Chapter 5
Colette looked at him and couldn't help but scoff. It was just ridiculous.
Back when his mother slammed a two-million-dollar check in her face, telling her to get lost and never show her face to the Carters again, where was Wayne?
When she was pregnant and starving, all alone with no one to turn to, where was Wayne?
How could he act like the victim and interrogate her now?
Colette's eyes turned icy, a sarcastic smirk tugging at her lips. "Mr. Carter, did you get something wrong? Teddy's last name is Hale. He's my son. He has nothing to do with you or the Carter family."
"How dare you say he's not my kid?" Wayne grabbed her shoulders, shaking her hard, his eyes blazing red with rage.
Colette was so dizzy from his shaking that her head spun, nausea rising in her gut.
She shoved him away, gripping the wall for support, her voice icy. "Does that really matter? Don't forget, Wayne, we're divorced. You have your own family now, and a baby on the way. Why are you here dredging up old drama? Is this fair to your new wife?"
That last sentence was like a needle, stabbing right into Wayne's sore spot.
The anger on his face froze, all the fight drained out of him, leaving him pale.
The truth hit Wayne like a punch to the gut.
He had remarried, and his wife, Keira Nox, was at home, pregnant and waiting for him. What right did he have to question Colette now?
But still, that was his son. His own flesh and blood, and he had been kept in the dark for six whole years.
Wayne squeezed his eyes shut. He slumped against the icy wall. His whole body was shaking.
"Why..." he murmured, voice trembling. "Why did you keep me in the dark?"
Colette looked at Wayne's pained expression, but she just felt numb inside.
She was so tired. She didn't have it in her to argue or explain anymore.
"There's no reason," Colette said flatly.
She turned around, ready to head back to the hospital room.
"Colette!" Wayne called out, his voice tinged with desperation.
"Let me see him. Just one look, please," he pleaded.
Colette stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around.
"He's asleep," she said softly.
"I'll just look at the door, I won't go in," Wayne said.
Colette was silent for a moment, but ultimately, she didn't say no.
Maybe it was time to let him see Theodore, to let Wayne see what the child he once tossed aside without hesitation has become.
Maybe this was the closure for those six insane years.
Wayne stood at the door, peering through the tiny window. His gaze was full of longing for the small figure inside.
The lights were dim, and all he could see was a vague outline of the child's face. But even that outline was enough to stab him in the heart.
That was his son. The son he had with Colette.
If fate hadn't pushed Wayne to look into Colette's life today, he might have gone his whole life never knowing he had a son living in this world.
An overwhelming surge of regret and fury threatened to consume him.
He hated Colette for hiding the truth, but he hated himself even more for being so foolish.
How could he have just bought his mother's story back then, thinking Colette walked out on him just for the cash?
How did he never stop to think about where she, a girl who'd been pampered her whole life, with no one to turn to, could have gone?
How could he have let her go without even putting up a fight?
Colette stood a few steps behind him, watching his tangled expression with icy indifference.
It was easy for her to guess what he was thinking. It was probably just regret and guilt, nothing more.
But so what? None of that mattered to her or Theodore now. Belated affection was completely worthless.
"Have you seen enough?" Colette said coldly, breaking the silence in the hallway.
Wayne snapped out of his daze and turned to her, his eyes full of mixed emotions.
"How much are the hospital fees? I'll cover it," he said. His tone was full of entitlement, like he was doing her a favor.
Colette just laughed, a hint of mockery in her voice. "There's no need, Mr. Carter. Teddy's hospital fees have already been paid for."
"You paid for it?" Wayne shot her a skeptical look. "Where'd you even get that kind of money?"
In his mind, Colette was just some low-level sales rep. Her monthly paycheck probably wouldn't even cover one day in the hospital for Theodore.
"Don't trouble yourself over it, Mr. Carter." Colette's voice stayed as cold as ever.
The colder Colette was, the more Wayne's suspicions grew.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his face darkened.
"Is it that guy? The one who spoke up for you at the postpartum retreat center today?" Wayne asked.