Chapter 384

Ethan usually wore a serious expression, only breaking into sweet smiles when he saw his mother.

He glanced disdainfully at the places they'd visited that evening, his little lips puckered in displeasure.

"Gabrielle, watch them for a bit while I take a shower," Evelyn said, rubbing her sore neck.

Gabrielle carefully lifted the two toddlers from their car seats and set them on the bed to play.

"Go ahead. Zachary delivered Mrs. Valentine's sample yesterday. The DNA results are ready—you can check them after your shower."

Evelyn nodded and headed to the bathroom.

Under the warm spray, she studied her shoulder-length hair in the mirror, deciding it needed a trim tomorrow.

Half an hour later, she emerged, drying her damp hair.

Gabrielle handed her the thin report.

Evelyn flipped straight to the last page, her pupils contracting sharply.

The results confirmed her suspicions exactly.

"Shocking, isn't it?" Gabrielle asked, noting her stiff expression.

Evelyn nodded slowly. "I had my doubts, but I didn't expect it to be true."

"The wealthy play dangerous games," Gabrielle sighed.

Evelyn tucked the report away and sent Gabrielle off to rest.

Climbing into bed, she gazed at her two rosy-cheeked children, her features softening unconsciously.

"Felicia, did you bully your brother today?" She pulled her daughter close, tapping her tiny nose.

Felicia clapped her hands triumphantly, gloating over her mother's embrace to her brother.

Evelyn sighed at her daughter's antics—the little troublemaker loved teasing her brother.

Seeing Ethan's pitiful expression, she lifted him onto her lap to comfort him.

Slap!

Felicia suddenly struck her brother across the face.

Evelyn froze.

Ethan buried his face in his mother's chest, nuzzling her in distress.

Felicia, seeing his reaction, pouted. "No... hug!"

She hated when her brother stole their mother's attention.

"Felicia, you can't be this selfish," Evelyn chided, pinching her daughter's cheek. "I hold you just as often."

Felicia stubbornly burrowed into her mother's arms, tugging at her collar for milk.

Evelyn lay down, resigning herself to coaxing them to sleep.

Thirty minutes later, both children finally drifted off.

But sleep eluded Evelyn.

Adrian's father had died by Vincent Langley's hand.

And...

She turned over irritably, forcing herself not to think about the man who no longer mattered.

Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dappled shadows.

Adrian stood in his study, crumpling the documents in his grip.

"Adrian, grow into a man who takes responsibility. I failed someone who loved me deeply—don't repeat my mistakes."

His father's gentle voice echoed in his memory.

He would never forget that birthday, waiting by the window for his father to come home and cut the cake.

Instead, Margaret Valentine's hysterical screams had greeted him.

"It's your fault! If you hadn't kept calling to rush him home for your birthday, he wouldn't have crashed! Are you happy now?"

The sight of her smashing the cake, her face twisted in rage, remained a nightmare he couldn't escape.