Half an hour later, Deanna left Lexi's house with the two little ones and Lance.
As they stepped out of the building, they noticed people standing or sitting around the entrance. Among them were some familiar faces to Deanna, including several children who curiously watched Deanna's family of four. They were particularly struck by the tall and handsome Lance, showing expressions of amazement and envy.
"Gregory Jones, Chloe Jones, did you find your daddy?" one bold child asked.
The two little ones proudly held Lance's hand and responded, "Of course, this is our biological father. We've even changed our last name to Mercer."
Hearing their boastful tone, Lance's dark eyes swept over the children who had spoken. Just one look from him was enough to intimidate them. The children thought, "How scary! How can someone be so frightening?" They admired the two little ones for not being afraid of such a scary person.
That evening, Deanna visited the neighbors who had once helped her and her children. The two little ones were overjoyed.
Many children gathered around them, praising their father's handsomeness with envious tones, making the two little ones very proud.
To them, their daddy was the most handsome in the world, no arguments accepted.
Seeing their bright smiles, Lance's expression softened. He gently asked, "Did you have a good time tonight?"
"Yes, very happy," they nodded in unison.
Chloe, unable to keep things to herself, started talking excitedly. "Before Daddy came back, those kids wouldn't play with us. Not that we cared to play with them anyway. But they always called us fatherless wild kids. If it weren't for not wanting to cause trouble for Mommy, my brother and I would have beaten them up."
She waved her fist angrily as she spoke. Lance and Deanna felt a pang of heartache seeing this.
They could imagine how the two little ones must have felt hearing such cruel words at such a young age. Yet, they had endured it all to avoid causing trouble at home.
"But now it's different. My brother and I have found Daddy and cleared our name. Now they can only envy us," Chloe said with a smug smile.
Deanna and Lance couldn't help but laugh at her pride.
Soon after, the family of four returned home. Deanna took the two little ones to wash up. It took over an hour to settle everything before she returned to the bedroom.
Lance had already washed up and was sitting on the bed reading a document. Hearing her come in, he looked up and smiled gently, "You're back. Are they asleep?"
"Yes, they're asleep. Did you wash up?" Deanna replied with a smile.
"I did, and I also prepared your bathwater," Lance said.
"Thank you, honey," Deanna said cheerfully before heading to the bathroom with her change of clothes.
A short while later, they were lying in bed chatting. Somehow, the conversation drifted to events from a few years ago.
"I heard you talking with Lexi tonight about how Gregory almost... What happened back then?" Lance finally asked the question that had been weighing on his mind all evening.
Deanna wasn't surprised by his question. She had accidentally let it slip at Lexi's house and noticed Lance's expression change. She had expected him to ask on the way home but he hadn't. Now she understood he was waiting for this moment.
"You know that during those years, my grandmother and I relied on growing medicinal herbs for income. The first year was really tough and we were very poor," she began. "As novices, we spent almost all day in the herb fields. One day we returned to find Gregory burning up with a fever of 102 degrees. He didn't want us to worry and knew we had no money, so he didn't let Chloe notify us. By the time we got back, he was already delirious."
"We had no money and knew Gregory would need to stay in the hospital for a few days at least. We tried borrowing money from neighbors but most knew our situation and were unwilling to lend us anything. Finally, Lexi and Niamh gathered some friends to lend us enough money to get Gregory treated."
Talking about those days still made Deanna feel heartbroken. Tears fell from her eyes as Lance gently wiped them away and comforted her, "Don't cry. It's all in the past now."
"Yes, it's all in the past. From now on, our family will be happy," Deanna sighed softly, her tearful eyes gazing at Lance.
Lance looked back at her, holding her hand tightly and resting his forehead against hers. He promised, "In this life, I will never let you down."