Chapter 49 A Reluctant Dependence
Nora averted her gaze.
"Mr. Gordon, it's late, I'm going to head up to bed; we've still got a few hours before dawn. You should get some rest too."
She spoke with a cool detachment that betrayed no excitement or joy.
Aaron watched her retreat, a sudden smile crossing his face as he thought to himself, Why keep up this aloof act?
If she didn't care for him, why would she have risked herself to protect him when danger loomed?
The next day.
Upstairs in the children's room.
"Alex, did you sleep well last night?" Nora asked, gently patting the little head of her son.
She hadn't slept well herself and wondered if it had affected her boy.
"Mommy, I slept really well," Alex reassured her with a mature look in his eyes, making her heart melt as she kissed him on the forehead.
Just like the eldest, always taking charge.
"Come on you two, time to get up!" Nora called out cheerfully to her other two carefree little ones.
Blanketed in a chorus of sweet "Mommy" calls, she gave each of them a kiss.
"Mommy, I'm going downstairs to see Mr. Thomas," announced Samantha as soon as she awoke, slipping on her slippers and scurrying down the stairs.
Alex watched her leave, his little brow furrowing in thought. Mommy had told him that Mr. Thomas downstairs was Aaron, a top-notch figure from Houston. He wondered if a man of Aaron's stature was cut out to be their Dad, to protect Mommy and them?
Aaron sat on his bed, browsing on a tablet.
Samantha pushed the door open and called out with her sweet, childlike voice, "Man."
"Good morning, Samantha," Aaron greeted her, as he often did, ruffling her soft, tousled hair.
Samantha eyed the tablet curiously, batting her big eyes in wonder.
"Mr. Thomas, where'd you get that?"
Aaron revealed, "Your Mommy bought it."
Samantha beamed with a grin, "Mommy is so nice to you!"
Noting the raised eyebrows, Aaron acknowledged Nora's approach with a nod, "Indeed, your Mommy is very good to Man."
Her willingness to come to his rescue was proof enough of her kindness toward him!
Hearing his words and catching the deep look in his eyes, Nora's brow furrowed slightly.
This man, he couldn't possibly think she had feelings for him, could he?
" Mr. Thomas, could you help me with my hair?" Samantha handed Aaron the hair tie from Nora's grasp.
"Sure thing."
Aaron was quite skilled at tying little girls' hair up in braids; he had gotten the hang of it and quickly put together Samantha's hair in a neat little braid.
"Alright," Samantha said, playing with her little braid and giggling.
"Mr. Thomas, get well soon, okay? When you're back on your feet, will you join Mommy in taking us to school every day?"
Aaron's smile curled at the edges. "Sure," he replied.
"Sure about what, Thomas? Don't make promises you can't keep," Nora chimed in, unable to hide her concern.
What was Aaron's true place here?
Once she healed him, he'll leave, wouldn't he?
"Nora, I'll give serious thought to Samantha's wish," Aaron said, locking eyes with her as he spoke.
Nora shot him a glance and decided not to engage, lifting her daughter up and walking away. Aaron watched her retreating figure, a subtle smirk playing on his lips, his expression inscrutable.
In the posh neighborhoods of the Houston West Suburb.
Lucas descended the stairs with his son in hand.
"Morning, Grandma and Grandpa," piped up Michael dutifully.
"Come here, my sweet boy," Lucas's mother, Eleanor, coaxed Michael to sit beside her.
"Lucas, where's Becky?" she inquired, noticing Lucas's son alone, his face looking a bit troubled.
"She didn't come home last night. Probably stayed at her mom's," Lucas replied as he sat down across from his mother.
Eleanor frowned slightly. "Did her parents really get a divorce?"
"Yep," he confirmed.
"Why did they split up?"
"Martha was accused of being indiscreet," Lucas explained, taking a sip of his coffee.
Eleanor scoffed lightly, "And I've never quite trusted Charles either. Even at his age, he's still stirring up trouble."
Lucas said nothing, continuing to eat his breakfast.
"Lucas, you should stop arguing with Becky all the time. Get your affairs in order; give the woman some dignity. She is Michael's mother, after all," Eleanor said, serving food to Michael while hinting that Lucas should get his divorce from Nora over with.
"Mom, let's not talk about this in front of Michael," Lucas said, clearly uncomfortable discussing divorce at the breakfast table.
Eleanor gave him a look but held her tongue.
That's when Becky returned, eyes red from crying.
Seeing the family gathered, she said through tears, "Dad, Mom, Lucas, can't you help my mom?"
"What happened to her, Becky?" asked Eleanor, taken aback.
"She's been arrested."
"Arrested? But why?"
"She... she sent someone to cause trouble for Nora."
Becky wiped her tears, feeling a bit guilty as she recounted the situation in brief.
Lucas looked at her, letting out a slight scoff. "Becky, your mom sure knows how to cause a stir."
Her eyes brimming with tears, Becky defended her, "And isn't she doing it all for me? Nora's been stubborn about not divorcing, even sowing discord between my parents. My mom just doesn't want to see me sidelined for life, becoming the gossip."
"Even so, that doesn't justify breaking the law," Lucas retorted.
Lucas's father, who had been quiet, spoke up with a stern voice, "Becky, it's not that we lack compassion, but this is something we can't get involved in."
"That's right, Becky. If you still want to be part of this family, you'd best steer clear of your mom's affairs," Eleanor chimed in.
Facing their resolute expressions, Becky couldn't help but burst into sobs, covering her mouth.
Lucas glanced at her with disdain and stood up to lift his son. "Enough with the crying so early in the morning. Mom, I'll take Michael to school."
As it stood, Becky meant nothing to him. He couldn't bear to lay eyes on her for even a day longer.
"I'm headed to the study," the father announced after giving Becky a look, then left the dining room.
Sensing the coldness from her husband's family, panic and sadness washed over Becky. Following her mother's advice, she turned to Eleanor with tear-filled pleas.
"Mom, what am I supposed to do? Nora won't agree to a divorce with Lucas, and I can handle the whispers behind my back, but I can't stand the thought of our son being labeled illegitimate!"
At this, Eleanor's brows furrowed deeply.
"Alright, stop your crying. I'll talk to Nora later," she conceded, her impression of Nora having been superficial at best – remembering her only as a polite and unobtrusive person. She hadn't expected Nora to evade them for four years, adamantly refusing to divorce.
"Mom, thank you," Becky exclaimed, her face alight with gratitude.
Eleanor spared her a glance. "Don't thank me. I'm not doing this for you, but for the kid. No matter what, my grandson deserves a complete family."
Nora had dropped the kids off at school and it wasn't long before the Howard siblings arrived, accompanied by a servant.
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