The mother and sons hugged each other tenderly for a while before Alex and Noah pulled Samantha inside.
Confused, Samantha turned to Ethan and asked, "What's going on? Is my case resolved? Am I innocent?"
Ethan remained silent, sitting on the sofa with a cold expression.
Alex held Samantha's hand and explained, "Mommy, do you know how much effort Daddy put in to save you? He went to great lengths to get the dashcam from Albert and then found the programmer who deleted the records, forcing the programmer to recover the records for that day. That's how you were released without charges. Otherwise, you would still be locked up in detention."
Surprised, Samantha looked at Ethan, unable to believe that he had actually saved her.
She moved her lips slightly and slowly uttered two words, "Thank you."
Ethan's icy expression began to melt visibly. He glanced at Samantha faintly.
Although he still looked proud, Samantha knew that he was in a good mood right now. So she said again, "Thank you very much!"
Ethan turned his head away, proudly saying, "Since you're thanking me, show it with action."
Samantha paused for a moment, seriously considering how to thank Ethan with action.
Alex rolled his eyes, speechless, "Mommy, Daddy's idea of action is for you to cook for him. Do you know that since you left, the three of us haven't had a proper meal together? We've changed so many chefs, but your cooking is the best."
Samantha couldn't help but laugh.
Rolling up her sleeves, she said, "Okay, then I'll personally cook for you and make a delicious meal."
With that, she got up and went into the kitchen.
Watching her back, Ethan finally showed the only smile he had shown in days.
...
After settling Ethan and his sons' three meals, Samantha couldn't wait to go home.
Just as she reached the downstairs of the community, she saw Elliot being pulled by Sarah.
Sarah was expressing something urgently, but Elliot's eyes were red, his face rejecting her from miles away.
Sarah squatted down, wanting to hug Elliot eagerly, but he avoided her disgustingly and walked away without looking back.
Seeing Elliot walking away, Sarah cried sadly, wiping her tears incessantly.
Samantha couldn't help but have doubts.
Elliot?
Rex's son.
Born around the same time as Charlotte.
From Sarah's expression, it seemed that she didn't dislike Elliot. Instead, there was an unmistakable worry and heartache in her eyes.
Sarah had always been ruthless.
Now, why would she treat her daughter's ex-boyfriend's son like this? Could it be...?
Suddenly, a bold idea began to take root in her mind.
She was frightened by her own thoughts.
But other than that, she couldn't think of any other reason why Sarah would seek out Elliot.
To confirm her suspicions, Samantha didn't immediately go home. Instead, she called Ethan.
The phone rang for a long time before Ethan lazily answered.
"What's up?" came Ethan's lazy voice from the other end.
Samantha felt embarrassed. "Can you arrange to meet Suzy at the Square?"
Ethan frowned, instantly releasing a powerful low pressure. "Why?"
"I want to confirm something! Suzy likes you, and I think, other than you, it's a bit difficult for anyone else to arrange a meeting with her right away," Samantha explained anxiously. "I'll also go there, please, help me out."
Ethan looked displeased. He didn't want to agree to her unreasonable request. But he couldn't bear to refuse, so he reluctantly agreed.
After ending the call, Samantha felt satisfied and went upstairs.
Inside the house, she saw Grandpa Miller and Charlotte Elliot watching cartoons.
Because Ethan had the dashcam in his possession, Samantha was saved, so Suzy was afraid he would blame her and found a very safe place to hide for a few days until Ethan's anger subsided.
She didn't expect Ethan to ask her out instead.
Thinking that they could finally be alone together, she didn't hesitate and hurried over.
But Ethan ignored her, looking around impatiently.
Confused, Suzy asked, "Ethan, what are you looking at?"
Ethan impatiently replied, "Nothing."
Suzy smiled affectionately and linked her arm with his. "Ethan, why did you want to meet me so urgently? Did you miss me after not seeing me for a few days?"
Ethan withdrew his hand with disgust.
Unfazed, Suzy asked with a smile, "Ethan, have you eaten? I heard there's a new restaurant in this Square with great food. Let's go try it out?"
Ethan had no interest in dealing with Suzy and continued to search for Samantha's figure.
Finally, he saw her in the crowd, walking towards them with a smile, holding Charlotte's hand in her left and Elliot's hand in her right.
Ethan's face lit up. He heard Samantha sweetly call out, "Mr. Steele, my dear sister, what a coincidence, running into you here."
Hearing Samantha's voice, Suzy was taken aback and impatiently looked over, only to see a figure that made her heart tremble involuntarily.
She blurted out, "What are you doing here?"
Samantha followed her gaze and knew that Suzy's question wasn't directed at her, but she pretended not to know and smiled, "That's a strange question. Isn't it normal for me to be here in a public place?"
