into her busy work.
Se had to finish the revised design drafts within three days. She worked in complete focus all day, with her phone on silent, completely unaware of the missed calls piling up.
In the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, and the kindergarten had an outdoor physical activity class.
The lawn was warmed by the sun, the music for the class was loud and lively, and the kids lined up in a wobbly formation, chattering excitedly around the climbing frame.
Leo stood in the line, his little cheeks flushed, his small hands gripping the hem of his shirt, slightly sweaty.
He had always wanted to try the tall climbing frame. Every time he saw other kids climb up, he thought they looked so cool.
But when it was finally his turn, he felt a bit scared. He still remembered a classmate falling off and crying last time.
"Next, Leo!" the physical education teacher called out with a cheerful tone, waving at him.
Leo took a deep breath, ran over with his short little legs, and tightly gripped the bars of the climbing frame.
He climbed up step by step, not very fast, but holding on steady. A proud smile slowly spread across his small face.
The other kids nearby were cheering him on, and hearing their encouragement made him even more eager to climb higher and show everyone how great he was.
When he reached the middle, he wanted to look down at the teacher and his friends to show off his progress.
But as he turned his head, the bar under his foot felt a bit slippery. He didn't step firmly, and his body instantly lost balance.
"Ah!!!"
Leo screamed and fell straight down from the climbing frame.
The teacher rushed over in a panic, but it was too late. His forehead hit the base of the frame with a dull thud.
"Wah!!! Mommy! It hurts!"
The sharp pain made Leo burst into tears, crying loudly. Tears streamed down his face like broken beads, his little hands clutching his forehead tightly, his whole body shaking as his shoulders heaved with sobs.
The teacher crouched down and carefully moved his hands away. She saw a big swollen bump on his forehead, faintly red, with the edges even turning a bit purple. It looked painful just to see.
"Sweetie, don't cry. I'll call your mommy right now," the teacher said, wiping his tears and snot with a tissue while pulling out her phone to find Olivia's number.
The call rang for a long time with no answer, eventually going to voicemail.
The teacher frowned and tried again, but the result was the same.
Mrs. Morris, the kindergarten director, hurried over. Seeing Leo crying so hard with such a bad swelling on his forehead, she quickly said, "Try one more time."
The teacher nodded and dialed Olivia's number a third time, but still, there was only the cold automated message.
"No choice, we'll have to call Luca," Mrs. Morris sighed, taking the phone from the teacher and finding the number she had saved just in case.
As soon as the call connected, Mrs. Morris spoke urgently, her voice full of worry:
"Mr. Vettel, hello! This is Mrs. Morris from Sunshine Kindergarten. Leo fell while climbing during physical activity class and bumped his forehead badly. He's crying a lot. We've called his mother several times with no answer, so we had to reach out to you!"
On the other end of the line, Luca's voice tightened instantly, his deep tone filled with unmistakable urgency. Without wasting a second, he said, "I'm on my way."
With that, he hung up.
The driver was already waiting downstairs. Luca yanked open the car door, got in, and said firmly, "Sunshine Kindergarten, as fast as you can."
The car sped off like an arrow, and Luca leaned back in the seat, his fingers clenching unconsciously, his heart aching and anxious.
This was his son—the kid he hadn't known about for over five years. He hadn't even had the chance to be by his side properly, and now he couldn't bear the thought of him suffering like this.
In just over ten minutes, the car pulled up smoothly at the kindergarten entrance. Luca pushed the door open and strode inside, his long legs moving quickly, his eyes scanning the area urgently. Mrs. Morris was already waiting at the gate and hurried over when she saw him. "Mr. Vettel, you're here! Leo's over there on the bench!"
Luca nodded and followed Mrs. Morris quickly. He spotted Leo right away, held in the teacher's arms.
The little boy had a noticeable bluish bump on his forehead, his small body trembling with sobs, his tiny hands clutching the teacher's shirt. But the moment he lifted his eyes and saw Luca, his crying stopped. His bright blue eyes, still filled with tears, lit up with surprise and trust as he called out softly, "Uncle LO!"
Luca hurried to the bench and crouched down, softening his voice to the gentlest tone, afraid of startling the upset child. He lightly touched Leo's uninjured cheek, his movements incredibly tender. "Leo, does it hurt a lot? I'll take you to the hospital to put some medicine on it. Once we do that, it won't hurt anymore, okay?"
Leo pouted, looking into Luca's kind eyes. All his unease melted away, and he reached out his little hands to grab Luca's shirt tightly, nodding hard. His small body leaned toward Luca, feeling safer with this comforting uncle than with the unfamiliar teacher.
Luca carefully picked him up, one hand steadying Leo's little bottom, the other gently supporting his back, avoiding the injured forehead. His movements were so light, as if he feared the slightest mistake would hurt him.
Holding the tiny, soft bundle in his arms, with the faint, sweet scent of a child, a familiar warmth filled Luca's heart, and his eyes even felt a little misty.
"Let's go," he said softly to Leo. As he turned to leave, he looked back and added in a serious tone that left no room for argument, "Remember, don't mention me to Olivia. Just say a kind stranger passing by took the child to the hospital. Don't worry about the rest."
Mrs. Morris quickly nodded in agreement. "Of course, Mr. Vettel, don't worry!"