His brow furrowed slightly as Harry Luke took a couple of steps forward, his gaze landing on the boy in Anna's arms.
Anna noticed his look and gently asked, "Is this your child?"
"Yeah," Harry replied with a nod.
Worried he might misunderstand, Anna quickly explained, "I happened to see him at the hospital. He had a high fever, so I brought him in for an IV. Don't worry, I checked, and he's not allergic to the medication."
Harry's dark eyes lingered on Anna for a moment, as if trying to discern something from her demeanor.
But her face was nothing but sincere, showing no signs of deceit.
Harry bent down slightly, intending to pick up Shawn.
However, Shawn, sensing something even in his sleep, tightened his grip around Anna's neck, murmuring, "No, I want Mommy."
He snuggled closer to Anna as he spoke.
Harry was taken aback.
He knew his son's personality well, Shawn was usually as silent as a stone around strangers, rarely speaking a word.
Yet here he was, clinging to a woman he barely knew. It was indeed surprising.
"Shawn, it's time to go home," Harry said softly, gently patting Shawn's head. He was relieved to find that the fever had subsided.
Earlier, Tina had called unexpectedly, saying Shawn had a fever and got lost on the way to the hospital.
Harry had immediately dropped everything to search for him.
Hearing the familiar voice, Shawn blinked a few times, slowly waking up.
Seeing it was Harry, he pouted and softly called, "Daddy."
Harry reached out to take his son from Anna, but Shawn was clearly not willing.
He clung tightly to Anna's neck, murmuring, "I don't want to leave Mommy."
Anna felt a bit awkward and spoke in a soothing voice, "Little one, I'm not your mom. Your dad is here now, so you should go back to him."
Shawn's eyes, clear and bright, instantly welled up with tears at Anna's words.
He sniffled, looking at her with a pitiful expression, his little mouth pouting as he said, "Mommy, are you leaving me?"
His expression seemed to say, if you don't want me, I'll cry right here.
Anna noticed Harry's increasingly dark expression and felt a bit embarrassed. She slowly said, "Little one, I'm not your mom. Take a closer look."
Shawn looked up, staring directly at Anna, then buried his head into her chest, taking a few deep breaths.
In a childish voice, he declared, "This is mommy's smell. You are my mommy!"
Anna felt a wave of awkwardness wash over her. She glanced at Harry, her eyes silently pleading for help.
Harry's voice was low as he tightened his grip on Shawn's hand. "Shawn, let go."
But Shawn was determined, clinging tightly to Anna, repeating, "I want to be with Mommy. I don't want you."
Harry's face darkened, suspicion creeping into his gaze as he looked at Anna.
Anna sighed with a hint of helplessness.
She looked down at the child in her arms, a gentle warmth in her eyes, and softly said, "Little one, I'm not your mommy. You've recovered from your fever, and you can go home with your dad now."
Shawn refused, his voice muffled from being buried in Anna's chest. "I don't want to. I want to be with Mommy."
"Shawn, come down, we're going home," Harry said, frowning, his tone stern.
Shawn simply turned his head away, holding onto Anna even tighter.
Just as the tension in the air was about to reach its peak, the sudden sound of high heels clicking echoed from outside.
The sound of high heels clicking rapidly on the marble floor echoed through the room.
Before Anna could react, a woman burst in, wailing desperately, "Shawn, Shawn, my son, how are you? Let Mommy see if you're feeling unwell."
Tina's eyes were filled with worry, her face streaked with tears, as if she truly cared for her son.
Hearing the commotion, Shawn's little face turned sour with disdain. "You're not my mom, go away," he said.
A flash of anger crossed Tina's eyes.
If it weren't for Harry not touching her for years, preventing her from having her own child, she would have gotten rid of this brat long ago!
Taking a deep breath and clenching her fists, Tina looked at Shawn with feigned concern and choked out, "Shawn, it's Mommy. Are you feeling confused? Let Mommy take a look."
With that, Tina forcefully pulled Shawn into her arms.
As she did, Shawn struggled in dissatisfaction. "Let go! You're not my mom. She is!"
Following Shawn's pointed finger, Tina's gaze landed on Anna. Her face turned pale. Anna?
How could it be Anna?
Could it be that Anna had figured something out and told Shawn?
No, that couldn't happen. Tina had worked too hard to get to where she was now. She couldn't let Anna ruin it.
With that thought, Tina immediately pointed at Anna and accused, "Sister, what did I ever do to offend you? Even if we had a falling out, you can't just tell my son to call you 'Mom.' How cruel can you be?"
Anna looked utterly bewildered. When she brought the little guy here, she hadn't thought he was Tina's son at all.
Anna's face turned cold as she stood up, her voice icy. "Since the little guy has found his parents, I'll be on my way."
Though the kid was adorable, she really didn't want to get tangled up with Tina any more than necessary.
Anna had barely taken two steps when she heard Tina's scream behind her.
Instinctively, she turned to see Tina clutching her arm in pain, a bright red bite mark visible on her skin.
Shawn, pointing at Tina with tears streaming down his face, shouted, "You're not my mom, you're not!"
Tina's face twisted in anger. This ungrateful brat! She should have dealt with him long ago!
But with Harry present, she swallowed her fury, looking pitifully at him, crying, "Harry, look at Shawn. Is he having an episode? He doesn't even recognize his own mother."
Harry looked at Tina's tearful face, expressionless. After a moment, he said, "Enough. Stop blaming everything on episodes."
With that, Harry bent down and scooped up Shawn, who was trying to run to Anna, holding him tightly.
Shawn looked at Anna with big, pleading eyes, calling out, "Mom."
Tina's face turned ghostly pale. How did he know Anna was his real mother?
Ignoring the pain in her arm, she stepped between them, glaring fiercely at Anna, her voice a sharp warning, "Anna, stay away from my son! You're about to marry Zach soon. Just focus on being the White family's lady and leave my son alone!"
Zach?
A strange look flickered in Harry's eyes.
Zach's reputation had been tarnished for years. Marrying him... what else could it be for besides money?
Thinking about this, a hint of disgust appeared in Harry's eyes.