Oliver dropped N and Mason off at home.


    Noticing N’s pale face and the lingering fear in her eyes, he spoke softly. “N, don’t think too much about it. You got scared


    today. Just rest, and we can talk about everything tomorrow.”


    N


    Wern


    ced a smile. “Yeah, I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time today. You should get back to


    She had initially told Oliver not toe because she remembered he had meetings, but the day had stretched much longer than she had expected.


    Seeing the fleeting guilt in her eyes, Oliver replied firmly, “N, you and Buddy are important to me. It’s not an inconvenience.”


    “I know, but I don’t want to be a burden. Being together should mean supporting each other, not just you helping me all the time,” N said.


    Oliver felt a mix of frustration and sympathy. He thought N was struggling to ept his support because she hadn’t fully epted him. After the scare


    “We’ll talk about thister. You need to rest, and I should head back,” he said gently.


    her


    Once Oliver left, Mason cautiously approached N. “Mom… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have skipped ss…” N hadn’t expected him to sidestep the real i


    Mason couldn’t meet her gaze and hung his head in silence.


    N didn’t press him. “Think about it, and let me know when you’re ready to talk.”


    With that, she headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch. She hadn’t had breakfast after learning Mason was missing that morning, and now that she was fe


    Mason watched her, his small hands clenched tight, his face tense, mirroring Damon’s expression.


    When N came out with a simple dish of omelet, she noticed Mason still standing there. She sighed.


    “Buddy, let’s eat first,” she said.


    Hesitating, Mason walked to the table, climbed onto a chair, and finally mustered the courage to look at N


    I


    “Mom, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have skipped ss. I thought that man was my dad… so I wanted to see him,


    he


    confessed.


    Upon seeing Mason’s nervous expression and the way his hands fidgeted with his shirt, N’s gaze softened. She asked gently, “Buddy, what do you th


    In the past, whenever Mason had asked about his father, N had lied, telling him that his father had passed away. She had tried to avoid the topic eve


    But after today, she realized she could no longer hide the truth about Damon being Mason’s father. Rather


    than wait for Damon to confront them with the facts, she decided it was better to ask Mason how he felt


    Mason shook his head. “I don’t want him to be my dad. He’s mean to you, and I hate him!”


    What Mason truly wanted was a father like Oliver–kind and gentle, not the fierce man from earlier.


    Just thinking about how that man had treated N made his young face twist with anger. If


    he hadn’t been afraid of the manshing out, he would have charged at him, ready to bite his leg.


    After a moment of hesitation, N decided it was time to tell Mason the truth. “Buddy, he is your dad but


    he has forgotten about me, so you might have to choose between us.”