Chapter 105

Stella woke up groggily, her expression dazed as she touched the damp corners of her eyes. The next moment, she found herself nestled into Ethan's embrace. "What's wrong?" he asked. "I had a dream," she replied, her voice muffled. Rarely seeing her act cute, Ethan instinctively pulled her closer. "Dreamed about what?" he asked. "I dreamed that you took me to the playground and confessed to me." "Is that so? Sounds like a nice dream." His deep voice tinged with teasing, even without looking up, Stella could imagine the man's smug expression. Just as she was about to respond, ear-splitting cries from the next room shattered the morning quiet. 5 minutes later, 4-year-old Marcus hugged Stella tightly, tears streaming down his face as he sniffled, "Mommy, you lied to me. You promised to sleep with me!" After saying this, he shot a defiant glance at the man leaning against the doorframe. Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly and then stepped forward to lift the child up. "Your Mommy promised once a week, and you've already used up your chance." "I don't want..." Marcus pouted grievously, "Daddy slept with Mommy for two days." After saying this, he struggled to find his Mommy again. Unfortunately... the odds were against him. The next moment, Marcus was forcefully carried away and returned to the neighboring children's room. Back in the room, Marcus wiped away his tears and looked resentfully at the towering man in front of him. Ethan leaned against the window with his arm around, casually glancing at the little figure on the bed. "You're quite the actor. Crying every day at this age, not ashamed at all." With that said, he rummaged in the nearby wardrobe and threw a children's clothing with a large Snoopy print to his son. "Change your clothes. Someone will come to pick you up later." But Marcus held onto the clothes and didn't move. "What's wrong?" Ethan scrutinized him for a moment and quickly understood, then deliberately mocked, "Oh, did you wet your pants again?" Marcus blushed instantly and retorted in a childish voice, "It was just an accident. I'm still a kid. Grandma said it's okay for kids to wet their pants." "Oh really, now you admit you're just a little kid?" Marcus pouted unhappily, "Daddy, I'm only 4 years old. Grandma secretly told me that when you were 5, you wet your pants too." After his bold statement, Marcus realized it might not have been wise. He carefully looked at Ethan's expression, but saw that he had already picked up the children's phone placed at the bedside. Before long, the room was filled with a clear voice, "Oh, Marcus, how can you still wet your pants at your age?" Marcus couldn't believe it, his mouth gaping open. "Daddy, how could you tell Jolene about me wetting my pants! You're so mean!" "Jolene" was Marcus's classmate in kindergarten and also his current crush. His dad in front of him ignored his protest, casually closing the phone. "I'm mean? Well, did your godfather tell you about this? If you still want to go to the amusement park, hurry up and change your clothes." When Jason arrived, Marcus had already changed his clothes and sat reluctantly at the dining table, finishing his favorite custard bun. After the meal, Marcus finally saw Jason. He stretched out his sturdy little arms, eyes sparkling, and ran up to Jason. "I'm ready, let's go!" Compared to his father, he preferred his godfather taking him out to play. Jason looked at the happy little kid and lifted him up, then glanced at Stella standing nearby. "There's a new amusement park in the east of the city. I promised to take Marcus for a visit." He said he promised, but the truth was he received a message late last night: Take the kid. Tomorrow. He seemed more like a nanny than a godfather. "Say goodbye to your Mommy and Daddy," said Jason. "Goodbye, Mommy and Daddy." As soon as Jason took the child out the door, Stella scolded the man beside her, "You're nothing like any father I know, always leaving the child with Jason." "Is he just being a free babysitter?" Ethan hugged her inside the house. "After all these tiring days, you still want him to take care of you at home?" Marcus was full of energy, needing Stella's comfort every time he woke up at night. This caused their quality of life to plummet during the first two years after the child was born. Otherwise, Ethan wouldn't have tricked Jason into taking care of the child. Of course, he wouldn't tell Stella about this. By the time Jason returned Marcus to the villa, the sun had already set. After giving Marcus a bath, Ethan wrapped him in a towel and threw him on the bed. The next second, the little boy suddenly sat up, looking at Ethan with a serious face. "Daddy, do you not love me anymore?" "Why do you ask that?" "I think you love Mommy the most." Ethan smiled and nodded. "Yeah, you figured that out, huh?" As soon as the words fell, Marcus pouted unhappily. "Kid, what's got you in a mood again?" Marcus intentionally turned his head and didn't answer. Seeing this, Ethan casually said, "So tell me, who do you love more, me or your Mommy?" Not sure if he was thinking about it, after a few seconds of silence, Marcus finally turned his head slowly and said reluctantly, "Okay, fine, we both love Mommy more, so it's even." When Ethan returned to the bedroom, Stella closed her computer and smiled as she walked up to him. "How did you manage to get him to sleep this time?" She knew her own son well; every time she got him to sleep, she was exhausted. Today, though, he was asleep fast. Ethan lay down on the bed with her in his arms, playing with a strand of hair near her ear, and said, "Jason said he had been playing at the amusement park all day, so even if he had energy, he should be exhausted by now." "You're good at manipulating." The man's eyelids drooped slightly as he got on top of her, "Is that so? Well, I have a few other tricks up my sleeve." As her consciousness blurred, Stella noticed something new around her neck—it was cold to the touch. —It was a necklace. In the next moment, the man's hoarse voice was close to her ear, "Happy anniversary, Mrs. Powers." Finally, she heard Ethan ask unexpectedly, "Who do you love more, me or our son?" Stella couldn't help but feel a touch of helplessness. "I love you more."