Chapter 990
No.1
Meanwhile, inside the manor...
After Nathaniel and Sophia left for the gardens, Oliver tugged Isabella toward the window.
He pressed a pair of sleek, high-tech earbuds into her palm. "Put these on, Mommy. They'll pick up their conversation from here."
Isabella shook her head. "Oliver, we can't. This is an invasion of privacy."
"But Daddy's family!" Oliver insisted, his small face serious. "We have a right to know what's happening. You're his wife. This isn't spying—it's understanding him better. How can we be a happy family if we don't understand each other?"
Before she could protest further, he slipped the earbuds into her ears.
Isabella tried to remove them, but Oliver held her hands firmly in his.
She had no choice but to listen.
The voices came through crisp and clear.
No.2
But then Oliver heard something he shouldn't have.
His eyes widened. "Mommy, take them off! Now!" He released her hands, suddenly frantic.
But it was too late.
Isabella had heard everything.
Every devastating word.
Her world tilted.
An invisible hand seemed to squeeze her heart, stealing her breath.
That fragile, gentle woman...was the one Nathaniel had slept with?
Oliver's biological mother?
No.3
Isabella had considered countless scenarios. She believed someone had schemed against Nathaniel.
She assumed the woman who slept with him was malicious and cunning. She was prepared to face any challenge alongside Nathaniel.
She never expected the woman would be fragile, innocent, and harmless. A woman who endured immense suffering because of Nathaniel... As Christopher pulled Isabella toward the window, she watched Nathaniel extend his hand to help Sophia up. Throughout their entire relationship, Isabella never witnessed Nathaniel touch another woman. Yet he protected Sophia. He treated her differently...
If Isabella wasn't present, Nathaniel would have reunited with Sophia. Christopher would have found his real mother...
Seeing Isabella's expression shift, Christopher tugged her hand urgently. "Don't overthink, Mommy. Daddy only loves you! This mommy is from the past. And I only like you! I only want you as my mommy! Even though she seems nice, I don't like her. I feel nothing for her. Momo only loves you!"
Christopher spoke with complete sincerity. He truly felt no connection to Sophia, while he adored Isabella instantly upon meeting her. Being with Isabella felt warm and secure, as if she was his real mother.
Isabella removed the earbuds and ruffled his small head. "Don't worry, Momo. Mommy isn't overthinking. I'm just..."
She just found it difficult to accept. The situation felt increasingly complicated.
The door opened suddenly. Nathaniel's tall, imposing figure entered. He saw Isabella and Christopher by the window, holding the high-tech earbuds. He frowned.
No.4
Had she heard everything? Isabella met Nathaniel's gaze. Their eye contact grew complex and heavy.
The atmosphere turned tense and strange. After a moment of silence, Nathaniel spoke to Christopher. "Go upstairs."
"Okay..." Christopher sensed the seriousness and scurried upstairs on his small legs.
Isabella set down the earbuds calmly. "Momo gave them to me." She didn't want Nathaniel thinking she eavesdropped habitually.
"I understand."
Nathaniel harbored no suspicion toward her. After closing the door, he walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. He rested his arms on his lap, fingers entwined, leaning slightly forward.
He adopted a pensive posture, his expression grave. Isabella had never seen him like this. She knew he was gathering his thoughts, so she waited patiently by the window. After a while, Nathaniel asked, "Isabella, do you trust me?" His deep voice carried a faint trace of unease.
Isabella frowned. This wasn't the opening she anticipated. She looked at him and countered, "Does it matter? Whether I trust you or not."
"Of course it does." Nathaniel lifted his gaze to hers. "You heard everything. I was drugged five years ago. My consciousness was blurred. I harmed Sophia."
No.5
"Sophia attended the same university as me. I owed her a debt. But that's all it was—repaying a favor. No emotions involved. Give me time. I'll resolve this." His final sentence was delivered with sincere reassurance.
Isabella felt conflicted. Though Nathaniel sounded genuine, she had to consider other factors. Sophia suffered tremendously because of Nathaniel. Nathaniel had to make amends and take responsibility.
There would be more interactions between them. Could feelings develop through continued contact? Moreover, they shared a university background and a ten-year history.
Isabella Montgomery had only known Nathaniel Blackwood for three months.
Nathaniel noticed her silence.
His usually icy composure fractured with unease.
“Don’t overthink this, Isabella.” His voice turned gravel-rough. “I’ll handle it.”
“How long?” The question sliced through the tension.
Nathaniel’s brow furrowed. A timeline? He couldn’t promise one.
No.6
“I’m not certain yet. But I’ll expedite it.” Sophia Whitmore was drugged. Confronting Vivienne Delacroix without the antidote would backfire. Vivienne would make Sophia suffer more if provoked.
Until Sebastian Blackwood and his medical team developed an antidote, the situation remained volatile. Nathaniel refused to make false promises. Especially not to Isabella.
A sharp pang pierced Isabella’s chest. His caution was unnerving. The decisive Nathaniel Blackwood was hesitating. For Sophia.
He feared for her safety. He worried the antidote might never come.
It was simple, really. Had it been anyone else, Nathaniel would have crushed Vivienne immediately. But this was Sophia Whitmore. His former lover. Chris’s biological mother. That changed everything.
His concern for the consequences shackled him. That’s why he couldn’t give her a clear answer.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell chimed again.
Both their gazes snapped toward the entrance. Was it Sophia returning? Neither moved.
No.7
The bell persisted.
Faint voices filtered through the door. “Perhaps Isabella isn’t home? Should we wait?” It was Eleanor Kensington’s voice.
Isabella released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Go inside,” she instructed Nathaniel.
After that scene, introducing him to her estranged parents was impossible. Their future together now felt uncertain, hanging by a thread. Nathaniel paused, then wordlessly stood and retreated into the house. He respected her decision. He wanted to claim their relationship openly, but now was not the time.
The air in the living room remained thick and heavy even after he left. Isabella drew a steadying breath and opened the door.
Eleanor and Richard Montgomery stood there. Their wealthy veneer had completely vanished. They still wore the same clothes from the hospital yesterday, now wrinkled and stale. Eleanor’s hair accessories were gone, her face bare and weary. She looked plain and diminished.
Eleanor held a delicate matcha cake box. “Isabella…” Her greeting was strained, overly polite.
Isabella leaned against the doorframe, her posture cool and closed-off. “Yes?” Her tone was clipped, each word measured and distant, as if speaking cost her a fortune.
Richard and Eleanor felt the chilling divide. Guilt washed over them. This was their actual daughter. Their flesh and blood.