CHAPTER 64: CHAPTER 64; WAS MY REAL MOMMY....

Shen Xuan sniffled softly, wiping his nose with the back of his tiny hand. "Daddy... I... I didn’t do anything bad..."

"I’m not angry," Shen Xiao murmured, though his obsidian eyes remained dark and unreadable. "I just want to know... have you... have you said anything to Mommy recently?"

Shen Xuan hesitated, chewing on his lower lip nervously.

"Anything... that might have made her sad?" Shen Xiao pressed gently, his large hand resting heavy and warm on the boy’s small shoulder.

Shen Xuan’s eyes welled up again as his chest heaved with a quiet sob.

"I... I just... I told her that... that... if Mommy Zhi was my real mommy... everything would be okay..." he whispered brokenly, his voice trembling with guilt and confusion. "I told her... she’s always crying... and yelling... and... and that she makes you sad... but Mommy Zhi makes you smile... and... and... if Mommy Zhi were my mommy... You wouldn’t be sad anymore..."

His tiny shoulders shook as he pressed his face into his stuffed bear, muffling the rest of his words with hiccuping sobs.

Shen Xiao felt a deep, cold ache spread through his chest as his son’s words cut into him like a blade. His jaw clenched tightly, muscles ticking along his face as he forced himself to stay composed.

"Did... did she say anything back to you?" he asked quietly, his voice dangerously low and hoarse.

Shen Xuan shook his head quickly, tears dripping onto the stuffed bear’s fuzzy ears.

"She... she just looked at me... and then... she didn’t say anything... she just cried... and... and she wouldn’t hug me... she just turned away... she didn’t want me..."

His small voice cracked with a broken wail as he sobbed harder, his thin shoulders trembling violently.

Shen Xiao closed his eyes briefly, exhaling a long, ragged breath as an unfamiliar tightness coiled painfully in his chest.

"Sleep," he murmured, his voice low and toneless as he pulled the soft blankets over Shen Xuan’s trembling body. "Rest now."

He stood up slowly, towering over the small race-car bed as Shen Xuan curled up tightly under the covers, muffling his sobs against his stuffed bear.

Shen Xiao turned away, his broad back rigid as he walked silently out of the bedroom.

Shen Xiao stepped out into the quiet corridor, the soft golden lights along the walls dim in the brightening morning. Pale sunlight streamed through the tall arched windows, casting warm slashes of gold across the cream marble floors.

For a long moment, he stood there motionless, his broad shoulders tense beneath his crisp white shirt. Outside, the city skyline glowed under the rising sun, but inside, the silence felt colder than ever.

His obsidian eyes stared blankly at the patterned carpet, dark brows knitted in a frown as exhaustion and turmoil churned beneath his impassive expression.

Shen Xuan’s trembling words echoed relentlessly in his mind.

"If Mommy Zhi were my real mommy... everything would be okay..."

A sharp ache twisted in his chest, but he crushed it ruthlessly, forcing his breath to remain slow and steady.

His polished leather shoes clicked softly as he took a few steps forward, the faint sound echoing along the corridor lined with gilded mirrors and abstract oil paintings. Sunlight caught on the cufflinks at his wrists, glinting cold and silver against the black Rolex watch hugging his vein-laced forearm.

Outside the window, birds were chirping faintly amidst the rustling leaves, and somewhere deeper in the mansion, the housekeeping staff were beginning their silent duties, careful not to disturb their master’s oppressive peace.