Chapter 939
Ambrose looked down, surprised to see a little girl in a hospital gown with a red coat bumping into him.
The girl had clearly mistaken him for someone else. She wrapped her arms around his leg, rubbed her face against him, and softly said, "Mommy."
At the same time, Calliope, who had been somewhat distracted, hadn't expected Ambrose to stop so suddenly. She bumped into his back, letting out a small gasp.
Calliope's forehead throbbed with pain. She clutched her head, confused about why Ambrose had stopped so abruptly, when she heard Phaedra's soft call for "Mommy." Calliope's face turned pale instantly.
Ambrose was also taken aback by Phaedra calling him "Mommy." The little girl had clearly mistaken him for someone else. Mommy? Could this little girl be referring to Calliope as her mother? How could Calliope have a daughter?
Ambrose looked down at Phaedra, but she was clinging to his leg, her face pressed against him. All he could see was her small head with two cute little buns bobbing up and down.
Ambrose wasn't particularly fond of children; in fact, he found them rather troublesome. Yet, for some reason, as Phaedra clung to his leg and rubbed against him, he didn't feel any discomfort or annoyance. Instead, he felt a strange sensation, as if something had struck his heart.
He couldn't bring himself to move or pull Phaedra away; he just stood there, stunned.
While Ambrose remained motionless, Phaedra sensed something was off. She had seen the door open and thought Calliope had come out, so she had rushed to hug the person. But why did Mommy's leg feel so hard? It wasn't soft and fragrant like usual.
Realizing she had hugged the wrong person, Phaedra moved her neck, preparing to look up and see who she had embraced. At that moment, a strong force pulled her away, and she heard a familiar voice.
"Phaedra, I'm right here!"
It was Mommy. Calliope pulled Phaedra away and held her tightly, pressing her face against her body and covering her head with her hand.
Phaedra's view was blocked, preventing her from seeing who she had just hugged. But Mommy seemed strange, and her grip was strong, almost hurting her. Despite her curiosity, Phaedra didn't move; she was always an obedient child. Mommy must have a reason for doing this.
Calliope held Phaedra close, stroking her hair and covering her face. She finally felt her heart settle a bit. She looked at Ambrose and said, "I won't be able to see you off. My child is very clingy."
Ambrose's gaze remained on Phaedra, but Calliope had covered her face too well. Her defensive posture was odd.
He looked at Calliope. "Didn't you say she was your cousin's child? Why is she calling you Mommy?"
Calliope's breathing grew heavier, and she forced a laugh. "My cousin has been very busy lately, so I've been taking care of Phaedra. She's been missing her mom a lot and calls everyone Mommy. She even called you Mommy just now, didn't she?"
Ambrose raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
At that moment, Quiana arrived, having chased after Phaedra. She hadn't realized what had happened and was muttering, "Phaedra, I told you not to run so fast..."
Quiana stopped mid-sentence when she saw a man in the room. Recognizing his face, she gasped.
Calliope quickly signaled to Quiana and said, "Quiana, this is Mr. Kelly. He happened to be at the hospital and came to see me. Mr. Kelly is leaving now; could you please see him out? I'll take Phaedra to wash her hands. She's been playing outside for too long."
Calliope then turned to Ambrose. "I need to take care of my child, so I won't be able to see you off, Mr. Kelly."
With that, she carried Phaedra towards the bathroom. Calliope's heart raced, fearing that Ambrose might pull Phaedra away or talk to her and see her face.
Fortunately, she managed to get Phaedra into the bathroom and closed the door without Ambrose saying anything or making any unusual moves.
"Mr. Kelly, may I see you out?" Quiana asked. Ambrose finally shifted his thoughtful gaze from the bathroom door. He nodded politely at Quiana and walked out of the room.
Quiana nervously followed Ambrose, stealing glances at him. She was worried he might ask her something, but Ambrose remained calm and composed. When they reached the elevator, Ambrose nodded at Quiana again before stepping inside.
As the elevator doors closed, Quiana hurried back to the room. She had been with Calliope since her pregnancy and knew that Calliope had always said the child had no father, that she had conceived Phaedra using sperm from a donor. But what was going on with Ambrose? His face looked so much like Phaedra's.
In the bathroom, Calliope stood Phaedra in front of the sink and turned on the faucet, letting the water run as she stared blankly.
Phaedra looked up at Calliope, puzzled. "Mommy! Mommy!"
The child's call snapped Calliope out of her daze. She looked down at Phaedra. "What's wrong?"
Phaedra blinked and pointed at the running water. "Mommy, wasting water is bad."
Calliope finally came to her senses. She quickly pulled Phaedra closer. Phaedra was too short to reach the faucet, so Calliope bent down and lifted her. Phaedra diligently washed her hands.
When she finished, she noticed Calliope seemed strange again. Calliope hadn't even realized she was done washing.
Ever since that tall man appeared, Calliope had been acting weird. "Mommy, I'm done."
Calliope quickly turned off the faucet and grabbed a towel to dry Phaedra's hands. She wrung out the towel and crouched down to wipe Phaedra's face.
"Mommy, are you scared of that tall man? Is he a bad person?" Phaedra asked, tilting her head.
Calliope's hand paused. She looked at Phaedra and smiled. "No, he's a good person. He's Mommy's friend. He's helped Mommy many times. Why would I be scared of him? He's not a bad person."
Phaedra trusted her mother completely. Hearing this, she relaxed and smiled. "Then next time he comes, I want to thank him."
"Okay. Do you want to see him again?" Calliope asked, stroking Phaedra's head.
