Duncan was speechless.
How he wished the ground would swallow him up.
Either that or perhaps lightning would strike him so he could avoid such embarrassment?
Liberty did not know how to answer.
She was stunned by her son’s naive question.
What did Duncan ask Sonny when she was not around?
“Dunc, Dunc, hurry up and come over. I’ve asked Mom. Don’t be scared. You can ask Mom again.”
Sonny was super enthusiastic about it.
“Sonny.”
Liberty tapped Sonny’s hand that was waving at Duncan.
Only then did Sonny realize that his mother’s face was contorted. Did this mean that his mother disagreed?
Why?
Dunc was really nice.
“Mom, don’t you agree to have Dunc join our family? He’s very nice. I like him. But he said he wants to be my father. I already have a father, so I don’t want to be greedy and have two fathers.” Duncan wondered if it would be too late for him to bang himself against the wall.
Duncan was embarrassed because of Sonny’s words, and so was Liberty.
She turned her gaze to Duncan.
Duncan grinned at her.
Liberty was speechless. She kept quiet, thinking about how to answer her son’s question.
“Mom.”
Sonny’s childish voice rang out again.
“Mommy, do you disagree?”
“Sonny.”
Liberty said tenderly, “You already have a father. Dunc is your uncle, and he’ll forever be your uncle.”
“Liberty.”
Duncan called her.
“Mr. Lewis, Sonny is still young and immature. Don’t say these things to him. Sonny isn’t the one to decide on my life.”
Liberty was solemn when she spoke.
Duncan said apologetically, “Liberty, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have said these things to Sonny at this point. But my feelings for you are real, Liberty. I’m genuinely fond of Sonny and will treat him like my biological son.”
“Mr. Lewis, as I said, I don’t want to get into a relationship now.”
In Duncan’s face, Liberty said composedly, “Mr. Lewis, I hope you can understand. I also hope that you’ll forget about it. We’re not a suitable match for each other.”
Mrs. Lewis was right. She would still disapprove of Liberty even if she reluctantly consented to her son being with Liberty. She and Liberty would continue to argue after Liberty wed into the family.
Liberty could not change her background.
Moreover, she truly had no intention of remarrying.
As she had expressed to Old Mrs. York, she felt that marriage did not bring her happiness. Instead, all she experienced were hurt and misery. She showed devotion and made sacrifices, only to be betrayed.
She had already endured marital hardship. Why would she wish to get caught once more now that she has successfully escaped?
She was still capable of surviving at this point without a man.
“Why aren’t we a suitable match for each other? Liberty, what did my mom tell you? Did she force you to stay away from me?”
“Mrs. Lewis didn’t say anything much. I’m the one who thinks that we’re not a suitable match. Mr. Lewis, I’m grateful for your kindness, but I don’t love you. I can’t accept you, just like how you can’t accept Ms. Harmon.”
Duncan opened his mouth, yet he did not know how to refute her.
He did not have a glib tongue as Josh did. In the face of his beloved woman, his speaking skills became worse. He could never find the right words to say and convey his message.
He used the most direct way to tell Liberty that he loved her and was going after her. He told her that he was keen on marrying her and not playing games with her feelings.
“Mr. Lewis, thank you for helping me to look after Sonny. I’ll take Sonny home first.”
While speaking, Liberty carried her son and walked away.
She walked toward her e–bike and placed her son in the front of her seat. She rode the bike and left the mall shortly.
Duncan did not stop her or go after her. He stood frozen on the spot, silently watching Liberty leave. Liberty and Sonny’s figures soon blended in with the darkness of the night.
After Liberty returned to her rented house with her son, she took the car key and held her son’s hand. She said to him, “Sonny, I’ll send you to Aunt Ser’s house.”
“Mom.”
Sonny was merely three years old. He could not understand most of the things adults said, but he was able to watch and interpret people’s expressions.
His mother was unhappy.
He hugged Liberty’s leg and looked up with fear glimmering in his dark eyes. He was worried that he made his mother unhappy.
“Mom, did I do anything wrong?” the kid asked in fear.
Liberty squatted and hugged her son. After that, she let go of him.
“Sonny, you didn’t.” She said gently, “You’re right. You already have a father. We shouldn’t be greedy. You shouldn’t have two fathers.”
“But you started feeling unhappy after I asked you that question. You also didn’t seem friendly to Dunc. Mom, I like Dunc, but he’s not my father.”
Sonny already had a father.
Sonny was obstinate.
When Hank badmouthed Dunc in front of Sonny, Sonny insisted that Dunc was scary. However,
Dunc was not a bad guy. No matter what his father told him, Sonny would not change his perception of Dunc.
To him, there was a clear boundary between good and bad people. He would not call a bad person good, and vice versa.
“I’m not unhappy. Something just crossed my mind.”
Liberty smiled. “Look, I’m smiling.”
The kid was clever and sensitive.
Seeing his mother smile, Sonny believed that his mother did not get angry at what he said.
“Mom, Dunc wants to marry you and make you his wife. Is that true?” Sonny asked after feeling relieved from earlier.
Liberty was speechless.
Duncan actually told Sonny everything.
Considering Sonny’s age, would he understand it?
Even if Sonny could accept Duncan as his father, his decision would not change Liberty’s mind.
“Dunc was just kidding with you. You don’t need to take it seriously.”
Sonny hummed in acknowledgment. “So Dunc was just kidding.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.