Chapter 806
Steven’s voice caught in his throat.
He couldn’t stop the memory creeping in the image of that woman, so bright and beautiful, with a kind of otherworldly elegance.
“I let you live before because you’re Lottie’s father. But now…” Anthony unscrewed a bottle of milk and held it up to Charlotte’s lips. His voice was low, almost rough. “This is your one chance. Make sure you really want to say what comes next.”
Anthony didn’t have to shout or threaten. Every word he spoke hit Steven like a knife to the chest.
Steven glanced at the bodyguards nearby, then at the cold hatred in Charlotte’s eyes. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and finally forced himself to speak.
“Twenty years ago, I saved your mother’s life. Just by chance. She was in trouble by the side of the road.”
He hesitated.
“And then?” Charlotte asked, her voice flat. She gripped the milk bottle tight, her chin propped in her hand as she stared Steven down. She was obviously losing patience.
“She offered me a deal.” Steven’s hands balled into fists. He dropped his gaze, every word a struggle. “She wanted a fake marriage. I’d pretend to be her husband, and I’d raise her child for her.”
That was when Steven found out Nora was already pregnant.
Marrying a random man just to raise a child?
“She told me our genes were similar enough that even if someone did a DNA test, no one would suspect anything.” He swallowed. “She promised to pay me. That was the deal.”
He took a shaky breath. “Not long after you were born, her health just collapsed. Her organs failed, and she couldn’t take the pain anymore. She jumped into the sea and ended her life.”
Steven’s voice faded. “You know everything that happened after that.”
He looked up at Charlotte, his expression desperate.
Charlotte listened in silence, letting everything sink in. Her mother had picked Steven because their genes were so similar. Did that mean there
was.something wroih witfihef owm
was real father, anyway?
If her mother was pregnant, why didn’t she turn to the real father? Why avoid The Gates Family, too? The whole thing felt like she was working hard to keep some huge secret hidden.
“I’ve told you the truth.” Steven fell to
his knees, eyes red and brimming
with regret. “Charlotte, I’m sorry never should have treated you like that. I let your mother down.
Charlotte gave him a cold look. “Did my mother ever mention my birth father? Or anything about my genes?”
“No.” Steven’s face twitched with guilt, but he forced himself to keep going. “She just wanted me to raise you well. She never talked about your father, or any relatives. Nothing.”
Actually, there was more. Steven remembered how Nora had insisted that Charlotte’s genes would look completely normal before she turned fifteen. After that, if she didn’t
take the right medicine, her
nes
would mutate. She wouldn’t survive past twenty.
Nora had left medicine behind, telling Steven to give it to Charlotte at fifteen. But then Olivia’s mother, who couldn’t stand Charlotte, had “accidentally” lost the medicine.
If he admitted that out loud… Steven couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Nothing. She never said a word.
What happened at the A1 Research Institute? What did Nora go through?
Charlotte’s mind spun with questions and frustration.
Suddenly, someone pulled her into a warm embrace. All that tension and confusion started to ease.
“It’s late,” Anthony murmured, holding her close. “Whatever else you want to know, just ask tomorrow.”
Charlotte looked up at him, and the storm inside her finally settled.
Anthony pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “No matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you.”