Anna chuckled, showing no trace of fear on her face. "Alright, see you on Monday," she said calmly before walking away.
Tina watched Anna's composed demeanor, anger burning in her chest.
Six years ago, Anna had been driven out of the country like a stray dog, so why did she still look so confident now?
As Anna walked away, Tina gritted her teeth and shouted, "Anna, don't you dare regret this!"
At the Luke residence, Harry stood by his son's bed, frowning as he looked at Shawn, who lay listlessly without touching any food.
With a scowl, he kicked the bed frame and asked coldly, "Why aren't you eating?"
Shawn, weak from refusing food for so long, glanced at his father, then turned his head away in stubborn silence.
Harry's face darkened, his aura icy.
He couldn't believe this little brat had gone on a hunger strike for a whole day and night just to see Anna, not even a sip of water since yesterday morning.
"You really want to see that woman?" Harry asked, his voice sharp and cold.
Shawn's pleading eyes met his, his small voice firm. "She's my mom."
"Your mom is Tina, not Anna!" Harry snapped with a frown.
At the mention of Tina, Shawn became even more agitated.
He stretched out his thin arms on the bed, his voice trembling but determined. "No! She's not my mom. She wishes I were dead every single day!"
He shut his eyes tightly, his little face full of stubbornness.
Harry closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. After a long silence, he still couldn't figure out how to deal with this rascal.
But one thing was clear, this kid had guts. When he said he wouldn't eat, he really meant it.
Reaching out, Harry grabbed Shawn by the collar, his voice low and cold. "Get ready. I'm taking you over."
The boy's eyes lit up with sudden excitement. "Are you taking me to Mom's?"
Harry didn't bother to explain. "Pack up. I'll take you in ten minutes."
He couldn't really let the brat starve to death. If he did, he'd have to make another one, and that was nothing but trouble.
Knowing his father had given in, Shawn quickly packed his backpack and was downstairs in less than five minutes.
Harry didn't waste time either. He shoved Shawn into the car and drove straight to Anna's house, which he had already looked into.
"Go on in yourself." With that, Harry dropped Shawn off at the doorstep and sped away.
Shawn didn't mind being left behind at all. Beaming with joy, he ran up and knocked eagerly on the door.
Anna had just returned from the downtown mall and was still fuming from her run-in with Tina and Zach.
Hearing the knock, she didn't move. Instead, she nudged her son with her foot and said lazily, "Go get the door."
Kyle, seeing his mom's unwillingness, rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "You're so lazy."
"Yeah, your mom's lazy. Now hurry and open the door," Anna replied in a slow, casual tone, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
A few days ago, she had gone with Grandma to see the doctor.
The doctor assured them that as long as she took her medicine on time, there was nothing serious to worry about.
Since Anna was going to be in the country for a few months, she decided to bring Grandma along to stay with them.
Grandma was an amazing cook.
For the past few days, she had been making every meal at home, and the two kids adored her.
That left Anna with plenty of free time, making her even lazier by the day.
Kyle hopped off the couch and ran to the door. But as he swung it open, he froze.
Standing outside was a little boy who looked very much like him. Not just in height and face, even their eyes were strikingly alike.
He studied the situation bit by bit, then suddenly seemed to remember something.
Turning to Anna, he asked, "Mom, did you secretly have another child outside without telling Natalie and me?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Giving birth to you two nearly killed me, and now you're talking about a secret child! Kyle, are you looking for trouble again?" Anna's voice was sharp and full of energy as she shuffled over in her slippers.
But the moment she reached the doorway and saw who had arrived, her expression froze. Wasn't this Tina's son?
"Shawn, what are you doing here?" Anna asked in shock.
Shawn, with his big watery eyes, looked up at her.
His gaze was filled with pitiful innocence as he sniffled and said in a soft voice, "Mommy, I came to find you. Daddy doesn't want me anymore."
"Did you sneak out? Does your family know? They'll be worried. Let me take you back," Anna said gently, meeting his tear-filled eyes.
But Shawn's eyes brimmed over again.
He suddenly threw himself against Anna's legs, clinging to her pants, and cried, "I don't want to go back! I want to stay with Mommy. Noo… Mommy… hic… don't leave me. I'll be good, I promise."
His sobs soon turned into hiccups, making him look even more pitiful.
Anna froze, staring down at the child wrapped around her, unsure of what to do.
"I'm not your mom, at most I'm your aunt," Anna sighed helplessly.
"I don't care, you're my mom. You smell like her," Shawn insisted, holding onto her tightly as if afraid she might slip away.
Children are perceptive; they know who truly cares for them.
Tina only pretended to be kind in front of others. Her false warmth didn't deserve to be called motherly love.
That day in the hospital, Anna's gentle care made Shawn feel a love he had never experienced before. To him, she was his real mom.
A look of helplessness crossed Anna's face. Just as she was about to speak, a low growl echoed from Shawn's stomach.
Shawn pouted, rubbed his tummy, and said pitifully, "Mom, I'm hungry. I haven't eaten in two days."
The Luke family was rich, how could they not feed their own child?
"Anna, I made chicken stew today. You've been looking tired, so you should eat well. The other dishes are ready too, come and eat," Grandma called from the kitchen, carrying out a pot of steaming soup.
She stopped in her tracks the moment she noticed the little boy standing next to Kyle. The resemblance was so striking it was almost eerie.
Grandma placed the pot on the table, walked slowly over, and studied Shawn's face carefully.
After a long moment, she asked, "Anna, when did you have two sons?"