Chapter 48 I'd Rather He Were Dead
That night, Antonio rolled back home and bumped into 'Harper', whose face was colder than a snowstorm. ‘Harper’ acted like Antonio was a ghost and just kept walking. Seeing her like that, Antonio's mood took a nosedive.
"Hold up," Antonio called out. "We need to talk."
Ethan stopped, turned around, and gave Antonio a look that screamed, "I don't wanna deal with you. Buzz off."
Antonio caught the vibe and let out a barely-there sigh. "Come to my study."
Ethan wanted to blow him off, but he felt wronged by Antonio and had risked his neck to save Ryan. No matter how he sliced it, it felt unfair. He was curious about what Antonio had to say.
In the study, Ethan stood by the door, arms crossed.
Antonio didn't push it. He crouched down to meet Ethan's eyes, stayed quiet for a few seconds, then said, "Harper, I messed up today. I'm sorry."
Ethan shot him a look but stayed silent, puzzled. Antonio admitting he was wrong? Weird.
Antonio went on, "And thanks for saving my son, Ryan."
Ethan looked away, still silent.
He didn't jump in to save Ryan; he just couldn't let his pride take a hit!
It was the first time Antonio had ever seriously apologized to anyone. In front of others, he'd never shown this side, especially not to a kid. But Ethan's face stayed cold, not buying it.
Thinking back on his own attitude, Antonio realized he'd been a jerk. Ethan was young and easily hurt, so it made sense he was having a hard time forgiving.
"Harper, I jumped to conclusions without knowing the facts. I shouldn't have thought so badly of you. My bad." He handed Ethan a bag. "These are your favorite milk and snacks, and durian. Hope you can forgive me."
Ethan eyed the bag, his nose twitching, eyes lighting up. No wonder he smelled something; Antonio had bought durian.
With tasty food right there, not eating it would be dumb, right?
Ethan took the bag but kept his cool, looking even more stuck-up.
Trying to bribe him with food? Antonio was underestimating him!
Seeing Ethan take the stuff, Antonio figured he was forgiven. "You want anything else, just ask. You saved my son today, and if I got it, it's yours."
Hearing this, Ethan looked up at Antonio, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "You spoil Ryan rotten. Having a dad like you must be cool for him. Me? No dad, gotta fend for myself."
As Ethan spoke, the sadness in his eyes got even deeper.
He was clearly throwing shade at Antonio, but his heart felt like it was carrying a ton of bricks.
Being Antonio's kid wouldn't be lucky at all; it would be the worst curse ever!
Good thing he had the best mom, Sarah. Compared to Ryan, he was still lucky. Ryan had the worst, most vicious mom in the world.
Antonio remembered she had mentioned her dad was dead. He missed the sarcasm in Ethan's words and smiled faintly. "If your dad were still around, he'd definitely treat you well too."
Ethan unexpectedly smiled and stared right at Antonio. "No, I'd rather he stayed dead!"
Antonio frowned, not expecting a kid to say something so cold. But for some reason, seeing 'Harper' like this made his heart ache a bit.
On a whim, he reached out and patted Ethan's head.
Ethan dodged immediately, his face full of reluctance. Antonio thought 'Harper' was just being stubborn and gently patted 'Harper' again. This time, Ethan didn't dodge, but his heart felt even heavier.
Why couldn't he bring himself to dodge Antonio's touch?
Meanwhile, Sarah was looking for Ethan.
A few minutes ago, Ethan had said he was going downstairs to get some water, but he hadn't come back yet. She had just heard a car pull up and guessed Antonio was back. Thinking about what had happened earlier, she instinctively worried Antonio might be giving Ethan a hard time again.
Ethan's words from earlier still echoed in her mind. Antonio not only wronged Ethan but also forced him to jump into the alligator pool. How could a father do such a thing?!
Luckily, Ethan was different from other kids and managed to get out unscathed. Otherwise...
The thought of almost losing Ethan made Sarah shiver with fear, and her anger flared up even more. She felt like ripping Antonio's heart out with her bare hands.
If he dared to hurt her kids again, she'd fight him to the death!
As Sarah passed by his study, she saw the door was open. She quietly peeked in to see if Ethan was inside, only to catch Antonio patting Ethan's head.
In an instant, her worry and anger melted away, replaced by a mix of complicated feelings.
From her angle, she could see Antonio's face. There was a hint of pity and heartache in his eyes.
At that moment, Sarah couldn't help but wonder, 'if Antonio knew Ethan was his kid, would he care for Ethan and treat him like he did Ryan?'
But she quickly shook off the thought. She wouldn't let Antonio know.
His betrayal from five years ago was still fresh in her mind. Sarah would never forget that gut-wrenching pain!
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