Chapter 169: Are You Leaving?

Samuel Ford didn’t realize the boy was gone until he got home. He wouldn’t say anything about him skipping class, but returning this late was truly unacceptable.

His brow furrowed, and he asked in a low voice, "Did you often run off like this without a word?"

Jean had long known that Samuel was aware he wasn’t Felix Ford, so he wasn’t surprised by the question. He replied casually, "It won’t happen again."

After speaking, he didn’t look at him again and headed inside.

It was a completely dismissive reply.

A vein throbbed in Samuel Ford’s temple. He watched the boy calmly changing his shoes in the entryway. It was as if the child didn’t think skipping class and returning late was a big deal at all, as if he were completely used to it.

’Used to it?’

His frown deepened. Samuel Ford studied him with a searching gaze. ’Was it because the person raising him before didn’t care?’

A wave of displeasure washed over him at the thought.

’That’s just too irresponsible.’

But alas, though the boy wasn’t Colt, he was just as distant with him, his supposed father. From the very beginning, he had never once called him "Dad."

The five lost years made it impossible for him to discipline the boy with any sense of authority. Besides, he knew that even if he tried, the boy wouldn’t listen.

’He’s smarter than Colt, and much harder to deal with.’

Jean was preoccupied with his own thoughts and didn’t notice Samuel’s complicated gaze. After changing his shoes, he shouldered his backpack and went upstairs.

’No matter what,’ he thought, ’I have to find the person who took Felix Ford five years ago. I can’t let them hurt Mom.’

「The next day」

It was the weekend, so Amanda Vance didn’t have to work or get up early. Nevertheless, she was woken by a phone call.

She wasn’t one to be grumpy in the morning, her mood barely shifting at the disturbance. She glanced at the child in her arms, whose brow twitched. She silenced the call and patted his back gently. When he relaxed, she slowly lifted the covers and tiptoed out of the room.

"Hello."

"Megan." It was Hayden Grant. His tone was cheerful, as if he had good news. Sure enough, he said, "I saw something in an auction catalog that looks a lot like your Jade Pendant. I’ll send you a picture so you can see if it’s the one."

"Okay."

Though she didn’t dare get her hopes up too high, Amanda Vance couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anticipation.

After hanging up, he sent the photo over two or three seconds later. Amanda Vance zoomed in and studied it carefully, her eyes filling with excitement. It looked exactly like her Jade Pendant!

"So, is it yours?" Hayden Grant asked in a voice message.

Forcing down her excitement, Amanda Vance nodded. Realizing he couldn’t see her, she typed out a reply: "Yeah, it looks very similar, but I’ll have to see it in person to be certain."

The world was a vast place; there were bound to be similar items. She didn’t dare be certain based on a single photo, partly because she feared the disappointment if it turned out not to be the one. She was just mentally preparing herself.

It couldn’t be helped. She wasn’t a pessimistic person, but this kind of thing had happened too many times. After so many false leads, the disappointment that followed the hope was hard to bear.

Hayden Grant naturally understood her feelings. "It’s okay. Let’s just go take a look then. The auction is tonight, as it happens. I’ll send you the address in a little while."

"Okay, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

Amanda Vance smiled. The thought of about to find her mother’s Jade Pendant made her heart race with excitement. Unable to sleep, she decided to make breakfast instead.

Felix Ford woke up an hour later. The moment he opened his eyes and saw the empty space beside him on the bed, he panicked. Without even putting on shoes, he ran out of the room, crying "Mommy!" as he went.

He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her familiar figure in the living room.

"You’re awake." Amanda Vance walked over to him. Seeing his bare feet, she gently patted his head. "Go put on your shoes."

"Okay." Seeing that she was there, Felix Ford nodded happily. He went back to his room to put on his slippers before coming out again. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his face against her stomach. "Mommy, I just had a nightmare. I dreamed you didn’t want me anymore."

’So that’s what it was. No wonder he looked so upset just now.’

Amanda Vance let out a soft laugh. Stroking his face, she said gently, "How could that happen? Mommy could never bear to leave you."

’But would she still say that if she knew... he wasn’t Jean Vance?’

After a moment’s thought, Felix Ford swallowed the words back down. He nuzzled his little face against her hand and then slipped his own hand into her palm, letting her hold it. He looked up at her and gave a soft nod.

"I couldn’t bear to leave Mommy either."

Amanda Vance’s heart melted instantly. She bent down, picked him up, and set him on a chair. Mother and son sat nestled closely together. "Come on, let’s eat. After breakfast, you can come out with Mommy."

"Okay!"

Amanda Vance chuckled and playfully tapped his nose. "Aren’t you going to ask what Mommy’s doing?"

The breakfast included fried dough sticks. Felix Ford slowly broke one into small pieces, soaking them in his soy milk. The pieces, now fragrant and soft, were perfect. In response to her question, he said, "I’ll always be with you, no matter what you’re doing."

The little boy still had a bit of soy milk on his lips. Amanda Vance chuckled, gently wiping it away with a napkin. Her voice was full of joy as she said, "Your uncle just called. He said he saw a pendant that looks a lot like my Jade Pendant. I saw the photo, and it really does look like it. If we’re lucky, Mommy might find the Jade Pendant today. Aren’t you happy?"

’The Jade Pendant?’

The smile on Felix Ford’s lips froze.

He remembered. After his mommy found the Jade Pendant, she was going to leave.

Even though she had later promised him she would stay in the country, she’d only made that promise because she thought he was Jean Vance. If Jean wanted to leave, then Mommy would still go.

And Jean didn’t want their mom and dad to meet, so he would definitely want their mom to leave.

In other words, after today, his mommy was going to leave him.

He had thought about this day coming, but he never expected it to arrive so quickly and so suddenly.

The sudden news hit him so hard that he forgot to control his expression, and the sorrow and helplessness in his eyes were plain for Amanda Vance to see.

The smile on her face faded. Stroking his little face, she asked softly, "What’s wrong?"

Felix Ford stared at her blankly, his lips trembling. As if remembering something, he quickly lowered his head. A tear fell into his soy milk, but he didn’t even notice. The sight, however, did not escape Amanda Vance, and her heart clenched.

Felix Ford remembered that his mommy was desperate to find the Jade Pendant. She had been so happy just now.

He didn’t want to ruin her good mood, but he really couldn’t hold back his tears. Felix Ford buried his face even lower, thinking she wouldn’t be able to see him crying.

Little did he know, he had already given himself away.

"It’s nothing. Mommy is about to find Grandma’s Jade Pendant. That’s really great."

But his voice was choked with emotion.

He couldn’t bear to part with his mommy.

It turned out nightmares could come true after all.

When he used to dream about his mommy, he would hope his dreams were real. But now, he desperately wished last night’s nightmare was fake.

He didn’t want to leave his mommy.

Amanda Vance didn’t understand why, but she could feel the immense grief radiating from the boy, as if his entire world had just collapsed.

Her heart ached for him. She couldn’t bear to watch him try to hide his pain like this. She lifted him onto her lap and cupped his face, not letting him turn away to suffer alone. "Tell Mommy," she asked. "What is it?"