Chapter 6: I'm not Daddy's child?

Ella stood at the kitchen doorway. She looked at Jessica sitting arrogantly on the sofa. She suddenly felt nauseated. She took a deep breath. "No."

Jessica froze. "What?"

"Are your hands and feet disabled? If you want water, get it yourself." Ella said coldly.

"You..." Jessica was so angry she sat up straight on the sofa. She pointed at Ella. "You dare refuse me? Alexander told you to take care of me. You dare disobey?!"

"Alexander isn't here." Ella said calmly. "And even if he were, I still wouldn't serve you."

"You—" Jessica trembled with anger. She held one hand over her belly. Her voice became shrill. "Ella, you better think carefully! If anything happens to me and the child in my belly, Alexander will never forgive you! Do you believe he'd kick you out of this house for us?!"

Ella didn't answer. She just looked at her coldly.

Just then, small footsteps came from the stairs. Leo came down again. He had heard the arguing. He was worried about his mother.

He timidly moved his feet. He looked innocently at Jessica's twisted face. He asked softly, "Auntie, are you talking loudly to Mommy because you don't feel well? The doctor says sick people get in bad moods. I can lend you my Lego to play with."

Jessica saw Leo. Her eyes turned. Her face immediately changed to a gentle smile. She crouched down to Leo's eye level. One hand gently stroked her lower abdomen. "Leo, I'm not sick."

"Then why don't you feel well?" Leo asked, puzzled.

"Because," Jessica's smile deepened. Her voice was sickeningly sweet. "Auntie is pregnant. Do you know what pregnancy means? It means there's a little baby in my belly. Auntie is going to give you a real little brother. When the time comes, this house will have a true little prince born with Blackwood blood. Are you happy?"

Ella's mind exploded with a deafening boom.

Her brain went blank. Only Jessica's words "real little brother" echoed crazily in her ears.

Real little brother? Not a cousin?

Could it be that these past few months, Alexander's so-called "taking care" had already extended to the bedroom? That man who claimed he was only doing it for his older brother—had he actually gotten his sister-in-law pregnant behind her back?

She stared hard at Jessica. Her voice trembled. "What did you say?"

Jessica looked up. Her eyes were full of provocation and triumph. She stood up. One hand rested on her belly. Her voice carried a note of boasting. "That's right. Exactly what you're thinking. This is the Blackwood family's biological child. True Blackwood blood."

She paused. Her eyes swept toward Leo. A malicious smile curved her lips. "Not like some people who climbed into the position of Mrs. Blackwood by getting pregnant before marriage. Who knows if what she gave birth to is some impure bastard?"

The air instantly froze.

Leo stood there. The smile on his little face slowly disappeared. He looked at Jessica. Then at his mother. His eyes filled with confusion.

"Mommy," his voice was very small, very soft. "What does bastard mean?"

Ella's heart felt like someone had grabbed it viciously. She looked at her son's clear eyes. Those eyes slowly filled with hurt and fear.

"Leo—" She wanted to say something. But Jessica interrupted her.

"It means impure, little one." Jessica said with a smile. Her voice was sweet but venomous. "It means maybe not Daddy's real child."

Leo's face instantly turned pale. His lips trembled. Tears welled up in his eyes. "I... I'm not Daddy's child? Is that why Daddy doesn't like me? Why he didn't come to my birthday? Why he won't go to my school activities?"

Ella crouched down. She positioned herself in front of Leo. Her hands cupped her son's small face.

She wiped the tears from his face. She tried to keep her voice calm. "Baby, listen to Mommy. You are Daddy's biological son. You and Daddy look exactly alike. You have Daddy's eyes. Daddy's nose. Even the way you smile is just like Daddy."

"But Auntie Jessica said—" Leo sobbed.

"Auntie Jessica was joking. What she said isn't true." Ella said gently. Even though she wanted to tear Jessica apart inside. "She shouldn't have said those things to scare you. You are Leo Blackwood. You are Alexander Blackwood's son. That will never change."

Leo looked into his mother's eyes. He slowly stopped crying. But his eyes still held doubt and unease.

Ella kissed his forehead. "Go wash your face. Mommy will take you to school, okay?"

Leo nodded. He slowly walked toward the bathroom.

After Leo left, Jessica sneered. "You can lie to that bastard all you want. But don't fool yourself. Alexander made it very clear. The child in my belly is the Blackwood blood he truly cares about. As for the child born by a woman who got pregnant before marriage and climbed into his bed—who knows if it's really his?"

Ella took a deep breath. Her voice was icy. "Jessica, I'm warning you. Stay away from my son."

"Oh? Or what?" Jessica raised an eyebrow. "What can you do about it?"

"If the Blackwood parents knew you were destroying their son's family, do you think you'd still get that inheritance from Michael?" Ella said word by word. "Don't forget. They can remove you from the trust fund beneficiary list at any time."

Jessica's expression changed instantly. She stared hard at Ella. She ground her teeth. "You dare threaten me?"

"I'm just stating facts." Ella said calmly. "If they knew that after their son died, you moved into their other son's house. That you're sabotaging my marriage to Alexander. That you're making their grandson doubt his own identity... What do you think they would do?"

"You—" Jessica pointed at her. Her finger trembled. "You wouldn't dare! If you say one word, I can have Alexander throw you out of this house with just one sentence!"

"Then try it." Ella finished speaking and turned toward the bathroom. "Leo, are you ready? We should go."

"Wait!" Jessica rushed down the stairs. She blocked Ella's path. "Ella, I'm warning you. You better keep your mouth shut. Otherwise you'll regret it."

Ella ignored her. She walked around her toward the bathroom.

Jessica watched her retreating figure. Her eyes were vicious. She suddenly thought of something. A malicious smile curved her lips. Then she slowly took off her coat.

Ella led Leo out of the bathroom. She was ready to get his backpack. As she passed the living room, her peripheral vision caught Jessica.

Then she froze completely.

Jessica stood there. She had removed her coat. It revealed the shirt underneath. That white men's shirt. Ella knew it all too well.

It was the one she had ironed for Alexander earlier. The one hanging in his closet.

The shirt was wrinkled and creased. The buttons were fastened crookedly. The collar was loose. You could vaguely see the skin underneath. Most damning of all, the shirt tail wasn't tucked into her pants. It hung loose and messy. Like it had just been hastily put on.

Ella's face instantly turned pale. Last night in the hospital room, he had pushed away his son for this woman. So afterward they had actually done that kind of thing in the hospital? Right under her nose?

"Oh my, look at my memory." Jessica giggled. She put on a troubled expression. She reached into the shirt's large pocket and fumbled around. "Alex and I were so intense at the hospital last night. He actually left something so important with me. He said wearing it made him uncomfortable."

She pulled something out of the pocket. She twirled it between her fingertips.

Silver. Round. It gleamed in the light.

It was Alexander's wedding ring.