Chapter 273

Payne dropped his toy, his eyes brimming with tears, on the verge of crying.
Nora wiped her face, forcing herself to smile as she knelt and gathered him into her arms.
“Mommy’s fine, sweetheart. Maybe just something in my eye, that’s all.”
She shouldn’t have raised her voice like that.
She’d scared Payne.
He stood on tiptoe, lips pursed in concern.
“I’ll blow it better for you, Mommy.”
Nora lost her composure entirely, her tears flowing harder than before.
How could she ever protect this child?
Payne pressed his lips together, thinking hard. Maybe he just wasn’t strong enough to help his mom, no matter how much he wanted to. He glanced up, searching for Daniel.
“Mr. Chambers, can you help Mommy?”
Daniel let out a quiet sigh, gently guiding Nora to the sofa. His voice softened. “Let me have a look.”
Nora wanted nothing less than his comfort. She grabbed a tissue, pressing it to her eyes. “I’m fine, really.”
Daniel froze in place, a wry, self-mocking smile flickering across his face before he straightened up and strode out of the room.
Payne leaned his small body against Nora, his voice as soft as a whisper.
“Are you feeling better, Mommy?”
Nora muffled a response-“Mmhm❞—her voice thick.
She wiped her tears away, pressing a kiss to Payne’s cheek. “Why did you come here with Mr. Chambers?”
Payne’s eyes sparkled, though a hint of shyness lingered.
“I missed you—and my little sister.”
So the moment Mr. Chambers suggested it, Payne had eagerly agreed.
“He also said I could live here forever. That I could always be with you.”
His smile was pure and radiant, enough to melt away any pain.
Nora’s heart softened completely; she hugged Payne tight. “Alright, Payne. You’ll live with Mommy from now on.”
Aurora had entrusted this child to her. All Nora could do was raise him well, help him grow up strong.
She sent Payne off to play with the housekeeper, then slipped out onto the balcony to call Louis.
Louis was stunned when he heard what had happened.
As it happened, he’d just wrapped up a case and had planned to bring Payne home with him for a few days. Right now, he was already on his way to the Winters estate.
As soon as he arrived, he headed straight for the sitting room where the elderly Mrs. Winters always held court.
After asking around, he learned Mrs. Winters herself had taken Payne out. Although Louis had disappointed the family by not going into politics as they’d hoped, he was still the eldest son, and Payne was his child. The elderly Mrs. Winters assumed her daughter-in-law must love her grandson, so when Mrs. Winters wanted to take Payne out, she agreed without a second thought.
She had no idea how Payne had ended up at Daniel’s.
“Go fetch the lady,” the elderly Mrs. Winters commanded, her voice edged with anger.
Mrs. Winters arrived soon after.
The matriarch sat upright, her presence commanding as ever, her expression cold and stern.
“I’ll ask you again-where’s Payne?”
Mrs. Winters replied calmly, “I ran into Mr. Chambers while shopping with Payne.
He said Ms. Cooper missed her son, so he took Payne with him.”
Louis saw straight through the lie.
Pain twisted in his chest. “Mother, Payne is my son.”
Mrs. Winters managed a brittle smile. “Of course he is. He’s my grandson, too.” Louis let out a short, bitter laugh.
Grandson?
The truth was, they’d never truly accepted Payne as one of the Winters family. Mrs. Winters was already feeling guilty, but Louis’s laughter broke her. Tears sprang to her eyes. Content orıginally comes from
“Louis, you’ve looked after that child for three years. Isn’t that enough? Now that someone else is willing to care for him, shouldn’t you think about your own future for a change?”
Louis was the pride of this generation of the Winters family. He was a lawyer, and if he wanted to enter politics, there was still time. But so long as Payne stayed, he could never truly belong to the family.