Chapter 697

Jonathan fell silent for two seconds, a complicated expression crossing his face. He held Michael’s little hand, first wiping away his tears, and then gently said, “Are you missing Mommy, Mike? Daddy will take you back tomorrow, alright?”

Michael sniffled and looked up at Mr. Lime. “Can I call Mommy? I wanna ask if she still wants me,” Michael said.

Jonathan frowned and asked Michael, “Did your Mommy ever say she didn’t want you, or anything like that?”

Michael shook his head and answered, “Mommy said wherever she goes, she’ll take me with her. She said she’d never leave me behind, but she hasn’t even called me.”

Jonathan gently patted Michael’s head and said, “Good boy, you have both Mommy and Daddy now. Daddy will never leave you. I’ll always be here for you.”

“Let’s have a nice dinner first. After you’re full and take a bath, you can use my phone to call Mommy, okay?”

Michael finally nodded, then playfully said, “Thank you, Mr. Lime.”

Jonathan heard Michael’s endearingly sweet “Mr. Lime” and wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back.

After dinner, Michael returned to his room. A moment later, there was a knock at the door.

“Wow!” Michael cried out, quickly covering his eyes with his tiny hands, though he peeked through his fingers at Jonathan standing shirtless, showing off well-defined muscles and wearing only a pair of pants.

“Mr. Lime, you’re so embarrassing.”

Seeing Michael blush again, Jonathan couldn’t help but let out a helpless chuckle. “I’m your dad, son,” he said. “What’s there to be shy about between us?”

Jonathan walked over to help Michael get ready for a bath and spend time together. From his angle, Michael saw Jonathan’s bare chest, blushed, clutched his collar, and shook his head shyly like a bobblehead.

“No, I’m not ready to take a bath with you yet,” Michael protested.

Jonathan couldn’t help but chuckle, even more helplessly. He raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, I won’t touch you. So are you going to undress yourself then?”

Michael nodded earnestly. “Mr. Lime, hurry up and put some clothes on. You’ll catch a cold. Mommy said boys need to protect their privacy, too.”

Jonathan raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing at his lips. “Does she usually say stuff like that to you?”

Michael said, “Yeah, Mommy says privacy is super important. She never touches my special collections without asking.”

Jonathan’s lips quirked slightly with a faint smile.

Jonathan had always assumed Michael was just three, too young to understand anything, but now, he realized he was wrong.

Jonathan said gently, “I’m sorry, Mike. I was pushing too hard. We’ll take a bath together when you’re ready. I respect your okay?”

After getting Michael’s consent, Jonathan gently ruffled his hair before leaving the room.

Chapter 69F

Still worried about letting him bathe alone, Jonathan asked Michael if he could close his eyes and help scrub his back, her coaxing him, Michael agreed. Jonathan tested the water and asked if it was too hot for him.

Michael kept insisting it was not too hot, but his little face turned red as he covered it with his hands and slumped in the tub. “I’m so embarrassed. Mr. Lime is scrubbing my back,” he whispered shyly.

Jonathan held Michael’s soft arm, his heart aching at how thin the boy was.

Jonathan looked at Mike and said softly. “Mike, I’m your Daddy. Could you call me Mr. Daddy Lime again?”

Michael had called him Daddy before, but back then, Jonathan had foolishly believed the boy wasn’t his son. Ever since that day, Michael had never called him Daddy again.

Michael asked in a soft voice, “Mr. Lime, are you my real Daddy? I wanna ask Mommy first. If she says it’s okay, then I’ll call you Mr. Daddy Lime, okay?”

Michael whispered, a little afraid that Jonathan might be upset. But Jonathan wasn’t upset at all. Instead, he gently tweaked Michael’s little nose.

“Do you love your mom that much, huh?”

“Of course, Mommy and I only have each other. She loves me more than anything, and I love her just as much.”

Jonathan suddenly felt a sharp pang in his heart. He didn’t say another word.

Michael wanted to call Teresa, so Jonathan gave him his phone. But as Jonathan gently dried Michael’s hair, the boy dozed off, curled up on his lap. Seeing this, Jonathan didn’t have the heart to wake him.

Jonathan gazed at Michael’s peaceful sleeping face, reminded of the boy’s words and the deep love and trust he had for Teresa.

He had missed three whole years, every little moment and every tender detail, and wondered how he could ever make up for lost time.

Only alcohol could numb his senses. After a sleepless night and drinking, he felt drawn to her. By morning, he found Teresa deep in thought, staring at the bracelet he had given her through her slightly ajar door.

He gave her two choices: co-parenting or remarriage, but she chose co-parenting without hesitation. How deeply must she loathe him to be so heartless, even after he had already stepped back.

Jonathan downed another glass of liquor in one gulp. The bar’s vibrant energy meant nothing to him. He drank alone because without alcohol, the suffocating emptiness would be too much to bear.

Alone, Jonathan gripped his glass as heartache and resentment rose. He called the manager, who brought a group of party girls. Bitterly, he realized he was the only one still waiting for her. If she wasn’t coming back, there was nothing left to wait for.

But when those girls flanked him, the cloying, unfamiliar scent of their perfume made Jonathan wrinkle his nose in distaste.

“Get out,” Jonathan recoiled as one of the girls reached for his shoulder, shoving her hand away in disgust.

In the end, he just couldn’t go against his true feelings. Besides, he refused to degrade himself like that.

The manager stood there, looking perplexed. “Mr. Lynn, aren’t these girls to your liking? Should I arrange for a different…”

“No need. Just snap some random shots and send them over.”

“All done, Mr. Lynn,” the manager said after taking the photos. Then he cautiously asked, “And these girls…”

Without looking up, Jonathan said coldly, “Leave.” He just wanted to be alone.

“Yes, Mr. Lynn.”

Jonathan thought of Benny, one of his regular drinking buddies, and dialed his number.

“Where are you at?”

“Gorthany. What’s up calling me this late at night?”

Jonathan stared down at his glass, gripping it tightly. “Wanted to grab a drink with you. Forget it if you’re not back.”

Benny chuckled on the other end of the line. “What’s eating you this time that you’re calling me for drinks?” Jonathan fell silent for two seconds, then gave a wry smile. “When you’re back, I’ll give you the 300 thousand I owe you.”

“What?” Benny retorted, “Are you drunk or what?”

Benny thought, “Why the hell would he give Benny 300 thousand out of nowhere?”

Jonathan said, word by word, “I lost the bet. A bet’s a bet. I’ll pay up.”