Phaedra nodded enthusiastically. "His legs are so long, his voice is nice, and he smells good, different from Mommy's scent. Mommy, can he play with me next time?"
Calliope looked into Phaedra's bright, expectant eyes and found herself momentarily speechless. Could this be the power of a father-daughter bond? Even without making eye contact with Ambrose, Phaedra seemed to instinctively want to be close to him.
Just then, she heard a noise outside and realized Quiana had returned. Calliope quickly patted Phaedra's head and led her out of the bathroom.
Meeting Quiana's gaze, Calliope immediately looked down and said to Phaedra, "Why don't you go watch some TV for a bit?"
Phaedra was usually limited to watching TV for only an hour a day, and she had already watched her allotted time today. Calliope only allowed her extra TV time when she was in a particularly good mood.
Phaedra's face lit up with joy. She thought Calliope must not dislike or fear the tall man after all. Maybe Calliope even liked him, since she seemed to be in such a good mood. Next time she saw the tall man, she would definitely ask him if he liked Calliope, too.
Phaedra happily skipped off to watch TV, while Calliope pulled Quiana aside and asked urgently, "Did he leave? Did he ask anything?"
Quiana shook her head. "He didn't ask anything. He just got in the elevator and left."
Seeing Calliope visibly relax, Quiana grabbed her arm. "Mr. Kelly is Phaedra's father, isn't he?"
Calliope pressed her lips together, remaining silent. Quiana's suspicions were confirmed by her reaction.
Quiana glanced at Phaedra watching TV and said to Calliope, "Phaedra's father has already found you. And he seems to have feelings for you. He seems like a polite and gentle person. Calliope, don't be mad at me for saying this, but maybe you should give it a chance, for Phaedra's sake."
Ambrose clearly wasn't an ordinary person, and he seemed to have a good temperament. This could be a great opportunity.
Quiana couldn't understand why Calliope was hesitating or why she was hiding Phaedra's existence from Ambrose.
Calliope's mind was a mess. She instinctively turned to look at Phaedra. Sitting on the hospital bed, Phaedra was engrossed in the TV, and from this angle, she looked even more like Ambrose.
Scenes of Phaedra asking for her father flashed through Calliope's mind, filled with inner turmoil. Phaedra's conception had been an accident, and Ambrose didn't remember that night. When she decided to keep Phaedra, she had resolved that Phaedra would be her daughter alone.
For years, she had raised Phaedra by herself, living a peaceful and quiet life. She had never imagined crossing paths with Ambrose again, nor had she ever considered telling him about Phaedra.
What would he think of her if he found out? Would he see her as a thief who stole his child? Or would he think she was a scheming woman trying to use the child to climb the social ladder? Would he try to take Phaedra away from her?
Calliope couldn't bear the thought. She looked at Quiana. "Quiana, there's no way he has feelings for me. We're worlds apart. I can't risk losing Phaedra. Please, go and arrange for Phaedra's discharge. We need to move to another place."
Calliope rubbed her forehead, regretting bringing Phaedra from Seaspring Valley City to Miracalia.
Seeing Calliope's pale face, Quiana didn't dare to argue further. She nodded and left to handle the discharge paperwork.
Meanwhile, Ambrose stepped out of the elevator on the first floor and immediately called Lillian.
Lillian had been eagerly waiting for news from Ambrose, her curiosity burning. She couldn't wait to hear how Ambrose, usually so composed, reacted to discovering he had a daughter.
The moment her phone rang, Lillian answered instantly. "Ambrose, did you see her? How did it go?"
Ambrose had noticed Calliope's strange behavior and sensed that the issue was related to the little girl, Phaedra. The child was clearly Calliope's daughter, but what connection did she have to him? Why was Calliope so anxious about him interacting with the child?
Ambrose hadn't insisted on seeing Phaedra because he had noticed how tense Calliope was, her face pale with worry. He had left as she wished, but his doubts remained.
Ambrose's mind was racing, but he couldn't grasp the full picture. That was why he called Lillian, who seemed to know something.
Hearing Lillian's excited tone, Ambrose followed her lead. "I saw her. The child, she..."
He hesitated, and Lillian, impatient, pressed on. "Phaedra is your daughter, isn't she? How else could she look so much like you? Ambrose, what's going on between you and Calliope? She had your daughter and raised her all this time, and you didn't even know! Let me tell you, Phaedra is sick..."
Lillian couldn't stop herself from rambling.
Ambrose's grip tightened on his phone, his mind momentarily blank. Lillian's words echoed in his ears: Phaedra is your daughter, and she looks so much like you!
Could that little girl really be his daughter? No wonder Calliope's reaction had been so strange. If Phaedra looked like him and was indeed his daughter, everything made sense.
He remembered the time he had encountered Calliope at the hospital in Seaspring Valley City. Her reaction had been odd, and she had tried to avoid him. After seeing him, she transferred the child to another hospital.
Could that little girl really be his daughter?
"Ambrose? Are you listening?" Lillian's voice broke through his thoughts. She had been talking for a while, asking numerous questions, but Ambrose hadn't responded.
Ambrose snapped back to reality. "Lillian, do you have a photo of Phaedra? Send it to me, now!"
"Why do you need my photo? Aren't you with Calliope and Phaedra? I was hoping you'd reunite with your daughter and send me a picture of the three of you together."
Despite her curiosity, Lillian sensed Ambrose's urgency and tension. She quickly opened Facebook and sent the photo to Ambrose.
Ambrose heard the notification and opened the photo with trembling fingers. As the image appeared on his screen, his pupils dilated in shock.
Fragments of chaotic memories flooded back to him.
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