Chapter 171 Don't You Want Me to Be Your Daddy?
Nora glared at Steve. "Insult me all you want, but leave my friends out of it!"
Steve's eyes flickered with relief. Her reaction suggested she hadn't done anything with Mortimer last night. The photo Mortimer sent was just to mess with him.
Without a word, Steve started unpacking her suitcase.
"What are you doing?" Nora snapped.
"You're not moving out," Steve said.
Nora scoffed. "Who do you think you are? You can't stop me."
"I'm your boyfriend," Steve replied.
"So what? That doesn't give you the right to control me," Nora shot back.
"I'm not trying to control you. I'm stopping you from messing around with other men," Steve said.
"I'm just staying at his place!" Nora retorted.
Steve looked at her. "So, when your ex-husband stayed at another woman's house and said he was just staying there, did you believe him?"
Nora was speechless, her face darkening. Isaac had claimed he hadn't been with Kalista for years, and she believed him. But yesterday, Isaac admitted he lied just to get back at her. His explanations were never credible. He had been with Kalista for four years, and everyone knew how well he treated her. If Nora hadn't returned three years ago, Isaac would have married Kalista. How could she have believed he hadn't touched Kalista? She felt foolish for ever trusting him.
Isaac's disdain for her was clear. Everything he did was for revenge. Even ordinary men couldn't tolerate being cheated on. How did she ever think someone as proud as Isaac could forgive her betrayal?
"You go freshen up. I'll put your things back," Steve suggested.
Nora snapped back to reality, still displeased.
"Don't worry, I won't do anything. If you don't want to sleep with me, I'll take the couch," Steve said. He just wanted to keep her from going back to Mortimer's house tonight.
Before Nora could respond, her phone rang. She saw "Baby" on the screen and quickly turned it away from Steve.
"I need to take this call," she said, hurrying to the bathroom and closing the door.
"Mommy, why aren't you home yet? We're waiting for you to come back for dinner!" Soren's sweet voice came through the phone.
"I'm sorry, I'm busy today. You guys eat without me and go to bed after dinner. Don't wait up," Nora said softly.
Soren sounded dejected. "You lied to us again. You promised you'd be with us every day, but you've only been with us for one night, and now you're not coming back."
Nora felt a wave of guilt but didn't know how to explain it to the kids.
"I'm sorry," she said, not knowing what else to say.
"Mommy, you're a liar. I don't love you anymore!" Soren's voice was tearful and angry before the call abruptly ended.
Nora's heart ached, and her eyes welled up. She wanted to be with her kids every day but couldn't risk exposing them.
Taking a deep breath, she called Mortimer.
"Nora," Mortimer's gentle voice came through. "Didn't you say this morning that the kids shouldn't come to you during the day, and that you'd move here tonight to stay with them? Why aren't you coming?"
"I have something to take care of and can't come tonight. Please take care of the kids for me. I'll definitely come tomorrow," Nora said.
Mortimer sounded worried. "What's more important than the kids? Did something happen? Tell me, and I'll help you figure it out."
Nora pursed her lips tightly. There was no way she could explain it to Mortimer.
After a moment, she said, "You can't help me with this. I'll handle it myself."
Mortimer's voice grew serious. "Did Isaac come to see you? Is he stopping you from seeing me?"
"No, he didn't come to see me," Nora quickly denied.
"Then what is it?" Mortimer asked.
"It's nothing. Don't ask. Just take care of the kids for me," Nora said, hanging up.
At the Radcliffe family home, Mortimer clenched his phone, his demeanor growing somber. Nora's reaction was unusual. If it weren't important, she'd come back to be with the kids. He decided to investigate.
Mortimer called Alaric. "Check who visited Nora today and if anything unusual happened around her."
After hanging up, he walked back to the dining room. Seeing the kids looking glum, Mortimer put on a gentle smile.
"Why aren't you eating? Is it because Mommy isn't coming back?" he asked warmly.
Magnus and Soren's expressions grew even sadder, and Soren started to tear up.
Mortimer smiled. "Eat well tonight and sleep well. I promise I'll bring Mommy back to you tomorrow, okay?"
Soren's eyes lit up. "Uncle Mortimer, is that true? You're not lying to us, right?"
Mortimer laughed. "When have I ever lied to you?"
Soren smiled. "Uncle Mortimer, you're the best!"
Mortimer's eyes flickered, and his smile deepened. "Since you think Uncle Mortimer is so great, how about I become your daddy?"
Soren, who liked Mortimer very much, immediately nodded happily. "Yes, yes!"
Magnus pulled Soren's arm hard and said seriously, "Sister, don't say that. Did you forget what Mommy warned us about?"
"Mommy said Uncle Mortimer will always be Uncle Mortimer. He won't become our daddy! If Mommy hears this, she'll be very angry!" Magnus added.
Mortimer asked softly, "Magnus, don't you want me to be your daddy?"
Mortimer still had a smile on his face, but the warmth in his eyes was fading. The reason he took such good care of them was to get closer to Nora. If they became obstacles, he would not hesitate to make them disappear.
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