Chantelle was still alive. His kids were still here. He still had a chance to fix things.
The heavy weight on his chest started to lift. For the first time in his life, he felt like he could breathe.
He reached out and gently ruffled Kane’s head.
Just then, Kane’s phone pinged with a message.
Daniel glanced at it and saw Chantelle’s name on the screen.
He didn’t want to be the kind of father who peeked at his son’s phone... but this was different. It was Chantelle.
He cleared his throat gently, saying, "Kane, there’s a message from your mom," he whispered.
Kane didn’t move. "What’s that? Do you want me to read it for you? Sure..."
Feeling fully justified, Daniel gently took Kane’s hand and used his little finger to unlock the phone.
When Kane’s phone unlocked, the first thing on the screen was his chat with Chantelle. Daniel quickly looked through her messages.
The last one said, "Kane, where’s your Daddy?"
Daniel didn’t hesitate. He sent her his live location right away. Then, he waited for her reply.
Minutes passed, but she didn’t respond. He put the phone back in Kane’s pocket and stared at the ceiling, feeling frustrated.
Did she really ignore me after asking where I was? Daniel thought. Does she even care at all? That really hurts.
While he was lost in thought, the office door suddenly opened. He knew those footsteps well. He quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep as Chantelle came in.
She had figured out where Daniel was from the video Kane sent earlier. But she didn’t expect to find Daniel looking so sick on the sofa in Russell’s office.
Kane was sleeping beside him too.
Chantelle walked quietly so she wouldn’t wake them. She wanted to pick Kane up, but the boy was holding onto Daniel’s sleeve tightly. She didn’t want to pull them apart, so she gave up on the idea for now.
She kneeled beside Daniel and touched his forehead, just like he had done for her not long ago. He felt a bit warm, so she decided to get a cold towel to help cool him down. But just as she turned to leave, someone grabbed her arm.
"Don’t go," Daniel said in a voice she knew well.
"You’re awake?" she asked, turning back to him. But he was still lying there with his eyes shut, not answering her.
Chantelle guessed he was dreaming. She tried to pull her arm free, but Daniel was stronger than she expected for someone who was asleep.
"Let go of me, you brute! How am I supposed to get you a towel ?" she said with a grunt.
To her surprise, his grip loosened right after she said that. She tried to leave again, but his hand tightened on her arm once more.
Now she was starting to think he was doing this on purpose.
There was an old trick people used to tell if someone was faking sleep—if they were pretending, their eyelashes would shake a little.
Chantelle leaned closer and held her breath. She looked into his closed eyes carefully.
She was right. His eyelashes were quivering!
"Daniel Wilson, you... Mmm!!" Chantelle started to speak, but Daniel suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her.
She was fuming. She felt like he had tricked her.
"Daniel, how dare you—" she started, but he cut her off again.
"Shhh, don’t wake the kid," he whispered, placing a finger on her lips.
"Oh, so you do know there’s a kid here? Then why act like a brute in front of him?" Chantelle snapped at him.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Daniel had clearly taken advantage of the moment.
"You were so close... I thought I was dreaming," Daniel said honestly.
"You!" Chantelle gritted her teeth. She knew there was no point arguing with someone like him. She pulled away and rushed toward Kane. But before she could get there, Daniel had already scooped the sleeping boy into his arms.
"Chantelle," he said softly. "Do you... still care about me? Even a little?" He looked at her with hope in his eyes.
"Of course I care about you, Daniel. You’re the father of my children," Chantelle said coldly. "I hope you live a long life and earn more money so they get a bigger inheritance."
Daniel was stunned. Her words hit hard.
She held out her arms, clearly asking for Kane.
Daniel didn’t argue. He gently handed Kane over, then spoke again.
"Chantelle, I’m sorry. I didn’t think taking Kane would cause your seizure. I never meant to come between you two. I was just angry..." he said as she started to walk away.
"Mm," Chantelle muttered and her back was still facing to him.
Her face was full of emotions she didn’t want him to see.
She was almost at the door when his voice stopped her again.
"Could you... ever forgive me?" he asked, sounding broken.
"Daniel, does it even matter if I forgive you?" she replied. "You’re Daniel Wilson. As far as I remember, you’ve never cared about anyone’s feelings."
"It matters. It matters to me," Daniel said emotionally.
"Fine. I’ll forgive you for the kids’ sake. But stop waking me up with stupid videos," Chantelle snapped. She turned around and gave him a sharp glare.
Daniel looked confused.
"Huh?" he said. He had no idea what video she was talking about.
Did he miss something?
Meanwhile, Ruby Bently was fuming. She had just been thrown out of Chantelle’s house after losing $100,000. And the worst part? Chantelle was the one who tricked her. Ruby had never been treated before.
She had trusted Thea, thinking they were close. But now she knew Thea was also Chantelle’s friend. It was all a setup.
Ruby stayed at the gates of Western Hill Villa. She had no plans to leave. She was waiting for Thea. She swore she wouldn’t let Thea walk away from this.
But before she could do anything, the villa gates opened. Several cars sped out. It looked like something serious had just happened.
Ruby was curious. She secretly followed the cars all the way to the hospital.
So, that annoying woman was sick? Ruby chuckled at the thought. Judging by how panicked the staff looked, something serious had happened.
Maybe Chantelle was dying.
Serves her right, Ruby thought. She’ll never get to live the rich life she always wanted. She probably worked herself to death.