Chapter 380

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Tuff returned home from work. The moment he stepped into the house, he sensed something was off. He stopped the butler and asked, “Did we have any visitors today?”

“No, not currently,” the butler replied.

“What’s going on then?” Tuff pressed.

“Nothing,” the butler replied.

His eyes darted away, and he struggled to find the right words.

Kayla had given strict orders–no one was allowed to bring up Joyce causing a scene at home, and definitely no gossip about her being pregnant. Keeping things quiet was normal, but Kayla’s reaction was oddly telling. She just ate, drank, and slept like always, completely unaffected. But Joyce was carrying Tuff’s child. People said Kayla even had a gun and had killed someone before. So why wasn’t she making a scene? Everyone was whispering behind closed doors, suspecting this was just the calm before the storm. They were sure Kayla was going to explode sooner or later.

“What’s with all the secrecy? Is Dad back to deal with me?” Tuff muttered to himself. If there was anyone in this house who could really put Tuff in his place, it was his father, Raymond. Raymond ran the Prescott family business and was hardly ever home. Even at Betty’s birthday party, he merely made a brief appearance.

As usual, Tuff headed straight for the east side of the house.

“Son, Daddy’s home!”

“Honey, I’m back!”

Tuff’s energetic voice made Landen a bit surprised. He looked cautiously at Kayla. “Mommy, Daddy’s home…”

“I heard him. Go play,” Kayla said softly, giving Landen’s cheek a gentle pat.

Landen kept glancing back, clearly worried. “Mommy, you have to give Daddy a chance to explain, promise me, okay?”

“I know,” Kayla replied, her voice soft as ever.

Landen let out a sigh. ‘Good luck, Dad. You’re on your own now.’

“Hey, my little man! Were you good today? Did you miss Daddy?” Tuff gave Landen a big hug and chatted with him for a bit before heading into the room.

The room was filled with the rich aroma of coffee–Kayla was brewing it. She moved with graceful, unhurried elegance.

“Wow, Honey, I didn’t know you had this skill!” Tuff said, rubbing his hands together in excitement. Honestly, after all these years of marriage, this was the first time he’d ever tasted coffee made by Kayla.

“We’ve got plenty of coffee at home. I’ll make you a cup,” Kayla said.

Tuff frowned. “Coffee? Do we have any espresso? Latte will do too.”

“You don’t like plain coffee?” Kayla asked.

“Yeah,” Tuff replied.

“Then why did you…” Kayla started, but stopped halfway, giving him a long, meaningful look.

Even though she was smiling, Tuff couldn’t shake off the cold vibe in the air. ‘Was he just being paranoid?‘ Tuff wondered. He blinked and took another look. Kayla had already prepared two cups of plain coffee–one hot, one iced.

“Honey, are you into this trendy cold-brewed coffee now?” Tuff sat down, resting his cheek on one hand, gazing at his wife with affection. He was still clueless about how much trouble he was in.

“Can you even make coffee with cold water?” Kayla asked.

Tuff replied, “No. The temperature has to be right for it to brew properly.”

“So, all coffee in the world is brewed with heat,” Kayla said, her words lingering in the air.

Tuff was stunned. He finally caught on that something was off. He straightened up. “Honey, what are you trying to say?”

“Just how many cups of coffee have you warmed up for?” Kayla leaned in, eyes fixed on him, not letting him escape.

Tuff felt a chill run down his spine under her stare. “Honey, seriously, what’s up with you?”

“Joyce came by today,” Kayla said, her tone flat.

Tuff’s heart skipped a beat. He instantly realized that wild night had been exposed.

“Honey, listen to me! That night, I swear, nothing happened between us. When I woke up, my clothes were still on… I checked the security cameras, I even called the cops!” Tuff blurted out.

“Then how do you explain her being pregnant?” Kayla shot back.

Tuff was cut off mid-sentence. His eyes widened in disbelief. It took him several long minutes before he finally managed to speak. “What does her being pregnant have to do with me? How should I know whose baby she’s carrying?”

“She says it’s yours,” Kayla replied, her eyes cold as she looked away.

“No way! Absolutely not!” Tuff lost it. “She’s making this up!”

But how was he supposed to prove it? All he knew was he hadn’t cheated–he honestly had no clue what went down that night.

“Please, believe me…” Tuff’s eyes were red, and he couldn’t even tell if it was from anger or panic. If Kayla didn’t believe him, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Kayla’s temper was no joke–she might just leave him for good.

“Alright, I believe you,” Kayla said.

She gave him a gentle smile, her warmth returning. She poured out both cups of coffee and dropped in a piece of espresso block instead.

“Honey, you really believe me?” Tuff asked, his voice trembling.

“Of course,” Kayla replied.

Tuff felt like he could cry from relief. He didn’t care about coffee. All he wanted now was to pull Kayla into his arms and never let go. He was so moved, and felt incredibly lucky. Kayla actually believed him, even with something so serious.

He slipped behind Kayla and hugged her tight. “Honey…” His voice was pitiful as a lost kitten, full of guilt and regret. “Honey, I’m sorry! I should’ve told you about that night sooner… Joyce was making a scene, and I thought it would just blow over…”

Kayla listened patiently as he vented, finally getting the whole picture. Tuff was a good guy–he just had a clueless mother who almost got him into deep trouble.

“So, whose baby is she actually carrying?” Kayla asked curiously.

Tuff tensed up again. “How should I know? But it’s definitely not mine.”

“She was swearing up and down today that it’s yours. And she said your mom plotted this with her,” Kayla said.

“My mom?” Tuff was stunned.

Kayla nodded softly. “Yeah. Your mom thinks I can’t have kids, so she wants to find someone else to have a baby for us.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Tuff exploded. He stormed off to find Maggie.

Kayla didn’t try to stop him. She just kept sipping her coffee, taking her sweet time. Everyone had to own up to what they’d done. Right or wrong, they had to own it. It was time for Maggie to face the storm.

“Mommy, you and Daddy are okay, right?” Landen had been eavesdropping outside. Once he was sure there was no fight, he dashed in, grinning from ear to ear. Ever since Jonny kidnapped him, Landen had become much more guarded and careful. Whenever she noticed this change in him, Kayla couldn’t help but feel a wave of guilt.

She scooped Landen up and said, “There was never really a problem. I was just teasing your dad.”

“Mommy, you’re so bad! Daddy’s so nice, and you still scared him,” Landen puffed out his cheeks in mock anger.

Kayla looked at him seriously. “Landen, do you like it here?”

Landen hesitated. He didn’t really like it here. There were too many people in this big house, and everyone was always talking behind their backs. Honestly, nobody here really cared about him except his mother and father. He liked Norava way better. Over in Norava, he had his grandma, his uncle and aunt, and even the staff treated him like family.

“For your dad, we need to get used to living here. But soon, we’ll move out,” Kayla said gently, trying to reassure him.

Landen’s current temperament wasn’t suited for life in Prescott estate. With Maggie’s latest mess, Kayla was determined to move out and give her son a simple, peaceful place to grow up.

“Mommy, I’m really fine,” Landen said, hugging her tight. “As long as you and Daddy are happy, I don’t care where we live.”

Kayla couldn’t help but marvel at how mature he was. Her heart twisted with pain. Perhaps she should even hire a teacher to provide her son with some psychological guidance.

Just then, Tuff stormed back in, his face flushed with anger. “Honey, get Landen. We’re leaving–right now!”

“Where are we going?” Kayla asked.

“We’re moving out!” Tuff shouted.