Chapter 1080
Hertha just couldn’t wrap her head around what Callum had to do with Leopold.
Seeing the bewildered look plastered across Hertha’s face, Thalassa let out a heavy sigh and began to unravel the tale.
After listening, the light bulb went off for Hertha. “Oh, I get it now! Callum was Leopold’s best bud, kind of like you and me.”
Thalassa nodded in agreement.
With her eyes wide as saucers, Hertha fixed her gaze on Thalassa. “Are you saying Leopold’s dying wish was for you to leave Lysander? And Callum is helping carry out Leopold’s last request?”
“Yep,” Thalassa replied.
Callum had tried to convey that very message in their conversations, and it made sense. While Leopold was still kicking, he’d often expressed a wish to whisk Thalassa away to someplace Lysander would never find them. Back then, Thalassa had vehemently rejected Leopold’s proposals, hoping to quash his feelings so he could start fresh, fall for someone else, and get on with his life.
As Leopold’s confidant, Callum must have known all about Leopold’s plan.
So, after Leopold had passed, Callum set out to fulfill his friend’s final desire.
Putting two and two together, Hertha’s curiosity waned. “Well, when you put it like that, I understand. This Callum sounds like a stand-up guy, loyal to the core. I’d love to meet him if I ever get the chance.”
“He’s abroad,” Thalassa said, “meeting him might be a bit of a stretch.”
“He didn’t come back with you guys?” Hertha asked, surprised.
Thalassa shook her head, her heart clenching as she recalled Callum’s screams over the plane’s din. Guilt washed over her; she felt responsible for whatever harm had come to
him.
At seven in the evening, Lysander returned to Royal Estates, finding the kids sprawled on the couch, engrossed in their toys.
His formidable presence filled the room, prompting the kids to turn their heads and spot Lysander’s towering figure stepping inside.
The four little ones dropped their toys and scampered toward him on their stubby legs.
“Daddy, where’s Mommy?” Elowen, the most spirited of the bunch, barreled into Lysander’s legs. Her tiny arms wrapped around him as she tilted her head back to search his face with bright, expectant eyes.
1/2
08:05
Chapter 1080
Dorian toddled over too, tugging at Lysander’s pant leg. “Daddy, why didn’t Mommy come back with you?”
Sophia halted a step away from Lysander, her lower lip trembling, tears brimming in her eyes. She was always a bit wary of Lysander, too shy to approach him on her own.
Next to her, Atticus stood not out of timidity but a certain aloofness.
“Daddy, where did you take Mommy when we went to bed?” Atticus demanded, his young brow furrowing in a show of discontent.
Hearing all four kids clamoring for their mother, Lysander’s gaze darkened, his aura imposing. Thoughts of Thalassa in the hospital and the baby on the way made his breath grow ragged with a mix of pain and fury.
Looking down at Elowen and Dorian’s innocent eyes filled with naive anticipation, he fought to subdue his anger.
Bending down, he lifted Elowen into his arms and gently pinched her chubby cheek. His voice was a deep but gentle rumble, “Aren’t you happy to see Daddy, huh?”
Elowen pouted adorably, her voice milky sweet as she replied, “I wanna be with both Mommy and Daddy. I like Daddy and Mommy both. When Mommy took us away yesterday, I kept asking why Daddy wasn’t coming.”
Her words were like honey, soothing Lysander’s irritation and turning his sorrow into something akin to joy.
The kids loved not just their mom but him too, their dad. Even as Thalassa took them away, they kept him in their hearts.
2/2