Chapter 199: Together Forever
The sight of Elias doubled over in pain wasn't what they found. Instead, the boy was curled up on the corner of the bed, wrapped in a white sheet, clutching a new dinosaur toy. When he heard the door, he flinched and buried his face in his knees.
"Doctor, what’s the diagnosis? Food poisoning? Appendicitis?" Ryan grabbed the school doctor, his voice sharp.
The doctor looked troubled. He glanced at the child, then at the frantic parents. He sighed and lowered his voice. "Mr. Lawrence, we ran the initial tests. There are no pathological symptoms. Temperature is normal, heart rate is fine, and there’s no tenderness in the abdomen."
"What do you mean?" Evelyn asked, stunned.
"It means..." the doctor said helplessly, "he’s faking it."
The air in the room froze. Evelyn turned to the bed. Elias had clearly heard the doctor. His small body began to shake violently, and his quiet whimpering turned into a full-blown sob.
The boy threw off the sheet. He didn't try to run; instead, he scrambled off the bed and collapsed onto his knees, his tiny hands grabbing at Evelyn and Ryan’s clothes.
"I’m sorry... Mommy, I’m sorry... Daddy Ryan, I’m sorry..."
Elias was hyperventilating, his face a mess of tears. "It doesn't hurt anymore... I promise... Please don't go... Don't leave me..."
The scene felt like a knife to Evelyn’s heart. She dropped to her knees and pulled him into a hug. "Oh, baby, what are you saying? Why would I ever leave you?"
"I heard you..." Elias sobbed, his hands clutching Evelyn’s collar. "That night... Daddy Ryan was so mean... Mommy was crying... You said you were breaking up..."
The act. They had been acting to fool Camilla and the spies. They had forgotten that in that house, there was a small pair of eyes watching everything, interpreting the cruelty of the adult world through a child’s lens.
Ryan knelt down. Seeing the sheer terror in the boy's eyes made his chest ache. He reached out to touch Elias’s hair, but the boy instinctively flinched. That flinch stung Ryan more than any slap.
"Elias, look at me." Ryan firmly but gently gripped the boy’s shoulders. His eyes were filled with nothing but tenderness. "Mommy and I weren't really fighting. We were playing a... grown-up game. To catch the bad guys."
"Really?" Elias sniffed, his eyes blurry. "It wasn't because I was bad? It wasn't because I’m... a burden?"
He had clearly picked up that word from the whispers of the household staff.
"Who taught you that word?" Ryan lifted the boy into a powerful hug. "Listen to me. You are my pride. You are the future of the Lawrence family. No matter what happens, Mommy and I will protect you. As long as I am breathing, I will never leave you."
It was a solemn vow. Elias leaned against Ryan’s broad shoulder, feeling the safety he had missed. He finally stopped crying. He reached out a tiny finger and poked Ryan’s cheek. "Pinky swear?"
"Pinky swear." Ryan hooked his finger with the boy's tiny one.
"And no more faking sick to scare me," Evelyn said, wiping her eyes and playfully pinching his nose. "If you do it again, I’ll be really mad."
"I won't..." Elias giggled through his tears, snuggling into Ryan’s neck.
When they left the school, the early winter sun felt surprisingly warm. Ryan didn't have the driver take them back to the stifling estate. Instead, he drove toward Central Park.
"I'm going on strike today," Ryan said, tossing his tie onto the passenger seat. "Let's just relax."
The maples in the park were a vibrant red, and the ground was covered in gold. Elias was like a bird released from a cage. His sadness vanished as he chased pigeons across the grass.
Evelyn and Ryan walked behind him, their hands linked secretly under their coats.
"Am I a failure as a mother?" Evelyn asked quietly. "I was so focused on revenge and the truth that I ignored what he was feeling."
"Don't say that," Ryan said, squeezing her hand. "No one is perfect in a situation like this. But we're here now."
"Daddy! Mommy! Come look!" Elias waved them over to a bench. He was holding a drawing pad and crayons he’d bought from a street vendor.
They walked over. "I want to draw," Elias said, spreading a sheet of paper on his lap. "Daddy Ryan on the left, Mommy on the right. I’m in the middle."
They sat down, letting the boy squeeze between them. Elias focused intensely on his work. He drew a tall blue figure holding a sword, a beautiful red figure with a dress full of flowers, and a small green figure in the middle, holding both their hands.
The lines were shaky, but the longing in the drawing was heartbreakingly clear.
"Done!" Elias held it up. "It’s a family portrait. We have to hang this on the wall. The biggest wall."
"Wait, one more thing." Elias thought for a moment, then used a black crayon to scrawl a few words at the bottom.
TOGETHER FOREVER
Evelyn felt her eyes sting again.
"It’s perfect," Ryan said, taking the drawing as if it were a priceless treasure. "I'll have this framed and hung in the main hall for everyone to see."
Elias beamed and threw himself into their arms. "I hope you guys never fight again. I want us to be together forever."
The peace of the moment was so beautiful it was terrifying. On the drive home, Elias fell fast asleep against Ryan’s leg.