Chapter 906 Hope

Chapter 906: Chapter 906 Hope

Eli looked back at her, completely unaware of the storm of emotions he had just created. He simply tilted his head, waiting for her to respond, wondering why she was staring at him like that.

Eli, completely unaware of the emotional storm he had caused inside her, called her again.

"Mumma!"

Bella’s eyes became even wider.

She slowly lifted one finger and pinched the skin of her arm.

"Ouch!"

She immediately pulled her hand back.

Leo, who had been watching the entire thing, frowned and walked closer.

"Bella!"

She looked up at him, still stunned.

"What?"

"Why are you pinching yourself?"

Bella stared at him as though he had asked the most ridiculous question in the world.

"He called me Mumma."

Leo’s expression softened.

"I heard."

Bella looked back at Eli.

"Mumma..." Eli repeated, smiling now as though he couldn’t understand why she was making such a strange face.

Bella’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

Her lips trembled into the brightest smile.

"You really called me Mumma?"

Eli nodded confidently.

"Yes."

Bella covered her mouth.

For so long, she had imagined hearing that word. She had wondered whether Eli would ever be able to give it to her, whether he would always keep that place reserved for the mother he had lost. She had never wanted to take that woman’s place, nor would she ever ask him to. She simply wanted to have a little place of her own in his heart.

And somehow, without warning, her little boy had given her one.

Bella opened her arms.

Eli immediately ran into them.

She hugged him tightly, burying her face against his soft hair as tears finally slipped down her cheeks.

"My baby..."

Eli giggled.

"I am Big Champ."

Bella laughed through her tears.

"Yes, yes. My Big Champ."

Leo stood beside them, watching quietly with an affectionate smile.

Then Eli lifted his head from Bella’s arms and looked at Leo.

"Papa."

"Hmm?"

"I called Beautiful Mumma."

Leo nodded.

"I know."

Eli smiled proudly.

"Now she is Mumma."

Bella’s heart melted all over again.

She looked up at Leo through tear-filled eyes, and Leo simply reached down and gently brushed one tear from her cheek.

"Looks like you’ve been promoted."

Bella laughed softly.

"Finally."

Eli frowned.

"Promoted?"

Leo glanced at him.

"Nothing."

Eli looked suspicious.

But Bella only hugged him tighter, smiling against his hair.

"Mumma, I want to tell you something..." Eli suddenly said, his little face becoming serious. His dark eyes, usually so bright and full of mischief, had turned unusually solemn. His small brows were drawn together, and his lips were pressed into a thin line.

Bella immediately softened. She adjusted him comfortably in her arms and brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead, her fingers gentle against his skin.

"Tell Mumma. Mumma listens to everything."

Eli nodded, but the happiness that had been on his face moments earlier slowly disappeared. His little fingers began fidgeting with the edge of Bella’s sleeve, twisting the fabric between his tiny fingers.

"Mumma... I don’t know, but there’s a creepy uncle..."

Bella’s smile faded.

Beside her, Leo’s expression became attentive. His gray eyes sharpened and his posture shifted almost imperceptibly.

"He always stares at me," Eli continued quietly. "He looks at me again and again, but I ignore him. He has been doing it for one whole week."

Bella’s brows knitted together.

"One week?"

Eli nodded, his small head bobbing up and down.

"Yes. And today he came near me."

Leo’s eyes sharpened further.

"What did he do?"

Eli looked at him briefly before turning back toward Bella, seeking the safety of her gaze.

"He asked me if I recognized him."

Bella’s heart tightened. A cold knot formed in her stomach.

"And what did you say?"

"I said no, Uncle."

Eli’s little voice became even quieter, barely above a whisper.

"He is really scary. I don’t like him."

Bella immediately pulled him closer, her arms tightening protectively around his small body.

"Did he touch you?"

Eli shook his head.

"No."

"Did he try to take you anywhere?"

"No, Mumma."

Bella exhaled slowly, but she could still feel the tension settling inside her.

Eli continued, trying to explain everything exactly as he remembered it. His little hands moved as he spoke, gesturing to show where the man had stood.

"He wears a mask sometimes and he has a broom. He walks around where we play. I saw him looking at me many times. Today he came very close. He pulled his mask down and looked at me like he wanted me to know him. But I didn’t know him."

Leo and Bella exchanged a long look.

Neither of them needed to say the same thought aloud.

They both understood.

Someone had been watching Eli for an entire week, and somehow, their little four-year-old had noticed. The fact that Eli had been aware of the man’s presence, had observed him without panicking and had chosen to tell them only when he felt safe enough to do so, said a lot about his instincts.

What shocked them even more wasn’t merely that Eli had recognized something was wrong. It was how carefully he had handled it. He hadn’t panicked. Instead, he had pretended not to be affected and continued behaving normally. He had kept his fear inside, waited, and then brought it to them when he was ready.

For a child his age, that awareness was remarkable.

Bella gently cupped his cheeks, her thumbs stroking his soft skin.

"Baby, tell Mumma more, hmm?"

Eli nodded.

"I saw him outside too sometimes. He waits near the gate. And when everyone goes home, he looks at me."

Leo’s jaw tightened. His hands curled into fists at his sides.

"Did you tell your teacher?"

Eli shook his head.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I thought he would go away."

Bella’s expression softened with concern, her heart aching at his words.

"But you should always tell someone you trust when someone makes you uncomfortable."

Eli nodded seriously, his small face earnest.

"I know now."

Bella kissed his forehead, her lips lingering there for a moment.

"Good boy."

Eli continued explaining everything he could remember, from where the man usually stood to when he had approached him, describing even the little details that had caught his attention. His small hands moved as he spoke, gesturing to show where the man had been standing and how close he had come. He mentioned the way the man had pulled down his mask, the strange look in his eyes, and how he had said "Eli... it’s me" as if he expected the boy to know him. He described the man’s voice, the way he had sounded impatient and angry when Eli didn’t recognize him.