Chapter 77: That’s Not Your Mother

Realizing she was calling him a fool, Shawn Ford ground his teeth in anger. He shot her a vicious glare, but immediately backed down after a threatening look from his older brother. He felt utterly stifled.

"Then we’ll be relying on you for what comes next, Dr. Vance."

"Of course."

After seeing the report, Mrs. Ford was finally able to relax. She gave Shawn Ford a harsh scolding for his nonsense. "Hurry up and apologize to Dr. Vance. You accused her for no reason at all."

Amanda Vance shook her head nonchalantly. "Mr. Ford has already apologized, there’s no need to do it again. I have other things to do, so I’ll be leaving now."

"Of course. I’ll see Dr. Vance out," Mrs. Ford said with a warm smile. Amanda Vance didn’t refuse. On the way, she offered a few more words of reassurance, which helped put Mrs. Ford’s mind completely at ease.

She didn’t have many patients scheduled for the afternoon. Amanda occasionally glanced behind her but didn’t see her son. She paused for a moment before shaking her head with a wry smile. ’Who said he’s the one who depends on me? It’s clear I depend on Jean, too.’

’I wonder how he’s doing at school. Has everything been sorted out yet?’

「Sunshine Kindergarten.」

During the afternoon activity time, Felix Ford quietly slipped away from his Class Eight classmates. Wearing his small mask, he ran over to Class One. He didn’t see Jean Vance in their usual play area, so he thought for a moment and headed to the classroom, where he found him, just as he’d expected.

He pulled his mask up tight and glanced around. Seeing that no one was paying him any mind, he went to the back door and whispered, "Jean Vance, can you come out for a second?"

Jean Vance didn’t seem the least bit surprised to suddenly hear his voice. He calmly set down his book and walked out.

The two walked in silence until they reached an empty classroom with no security cameras. Only then did Felix Ford take off his mask. "You..."

Jean Vance regarded him coolly. Feeling his hair was a bit messy, he reached up to smooth it down. As he did, the gauze on his hand came into Felix Ford’s full view. Felix’s eyes flickered, and a wave of guilt washed over him, causing the conviction in his voice to falter.

"What about me?"

"You..." Felix Ford hemmed and hawed for a moment before finally asking, "Is your hand okay?"

Jean Vance didn’t answer, simply waggling his bandaged hand and looking at him with a scornful expression.

"I’m sorry." After watching him for a long moment, whatever courage Felix Ford had managed to muster completely evaporated. He seemed to deflate. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you. I was just too impulsive that day."

Jean Vance remained silent, though his opinion of Felix went up a notch. ’At least he’s not one of those obnoxious kids who acts self-righteous even after they’ve done something wrong.’

’But that was a separate matter. Trying to steal Mom from him was still unacceptable.’

Remembering how Felix had been avoiding him, Jean Vance’s expression grew cold. Seeing that Felix was struggling to get to the point, he decided to ask him directly, "When are you planning to give my mother back to me?"

"She’s my mom, too!" At the mention of this, Felix Ford reacted as if someone had stepped on his tail. His energy instantly returned, and he glared at Jean, his cheeks puffed out and the rims of his eyes turning red. "Can’t we be with Mom together?"

"No," Jean Vance refused instantly. He stared straight at him, speaking with absolute clarity. "Mom belongs to me alone. She is only my mother."

Tears suddenly streamed down Felix Ford’s face. He wiped them away with a chubby hand and stared back defiantly. "Mom misses me, too! She said that if I were still here, she would be so happy! Mom was supposed to have two children, wasn’t she?"

Jean Vance was inwardly surprised to hear this; he hadn’t expected Felix to know about that. But his expression remained impassive as he regarded him coolly. "So, why do you think you’ve never met Mom before?"

Felix Ford froze. He had never really considered that question before. He instinctively took the bait and asked, "Why?"

"Normally, every family has a father and a mother. They meet, fall in love, and then have children together. So, let me ask you: does your father know my mother?"

Felix Ford shook his head. ’No, he doesn’t. And not only that, Mom doesn’t know Dad either.’

’They didn’t know each other at all.’

"So, you see? We just look alike. We’re not twins at all."

Felix Ford listened blankly. "How is that possible?"

"Why wouldn’t it be possible?" As he spoke, Jean Vance pulled out a phone and tapped the screen a few times. Several photos appeared. "These people are completely unrelated. Some of them didn’t even live in the same time period. But they look identical. People can look alike even if they’re not related by blood."

Felix Ford stared down at the photos on the phone, his heart suddenly feeling hollow. ’If we’re not brothers, then Mom...’

As if guessing his thoughts, Jean Vance put away the phone. "That’s right. My mother is not your mother. If she were, it would be impossible for your father not to know her, and my mother wouldn’t know him either. The fact that they’ve never met is all the proof you need."

"No..." Felix Ford staggered back a couple of steps, crushed. He shook his head repeatedly. "It’s not possible. You’re lying to me."

Jean Vance showed no reaction to the accusation. He simply pulled up another photo. "I found this in your father’s study. After I came to the Ford’s house, he got suspicious and had a DNA test done. This is the result."

Knowing Felix couldn’t read, Jean Vance opened another app, imported the photo, and the phone began to read the text on the document out loud.

"...Based on the analysis of the data provided, no kinship exists between the two subjects."

Felix Ford heard every word. He shook his head violently. "Impossible! You have to be lying to me!"

Jean Vance pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "This is the original document. You can have someone who knows how to read look at it for you."

The words had barely left his mouth when the paper was snatched from his hand.

Watching Felix’s retreating figure, Jean Vance’s lips curved into a smirk. But when his gaze fell back to the photo on his phone, his expression darkened, and his hand clutching the device tightened unconsciously.

After a long moment, he relaxed his grip and slowly let out a breath. ’It doesn’t matter,’ he thought. ’So what if that man really is my biological father? He hasn’t appeared in all these years, so there’s no need for him to appear now.’

’Everything needs to go back to how it’s supposed to be.’

After a moment, he began to walk outside. It wasn’t long before he found Felix Ford. The boy was walking along, looking utterly lost, so dejected that he didn’t even notice when the wind snatched the paper from his hand and sent it fluttering to the ground.

Jean Vance’s gaze dimmed. He walked over. "So, you have your answer?"

Felix Ford just looked at him, saying nothing.

Jean Vance ignored his silence and continued, "So, she’s my mother, and mine alone. She has nothing to do with you."

At these words, Felix Ford finally showed a reaction. His lips trembled. He suddenly squatted down, buried his face in his knees, and let out a loud, heartbroken wail.

He cried as if his heart were breaking, completely overcome with grief.

The hand at Jean Vance’s side twitched. A flicker of guilt flashed in his eyes, and, unable to bear the sight, he looked away.

’I’m sorry.’

’But this was the only way.’