Chapter 4

I excused myself, saying that I was tired and retreated upstairs. As I went past the stairwell, I heard two people talking.

"Ms. Lindt actually did it! She's so amazing! And Sebastian didn't even realize anything was off!"

"Right? Someone initially suggested that they 'adopt' him from an orphanage, but Ms. Lindt rejected that idea, and thank goodness she did! After all, the kid looks way too much like her. Nobody would believe it was a coincidence."

"You should wait a little before going to clean Ms. Lindt's bedroom. Mr. Zink had been waiting for her in the room for a while, and Ms. Lindt wasn't even fully through the doorway when their clothes came flying out. Who knows how long they'll be at it?"

There was a loud ringing in my ears as my mind went blank.

Did Rachel love Cameron that much? I had only just come home, yet she already couldn't wait to jump into bed with him?

I lifted my head to look beside me, which just so happened to be Rachel's room. I didn't know if it was my imagination, but I thought I could hear some faint giggling and moaning.

Just the thought of what they were doing inside the room made my stomach churn. Nausea surged through me, and I retched loudly.

All conversation in the stairwell abruptly stopped before two housekeepers appeared in my sight, their complexion deathly pale.

"M-Mr. Yarrow, w-when did you get here?"

I clutched at my chest. The surgical wound was hurting so badly that a cold sweat had broken out across my body.

Upon hearing the commotion, Rachel rushed out of her room. Her collar was askew, so I immediately spotted the hickeys dotting her neck.

Behind her, Cameron was even bolder, not even bothering to button up his shirt.

When Rachel realized where I was staring, she hastily explained, "Cameron said he had a gift for you, but he brought it to my room instead."

With that, she sped back into the room and emerged with a box that she stuffed into my hands. "Open it and see whether you like it."

Before I was able to open the box, however, someone behind me snatched it from me.

The little boy from earlier held onto it tightly, absolutely refusing to let go. "I won't give it to you! Daddy bought this!"

A bubble of laughter burst from my lips before I could stop it. "Isn't your daddy dead? How did he buy this?"

At five years old, the boy already understood a bit more about the world and how things worked. When he heard my questions, he instantly ran over to hug Cameron's leg. "He's my daddy. My daddy isn't dead."

Rachel turned to shoot Cameron a pointed look, but when she looked back at me, her face had returned to its usual expression.

"A five-year-old can't tell the difference, so it's not surprising he would call any man he sees 'Daddy.' When he was first brought here yesterday, he even called me 'Mommy.' It's pretty amusing."

I played along. "It's as though fate brought you two together to be mother and son."

"Fate brought you here to be his father, too. From now on, we're a family."

The way she was so anxious to drag me into her trap was incredibly funny, and I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

She might not know it yet, but to me, everything she said now just seemed full of holes.

For the sake of getting together with Cameron publicly and getting him a heart, she had plotted for me to be caught in a plane crash.

For the sake of making their child the official heir to the Lindt family, she had ruthlessly delayed the best treatment window for me, resulting in me still being unable to stand.

Just how did I manage to dig out such a woman from the trash heap back then?

"What are you laughing at?"

I avoided her gaze and tapped the button to confirm the deletion of my identity records. Then, I turned to look at the child cuddled up in Cameron's embrace.

"The family of three is reunited at last. I'm genuinely happy for you."

It took Rachel a second to react before she smiled and said, "You mean you're happy for us."

…

That night, the Lindt family threw a grand party.

On the surface, they claimed it was to celebrate my survival after my brush with death and to welcome Benjamin Lindt as the official heir to the family.

However, the decorations in the living room, the cartoons and toys, the themed cake—they were all styled after a child's preferences.

None of the guests who arrived even noticed me in my wheelchair.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh and excused myself to the balcony for a breath of fresh air. From the outside, I watched as Rachel went around with Benjamin while socializing with the guests.

Benjamin was afraid of all the unfamiliar faces and kept a tight grip on Cameron's hand.

"Daddy, I'm hungry."

Rachel froze briefly before lowering her voice to rebuke him. "Your daddy has gone off to rest. You've mistaken the wrong person for your daddy."