Chapter 71
Lucas seemed unbothered, leisurely sitting up and leaning against the headboard, a faint smile playing at his lips.
"I'll go check on him." Juliana threw off the covers to get out of bed.
"No need." Lucas pulled her back. "He'll handle it himself."
As soon as the words left his mouth, another knock came from the door, louder this time.
"Mom, I need to ask you something."
"Come in."
The door opened again. Matty walked in wearing pajamas, phone clutched in his hand. He walked straight to the bed without looking at Lucas and handed the phone to Juliana.
"Mom, Dami hasn't replied to my messages."
Juliana took the phone. The screen showed Matty and Damian's chat interface. The last message was from Matty, sent half an hour ago.
Lucas watched this little guy trying so hard to act composed and found it extremely amusing.
The kid had clearly seen everything, yet could act like nothing happened.
"He's probably asleep already." Lucas suddenly spoke.
Only then did Matty look up as if just noticing him, calling out politely and distantly, "Mr. Sharp."
Lucas raised an eyebrow, deliberately teasing. "After all that, still calling me mister?"
Matty's bright black eyes blinked.
Lucas tilted his chin toward Juliana, amusement in his voice. "How about calling me Dad?"
Juliana shot him a reproachful look, reaching to cover his mouth, but he dodged with a laugh.
Matty watched their intimate interaction, his long lashes lowering. After several seconds, he finally spoke in a barely audible voice.
"...You already are Dad."
The words were so soft they were nearly swallowed by the night.
But Lucas heard them.
What did that just mean?
The two children's nearly identical faces, and that unusually strong sense of connection he'd felt from their very first meeting...
Lucas's breathing grew heavy. A wild, audacious thought began sprouting madly in his mind.
He stared at this miniature version of himself, his gaze sharpening. His voice came out low and serious. "Matty, how old are you?"
The serious expression made Matty a bit nervous, but he still answered obediently. "Six and a half."
Exactly the same as Damian.
The thread of rationality in Lucas's mind pulled completely taut.
He had to get to the bottom of this.
He wanted to immediately take Matty for a DNA test, but glancing at Juliana beside him, he suppressed the impulse.
"I'll go make you both a late-night snack." Juliana returned the phone to Matty and got out of bed.
She'd been focused on checking the messages and hadn't heard their conversation clearly. Thinking Lucas was just chatting with the child, she was completely unaware of the storm raging inside him.
Lucas hummed in acknowledgment, but his gaze remained fixed on Matty.
Soon, Juliana came in carrying a bowl of steaming pasta.
"Eat something first."
As she bent down, a strand of hair slipped from behind her ear.
Matty naturally reached out his small hand to tuck it back for her.
Their movements were intimate and natural.
In the lamplight, their profiles were almost identical. Especially those eyes—the shape, the curve, even the way their lashes cast shadows when lowered—they looked like they'd been carved from the same mold.
Lucas's pupils constricted sharply.
Before, he'd only noticed how much Matty resembled him. He'd overlooked that the child clearly also carried Juliana's features.
……
At the Sharp Estate, Emily stood outside a door, her face full of anxiety.
"Dami hasn't eaten anything all day. If this continues, something terrible will happen."
Inside the room—complete silence. Not even a sound of crying.
In the living room, Ashley held a cup of tea, sipping leisurely, not even lifting her eyelids.
"What's the rush? He won't starve to death." Her voice was indifferent. "These past few years have spoiled him rotten. He can't even tell who his real mother is. He needs to learn a lesson."
Emily wanted to say something but held back.
This wasn't a lesson—this was torture.
Ashley set down her teacup with a soft clink against the table. She looked toward that tightly closed door, her expression growing deep and complex.
She knew better than anyone whether Bianca was the child's biological mother.
Years ago, she'd gone to great lengths to find that woman as a surrogate, thinking everything was foolproof. Who knew the woman would not only survive but come back for revenge—and even seduce her son.
Like a thorn lodged deep, keeping her restless day and night.
She absolutely could not let Juliana near Damian again, much less let her enter the Sharp family.
……
Back at Juliana's apartment, Matty's color looked much better after finishing the pasta.
Lucas watched the warm interaction between mother and son, his suspicion growing clearer.
He was just thinking of some excuse to legitimately obtain Matty's hair for a DNA test when Juliana's phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, Juliana's brow furrowed slightly.
The Sharp Estate's landline.
She stepped aside to answer. After a few words, her expression changed.
"Your mother wants to meet with me. She says it's about Damian."
Lucas's eyes narrowed.
Reaching out to Juliana at this time—nothing good would come of it.
An ominous feeling rose in his chest.
"I'll drive you there." Lucas stood, grabbing his coat.
Juliana didn't refuse. She was worried about Damian too. Ashley's tone had sounded hostile—she was afraid the child had suffered at the Sharp Estate.
On the drive to the Sharp Estate, Lucas gripped the steering wheel, his mind racing through all the clues, connecting the pieces.
Doubt after doubt emerged, layer upon layer.
The car stopped in front of the Sharp Estate gates.
They'd barely stepped out when Emily came rushing from inside.
Seeing them, she froze. Lucas immediately asked, "What happened?"
Emily hesitated, but concern won out. "Ashley locked him in a room without food. Now... now there's no sound at all!"
The blood drained from Juliana's face. Without thinking, she ran inside.
They rushed up to the second floor. Lucas kicked open the locked door with one powerful blow.
Damian's small body lay curled on the cold floor, completely still, his little face deathly pale without a trace of color.