Suzy suddenly realized her mistake and warned Elliot with her eyes, then looked away.
Elliot didn't expect to encounter Suzy here either. Thinking of their last unpleasant encounter, he subconsciously tightened his grip on Samantha's hand.
Samantha observed his subtle change, and at this moment, she was a hundred percent sure that these two knew each other and had some hidden secrets.
As for whether it was the secret she suspected, she needed to observe further.
To create an opportunity for them, Samantha deliberately said to Charlotte, "Charlotte, I heard that there's a new restaurant upstairs. Shall we go up with Elli to have a meal?"
Charlotte happily nodded, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Okay, I want to eat! Mommy, let's go quickly."
Samantha smiled slightly and said to Suzy and Ethan, "Sorry, we'll go up first!"
With that, she led Charlotte and Elliot away.
Suzy stared at Elliot intently, afraid that he might betray her, and quickly said to Ethan, "Ethan, let's go up and try it out too! Maybe we can share a table with my sister."
Ethan glanced deeply at Samantha's retreating figure and nodded in agreement.
Under Suzy's insistence, they finally succeeded in sharing a table with Samantha.
Throughout the meal, Suzy's gaze never left Elliot, afraid that he might slip up.
Elliot ignored her gaze and didn't look at her.
Samantha pretended to be unhappy, playing with her phone and secretly turning on the recording function. Then she put her phone back in her bag and stood up. "Sorry, I need to use the restroom."
With that, she didn't forget to hold Charlotte's hand. "Charlotte, let's go wash our hands. You're all dirty from eating!"
Charlotte glanced at her oily hands and nodded obediently, following Samantha out.
After walking a distance, Samantha looked back at Ethan.
Receiving her signal, Ethan also stood up. "I'll go to the restroom too."
If it were before, Suzy would definitely follow, afraid that they would secretly meet behind her back. But now, she couldn't wait for them to leave.
At the dining table, only Suzy and Elliot were left.
Suzy looked around and made sure that Samantha and Ethan had really left. Then, she immediately became cold and warned Elliot fiercely, "How could you be with Samantha?"
Elliot ignored her, playing with his tableware.
Suzy was furious, grabbed his chin, forced him to look at her, and asked through gritted teeth, "I don't care why you're with Samantha. If you dare to tell her about our relationship, I won't be polite to you."
Elliot sneered, "What relationship do we have?"
Suzy's face instantly turned fierce.
"Stop pretending. You know what I'm talking about! If you dare to reveal our relationship, I will make sure you have nowhere to hide. I've killed your father, and I won't hesitate to kill you too."
Her initial heartless words deeply wounded Elliot, and he was shocked by Suzy's last sentence, his eyes reddening.
"What do you mean by that? You killed my father?" Though he hadn't shared a close bond with his father, the news shook him to the core. His young face paled at the revelation from his own biological mother.
Suzy grinned evilly and let out a chilling laugh. "Now you know how ruthless I can be. So don't mess with me. And... I hold a deep grudge against Samantha. If she finds out you're related to me, it won't end well for you. She might leave you, and you'll end up in an orphanage. If you want to avoid that fate, you'd better keep your mouth shut."
Her words struck a nerve, but Elliot brushed off the threat and held back his tears. "How can a mother speak so cruelly to her own son? What's wrong with you, Suzy Miller?"
Hearing his address, Suzy instantly became angry. "Shut up! You're not my son. My sons are Alex and Noah. You're just an illegitimate child with an ominous birth."
Tears welled up in Elliot's eyes.
His young heart suffered a great trauma.
He stared at the woman in front of him, beautiful in appearance but with a heart as cold as a snake's, and said with determination, "Don't worry, even if you want to acknowledge me as your son, I won't acknowledge you. I don't want others to know that I have a mother like you. I feel ashamed to have a mother like you."
His words echoed Suzy's intentions.
Suzy not only wasn't angry but smiled with satisfaction.
"It's best if you don't acknowledge me! Remember what you said. I'm not your mother, and you're not my son. We are two strangers who don't know each other. If our relationship is discovered by others, I will make sure you find your father in hell soon."
With that, she let go of Elliot with a satisfied expression.
Elliot turned his head away in sadness, refusing to look at her. But his heart was bleeding, shattered by the realization of having such a mother. He couldn't bear to think about anything else.
After a while, Samantha returned with Charlotte and saw Elliot's red eyes. She asked with concern, "Elli, what's wrong? Have you been crying?"
Elliot shook his head and explained, "No, my eyes were itchy, so I rubbed them for a while."
"Oh..." Samantha pretended to believe him, sat back in her seat, took out her phone from her bag, and turned off the recording device.
After a while, Ethan also returned.
The five of them completed their meal in a very strange atmosphere.
***