Chapter 133
Emily finally managed to calm Nina down after a lot of convincing.
But Nina didn't want to leave. She kept hovering around William, watching him carefully.
Seeing that William really was fine, just as Emily had said, with no sign of pain on his face, Nina finally felt at ease.
Amelia stood to the side watching. This was the first time she'd taken such a careful look at William and the kids.
As she watched, she noticed something surprising: Oscar looked a lot like William.
She'd actually noticed it before, but hadn't thought much of it. Handsome men often looked similar, she figured.
But now, watching Oscar frown, it was like seeing William's exact expression.
They looked so alike that no one would believe they weren't cut from the same cloth.
How could two people look this similar? Anyone who didn't know better would think Oscar was William's biological son.
Still, she felt like that couldn't be right. Back when Emily had gotten pregnant out of nowhere, Amelia had asked her who the father was. Emily refused to say a word and kept the whole thing tightly under wraps.
Not long after, Emily gave birth, but the baby never took a breath from the moment it came into the world. Emily herself had passed out from exhaustion.
Afraid Emily wouldn't be able to handle the news when she woke up, Amelia had hidden it from her, quietly taking the baby away and disposing of the body.
Emily eventually found out anyway and grieved for a long time, but none of it had ever involved William.
If William had been the father back then, why wouldn't Emily have said so at the time?
If she had, she wouldn't be living such a hard life now. She'd be Mrs. Brown, with wealth and comfort to spare.
Amelia thought it over for a while and slowly shook her head.
Things probably weren't the way she was imagining. Otherwise, Emily would have had no reason to keep it from her, and she certainly wouldn't have just stood by quietly.
Could Amelia really stop Oscar and Nina from acknowledging their own father? That would be going too far.
But then, how could you explain how much Oscar looks like William? Was it really just a coincidence? That seemed hard to believe.
"Mom, what are you thinking about?"
Oscar and Nina were playing with William by the bed. Emily turned and caught the thoughtful look on Amelia's face as well. "What's on your mind?"
Amelia snapped back to the present. "Nothing."
But her expression clearly said otherwise.
William had picked up on it as well. To be exact, he'd noticed the way Amelia kept glancing back and forth between him and Oscar, like she had something on her mind.
Maybe it wasn't the right moment, or maybe she didn't want Emily to know. Either way, Amelia kept it to herself and said nothing.
"I was just thinking about your father."
Seeing that Emily was still watching her, Amelia quickly came up with an explanation.
"It's been so many days now. The police haven't made any moves, and your father has completely vanished. I have no idea where he's hiding."
"Until he's caught and brought back, I can't settle down. It's been weighing on me."
"Mom, he's not my father."
Emily corrected her, her voice sharp. "The day he brought Harper into the house, he stopped being my father in my eyes. Do I even need to remind you how he treated you all these years?"
"If I could choose who I was born to, I'd rather have a beggar for a father than that man any day."
Just the mention of Brian made Emily furious.
What kind of father acted like that?
And it wasn't just that — he'd tormented Amelia until she broke down mentally, leaving her in a care facility for years.
Brian hadn't spared Emily either.
Whether it was his own idea or Harper's doing, Brian could never stand the sight of Emily. Even when she hadn't done anything to provoke him, he'd still snap at her just to blow off steam.
Even after Emily moved out, Brian wouldn't leave her alone. He'd call her back home over nothing, just to pick her apart.
With Brian setting that tone, Harper and Sophia felt free to do whatever they wanted.
Over the years, Emily had lost count of how many times she'd been hurt, and it all traced back to Brian.
Amelia let out a heavy sigh. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's just hope the police bring him in soon. Then we can all stop worrying."
Emily gave a cold smile. "Even if the police never catch him, he's never getting back on his feet. Not in this lifetime."
"He'll spend the rest of his life like a dead rat in a gutter — barely surviving, never able to show his face."
"If Brian has to live like that forever, that'll suit Oscar just fine."
"Alright, Emily, that's enough."
Amelia stopped her, her eyes drifting toward Oscar and Nina.
Emily understood and pressed her lips together.
Amelia had told her many times before — try not to talk about these things in front of the kids. You don't want to leave a shadow on their hearts.
Emily had just been too angry today to hold back.
Nina was having a great time with William, peppering him with questions: where he'd been these past few days, and what had happened to him that left him so badly hurt?
"When are you getting out of the hospital?"
Nina grabbed onto William's arm. "You promised to take me to the amusement park! You still haven't taken me. Can we go tomorrow?"
"Nina!"
Emily's voice sharpened, her expression full of disapproval.
William didn't seem to mind at all. He ruffled Nina's hair. "Tomorrow won't work, but I'll be back on my feet before long. When I am, I'll take you to the amusement park — and the zoo too. How does that sound?"
"Yay! You're the best!"
Nina was overjoyed. Oscar shot her a look of pure disdain.
Getting excited over a day trip. No ambition at all.
"Oscar, what do you want?"
William looked over at him with a warm smile, something reluctant in his eyes.
What the two kids didn't know was that William was already saying his goodbyes to them.
A couple of days ago, he and Emily had talked it through. Once he recovered, he'd leave the hospital and go straight back to the Brown Mansion. What would happen after that, nobody could say.
So whether he and Emily would ever see each other again was uncertain — and even if they did, it might be a very long time from now.
Right now, before he left, he wanted to give the kids something to remember him by later.
Even if they forgot about him someday, at least the gift would be proof that he had once cared for them.
Oscar pressed his lips together. "I don't want anything."
"Nothing at all?"
William raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Of course I'm sure," Oscar replied.
Oscar gave him a sideways glance. His voice was cool and flat, but there was something soft underneath.
"I just want you to get better."
William stilled. His expression shifted, and for a moment he just stared — then his eyes filled with tears.
Oscar was actually worried about him. Oscar and Nina really were two completely different kinds of people.