Chapter 140
The commotion was so loud that anyone who didn't know better would think someone was banging on the door.
Emily's heart tightened, and the fork in her hand dropped to the floor.
Her first thought was Brian -- had he come back for revenge?
Amelia's body shook violently, her eyes filled with terror.
Brian had often beaten her, and Amelia's fear of him was already etched into her bones, impossible to shake off.
"Mom, don't be scared, I'm here."
Emily quickly ran to Amelia to comfort her, staring tensely at the door. "Who's out there?"
"It's me, Emily, it's me!"
William called out loudly.
He was so excited that his voice was trembling.
Running all the way here, the wound on his abdomen had started bleeding again, but William didn't care at all -- the adrenaline was pumping through him like crazy.
Emily opened the door, completely confused. "Aren't you supposed to be at the hospital? The doctor hasn't even said you can be discharged yet. Why did you come here?"
But Emily's words broke off abruptly.
Because William rushed over and hugged her tightly, with frightening force.
At this moment, he no longer seemed like an injured man.
"What's wrong with you?"
Emily was even more confused.
They'd only just separated, and William seemed like a completely different person.
Looking at his flushed face, it seemed as if something incredibly wonderful had happened.
But surely he didn't need to run back just to tell her in person? Couldn't he have just called?
Amelia and the two children stood behind them, watching curiously, equally puzzled.
"Emily, I know everything now!"
William said these words excitedly.
Emily paused, the confusion in her eyes deepening. "Know what?"
"The children! About the children!"
William released Emily and gripped her shoulders tightly. Though his grip was strong, he didn't hurt her.
He couldn't wait to pull out the paternity test and hold it in front of Emily.
"Look, the test results are in -- Oscar and Nina are my children! They're my children!"
Emily was shocked.
Behind her, Amelia gasped in surprise, then quickly broke into a smile.
She'd guessed right after all -- just as she'd thought, Oscar and Nina really were William's children.
She knew it -- how could there be such a coincidence in the world? The two children looked so much like William; something was obviously up.
"What are you talking about?"
Emily's mind was buzzing as she shook her head in disbelief. "How is that possible? Stop lying to me. That can't be right. You must be mistaken."
"I'm not mistaken -- Oscar and Nina are my children!"
William could barely form coherent sentences. "Yesterday I took one of Nina's hairs for a paternity test, and this is the result."
William was breathing heavily, his heart finally feeling much lighter.
He should have realized it earlier -- the two children looked so much like him, it was hard to ignore. How could they not be his own?
He should have realized Emily was the woman from years ago.
But he vaguely remembered that Emily didn't quite look like that person, which was why he hadn't recognized her right away when they first met.
But none of that mattered now -- the paternity test wouldn't lie. Emily was the woman he'd been searching for all these years.
Emily's mind was blank. It took her several minutes to process everything.
She turned to look at Oscar and Nina beside her, her heart a jumble of emotions.
"Oscar, Nina, let's go back to the room first."
Amelia spoke up at the right moment. "Come on, let's stay in the room for a bit before we come out to eat."
Though the children were young, they seemed to understand the deeper meaning in Emily's complicated gaze. They both nodded and went back to the room together.
Only William and Emily were left in the living room.
"Sit down first."
After a long hesitation, Emily said just that.
This was all too sudden -- she didn't know what else to say.
William sat across from Emily, staring at her intently. "Looking at you, you don't seem happy. What's wrong?"
"I'm not unhappy."
"You're lying."
William narrowed his eyes. "I've known you for so long -- do you think I can't tell if you're happy or not? What are you thinking?"
Emily's lips moved, but she still couldn't bring herself to ask what she really wanted to know. Instead, she said, "Are you sure Oscar and Nina are really your children?"
"I'm sure."
William answered decisively. "Actually, from the first time I saw these two children, I had a strong feeling. They look so much like me -- this couldn't be a coincidence."
"But I had too much going on at the time, and you never mentioned anything about the children's father. I thought you had your reasons, so I didn't dare say much. But now I can't keep lying to myself."
William grabbed Emily's hand. "They're my children, and you're my woman. I want to know what happened back then."
Emily frowned and interrupted William.
She'd been holding onto this anger all along. Since William wanted to talk about this, they should be completely honest with each other.
William was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"What do you think I mean?"
Emily's frown deepened. "I was doing just fine working part-time at the hotel. Why would I end up in your bed?"
William understood -- Emily suspected he had plotted against her.
"I can't figure this out."
Emily explained, "At first, I did wonder if you might be the children's father."
"The reason I dismissed that idea was that I thought someone rich like you would never stay at a cheap, ordinary hotel. For someone like you, that would be beneath you."
"But now you're telling me you really are Oscar and Nina's father..."
At this point, Emily's voice rose slightly. "Then why were you staying at that kind of hotel? No matter how poor you were, you couldn't have been short of that kind of money."
Emily had stopped just short of spelling it out completely.
Given William's status, he really wouldn't stay at an ordinary hotel, and his assistant would never book such a place for him.
Yet that day, he happened to be at the hotel and had sex with her -- this made Emily feel like it was all premeditated.
She didn't say this out loud because it sounded too harsh, but that didn't stop her from thinking it.
William understood. Looking at Emily's slightly reddened eyes, his heart ached a little.
She must have suffered a lot over these years, which is why she was in such a defensive state, assuming the worst about others.
But this wasn't her fault -- a single woman raising two children alone, just surviving until now, was already incredibly difficult.
"You want to know, so I'll explain it to you."