Chapter 244: Mother’s Instinct

Meanwhile, at Brookhaven Estates, the doorbell rang insistently. Summer, assuming it was Fraser’s relentless persecutor, yanked open the door without checking the peephole.

“Can’t you take a hint?”

Yvette blinked from the doorstep and looked around. “Who can’t take a hint?”

Summer exhaled. “Wrong person.”

Yvette sauntered in, kicking off her heels before collapsing onto the sofa. “So. Where did you two disappear to this afternoon?”

Summer handed her a glass of water from the kitchen. “The riverfront.”

A mischievous grin crept across Yvette’s face. Everyone knew that Havenbrook’s riverfront was the lovers’ lane, notorious for paparazzi shots of enthusiastic encounters.

“Wow, so romantic.”

Summer rolled her eyes. “Romantic? Hardly. We hadn’t even gotten out of the car.”

“Well?” Yvette prodded. “Did that elegant Mr. Graham promise to make an honest woman out of you?”

Summer remembered their tense conversation. Fraser had clearly wanted the child, but marriage? The hesitation spoke volumes. Of course. With his fiancée waiting in the wings, how could he…?

Her fingers tightened around her glass. “I’ve made up my mind, Yvette. I’m keeping this child alone.”

“Ah!” Yvette was shocked. Then she seemed to understand something, turning to a knowing, “Oh. Typical Summer, stubborn as a rock.”

“But Fraser won’t just walk away,” Yvette pointed out. “That’s in his DNA, too.”

Summer’s palm drifted to her stomach, protective. “Let him try. Nobody’s taking this baby away from me.”

The Grahams, with their bottomless resources and ruthless legacy, wouldn’t tolerate an “illegitimate” heir floating around. But voicing that fear would make it real.

Yvette, noticing Summer’s pallor, softened. “Hey, if that’s your decision, I’ve got your back. I’m spoiling this kid rotten, daddy or no daddy.”

Gratitude swelled in Summer’s chest. She leaned against Yvette’s shoulder. “Marry me. Right now. We’ll fake your gender on the paperwork.”

Yvette choked. “Excuse me?”

“Or you could get that sex-change operation in Ostary. Boom, instant husband.”

Yvette gaped. “Absolutely not. I haven’t even slept with half the male population of Havenbrook!”

Chapter 244: Mother’s Instinct

Once again, Julia came to the airport to pack up her things. No longer speeding through the gates, her earlier rebellion subdued by the sight of her mother. Summer gently soothed her daughter as she took the gene cart. The vastness of what had happened weighed heavily on Summer. Julia smiled, acknowledging how the Oblicans' intervention had erased the Shadows from her life.

Julia cupped her face in her hands. “Your thin veneer makes you look pale.”

Summer noticed her daughter’s jet lag. But she wasn’t fooled. “Well, at least we have real meals today.” Julia wasn’t fooled either. Julia, in their family mansion, asked the maid to bring out some presents. These were a mixture of jewelry, chic small toys, and more. Summer traced the intricate carvings on the music box. “You bought all this just for me?!” A tear wavered. “I should have done this years ago.” Unspoken words hung between them instead of dwelling on Jasper’s illegitimate children.

“Mom,” Summer caught her wrist, her heart pounding. “Sit. We need to talk.”

Julia froze, reading the seriousness in her daughter’s eyes. Slowly, she lowered herself onto the couch.