But Clara Grant was in no mood for explanations. She pressed on anxiously, "Even if Cherie has fully recovered, his mom can’t just take him away like that! What if something happens to him again? And besides, why didn’t you tell me she was picking him up?"

Now it was Seth Quinn’s turn to be baffled. ’From the sound of it, she doesn’t know Cherie’s illness was fake? And she doesn’t know about his relationship with me either?’

’So what does she mean, his mom picked him up?’

’Could it be...’

Seth Quinn glanced at Skylar Hayes, his eyes full of questions. When she just gave him a resigned nod, he understood.

’Skylar must have been afraid that if Clara learned the truth, she’d demand a divorce. That’s probably why she had to make up this lie to fool her.’

Seth Quinn smiled wryly to himself. He had been planning to come clean, but now it looked like he would have to keep playing along.

’But I can’t blame Skylar for this. No matter what, she was just trying to do what was best for us.’

’Oh well. I’ll explain it to her later, when I get the chance. It won’t be too late to tell her once our relationship is on more solid ground.’

After a two-second silence, Seth Quinn spoke. "His mother... she came back from the U.S.A. and said she wanted to pick him up. It was all very sudden, so... I didn’t get a chance to tell you."

"So Cherie went back to the U.S.A. with his mom?"

Seth Quinn could only nod.

’Cherie’s gone to the U.S.A. Who knows when I’ll see him again. I might not ever see him again for the rest of my life.’

The thought that she didn’t even get to say a final goodbye to Cherie made Clara Grant’s heart ache.

But then she thought, ’Even though Cherie doesn’t have his birth father, at least he’s with his own mother. That’s a kind of happiness.’

’A child is always happiest with their parents, even if it means the family has to struggle together.’

And so, she started to feel happy again—happy for Cherie.

"Well, alright. As long as Cherie is happy, that’s all that matters."

Seeing that the crisis had been averted, Skylar Hayes breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the kitchen to finish cooking.

Clara Grant sat on the sofa, but then another thought struck her. She looked back at Seth Quinn and nudged him with her elbow. "Did his mother happen to say... whether Cherie is actually your son?"

Instead of answering directly, Seth Quinn wrapped an arm around Clara Grant’s waist. A smile played on his lips. "If you want me to have a son that badly, then you should get ready to give me one. I remember telling you before—the only person who can give me a son is you. My son’s mother can only be you. How about..."

As he spoke, Seth Quinn leaned in, his lips close to her ear, and whispered, "We can get to work on it when we get home tonight."

Of course, he remembered it was that time of the month for Clara Grant. He was just teasing her on purpose.

He loved seeing her blush. It was utterly captivating.

Just as he’d expected, Clara Grant’s face instantly flushed red. ’We’re in the living room! What if Mom comes out and sees this?’

She pushed him away and shot to her feet. "I’m going to go check if the food is ready."

With that, she fled to the kitchen.

Completely forgetting to press him further about Cherie.

Seth Quinn watched her back disappear into the kitchen. The smile on his lips slowly faded, replaced by a pensive expression.

...

After dinner, Skylar Hayes sent Clara Grant to do the dishes, getting her out of the way. Soon, only she and Seth Quinn were left in the living room.

She glanced toward the kitchen doorway before turning back to Seth Quinn, an apologetic look on her face. "Seth, I’m sorry. Just now, I didn’t consult you... I just went ahead and told her that lie."