Chapter176
My gaze was fixed on Caroline, and Antonio’s eyes were wide with disbelief.
“No way! Your brother isn’t omnipotent. What he said doesn’t count! Caroline took Carson abroad for a complete work–up. There’s no way there could be a mistake.”
Caroline was crying her heart out. Leaning into Antonio, she accused me of wronging her.
No matter what they said, I wasn’t going to let those kids go under the knife!
Carson, just coming to, heard me turn down the treatment and croaked at me, “You cheated and ditched us. But now you’re keeping the doctor from helping me when I’m sick? How can you be such a heartless mom?”
Caroline hurried over and wrapped her arms around him. “Carson, don’t. talk about your mom like that. She’s got her reasons…”
Carson shot back, “What kind of reason would make her leave us, and now she’s hoping I die from this sickness?”
Carson’s face was as pale as a sheet, his cheeks tinged with an unhealthy red from the outburst.
Duncan got a short fuse. If I hadn’t been there to stop him, he would’ve knocked the Kaufmans‘ heads together ages ago.
But seeing me getting dissed by my own son, he just snapped and let loose on Carson, “You ungrateful child! Your mom was worried sick you’d get bullied by your stepmom, so she had me bring presents to your
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teachers. Even the new library at your school was built with my money, just so the teachers would keep a closer eye on how you’re doing!
“If you weren’t my nephew, do you think your dad would’ve bought that villa 1 built?
“Sure, you’ve only got one kidney, but it’s working just as well as anyone else’s. The real issue here is HIV. That’s what’s messing up your kidney. My brother’s flying back in a few hours to get you checked out. Without his treatment plan, you’d be in serious trouble!”
Let alone Carson, neither Antonio nor Linda would swallow that story
either.
They were all in disbelief, saying, “How could Carson have HIV?
“Caroline was the one who did all that for Carson, so what does it have to
do with Grace?”
At that moment, saying I wasn’t heartbroken would be a total lie.
I tugged Duncan aside, telling him not to let these people get to him. They weren’t worth it.
Antonio was shocked to hear about Carson’s HIV. It really threw him for a loop.
He had a lightbulb moment and hauled Caroline to the blood drawing window at the hospital to get blood drawn.
Yet, Caroline was having none of it. “Antonio, what are you doing? Shouldn’t you be dragging Grace in for testing?
“Her son’s got HIV. It’s got to be from her playing fast and loose. Maybe she passed it on to Carson while she was pregnant.”
Antonio released Caroline’s arm and then looked at me with a sad face.
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“Grace, tell me the truth. Have you been cheating on me this whole time? Are the two kids even mine?”
Caroline spoke off the cuff, and Antonio believed her.
I argued. “You were there with me for every prenatal check–up. Do you think I’m the type to buy off doctors to fake results?
“If it was really an internal infection, then why is Mollie just fine?”
Faced with my question, Antonio’s thoughts drifted back to when I was pregnant.
We were so in love back then, eagerly awaiting the birth of our twin babies.
He looked at me, a tangle of emotions in his eyes. “Why did Carson get sick? Did you know he had HIV and that’s why you didn’t want him, so you took Mollie away?”
Tristan couldn’t take his nonsense and replied coldly, “Do you want to know why? Why don’t you and your current wife get tested first, and then get a brain scan while you’re at it?”
Antonio’s face turned pale as he backed away.
But Linda had already pieced together the whole story, and she was quick to get Antonio and Caroline tested. “If I find out you’ve been cheating on my son, and you’ve infected him and my grandson with an illness, I’ll never let you go!”
Caroline wanted to run, but she couldn’t escape the grip of those strong
men.
10:28
