The nanny was assisting a little boy as they walked toward Nicole.
Before the nanny could utter a word, tears streamed down her face.
âMissâ¦â
The little boy glanced at Nicole, hesitantly silent.
For him, this mother was someone he yearned to love but felt too distant to approach.
Their time together had been so limited.
He was familiar only with the nanny and Roscoe, and now, someone claiming to be his father had shown up.
Nicole stood rooted to the spot as if paralyzed.
How could this happen⦠How could they be here⦠At that moment, she wished that it was all just a dream, that none of this was real.
But it wasnât a dream.
Once more, it seemed the heavens remained indifferent to her distress.
Jarrod stepped closer, gently squatted down, and tenderly placed his hands on the little boyâs shoulders.
He whispered, âAustin, call herâ
âMomâ.
â
Austinâs eyes, heavy with longing, opened slightly.
He had only ever called Nicole âMomâ in his dreams.
Could this dream now be coming true? He suddenly had both a mom and a dadâ¦
Nicole shivered from head to toe.
Her fingernails pressed into her palms, drawing blood.
She had an urge to scream, to let out a wild cry, but she held back, afraid of scaring Austin.
All she could do was shake like a leaf.
âMommyâ¦â Austinâs voice wavered.
Tears began to flood Nicoleâs cheeks, quickly overwhelming her.
Her weeping started with soft sobs and then escalated into loud cries.
âMm⦠Ahâ¦â
Austin moved closer and embraced Nicole, his tears starting to fall.
âMommyâ¦â
After a while, Nicole wiped her tears and looked at Austin âGo play with the nanny for a bit.
Mommy will come find you soon.
â
Austin nodded obediently and walked toward the nanny.
The nanny gave Nicole a look that hinted she had more to say but held back, aware of Jarrodâs watchful eyes, and took Austin away.
Once they were gone, Nicole collapsed to the floor, drained of all her strength.
It was as though her foundational supports had just collapsed.
Utterly devastated, she felt trapped.
âJarrod⦠She called out to him tiredly.
âTell me, what do you want? Or rather, what are you planning?â
Jarrod looked at her with a sneer.
âNicole, first tell me, whose child is he?â
Jarrod had conducted a long investigation to get some answers.
He hadnât been able to accept it until he saw Austin.
Seeing Austin in the courtyard, his suspicions were cleared.
That was definitely his child.
They bore such a striking resemblance that he deemed a paternity test unnecessary.
Still, to silence any protest from Nicole, Jarrod proceeded with the test, and as expected, the results confirmed it.
Austin was his son.
His son, indeed.
Nicole had secretly borne his child!
Even with the evidence in hand, Jarrod still demanded confirmation from Nicole.
He stepped closer, towering over her.
âTell me, whose child is this?â