Chapter 8

Benjamin watched Layla and Seth's argument unfold from where he stood quietly in the corner. He had heard Layla openly denying him as her son and watched as she had left the infirmary with someone else's child. Furious, Benjamin threw himself into Seth's arms and hissed, "That woman is not my mother! She never will be!" Seth cut the boy a withering look. "Trust me, she thinks even less of you than you do her. What's the matter with you? Why did you lock that boy up in the equipment room?" Benjamin's cheeks puffed up as he lowered his head in shame, mumbling, "I just wanted him to stay in there for a bit. I didn't want him dead." "If you did, I'll break your legs right now," Seth said grimly. Suddenly fearful, Benjamin shook his head vehemently. "I really didn't! I was angry at him and wanted to punish him." Seth flicked the boy's forehead. "Were you jealous because your mom was nice to him?" "No! And she's not my mom. She can be nice to whoever she likes," Benjamin argued. Seth did not call his bluff. Benjamin was only eight years old, and children his age tended to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Such was the naivety of children. Gently ruffling the kid's hair, Seth said, "You'll have to take responsibility for your mistakes. Start on that apology essay when we get home, and remember to apologize to William tomorrow." Benjamin looked as if he would rather swallow a jar of bugs. "Isn't there any way out of this? I don't want to apologize to William in front of everybody. It's embarrassing." Seth's brows furrowed. "Would you rather I have your mother fired instead?" Upon hearing this, Benjamin chewed on his bottom lip. "No. Okay… fine! I'll write the apology essay and apologize to William tomorrow." Seth could tell by the nervous look on Benjamin's face that the kid had been lying earlier. He had been jealous of William, but he was too embarrassed to admit it. Amused, he rapped his knuckles gently on Benjamin's head and said, "When we get home, I want you to think about what you did." Meanwhile, Horace was relieved that the usually fearless little tyrant had agreed to apologize. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he interjected tentatively, "Mr. Parker, I knew Ms. Jenkins had what it takes to discipline children. I'm sure Benjamin will be straightened out sooner or later if he stays in her class." Seth glanced up at the principal and drawled, "Take good care of Layla. If she so much as gets picked on while in your employment, I will have you fired." Horace gulped and nodded. "Of course, Mr. Parker. You can rest assured that I'll take good care of Ms. Jenkins. No one will pick on her on my watch!" Satisfied with the promise, Seth nodded and left with Benjamin. Layla's words played over and over again in his mind. She claimed to have coagulopathy, but he couldn't understand why she would keep such vital information from him. Even more baffling was her accusation that he had set her up to get pregnant so that he could have a son. Had she forgotten how she'd had too much to drink that fateful night and refused to let him go? It was bad enough that she had gotten her way with him for free, but to keep her condition a secret from him was beyond reason. Seth began to wonder just how true Layla's love for him had been during their four-year marriage. Had she been lying when she had told him that she loved him and the home they'd built together? Outraged, he slammed his fist against the steering wheel. His thoughts were cut off when his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the number flashing on the screen and put the call through. "Mr. Parker, I've looked into Ms. Jenkins' activities from the last four years and found something interesting," his assistant informed over the phone. Seth frowned slightly at this. He grunted and said hoarsely, "Tell me." "After leaving the Parker family, Ms. Jenkins returned to the orphanage she had stayed in. She met Mark Kirkland while he was a therapist there, and they got close," Seth's assistant said. "A year later, Ms. Jenkins gave birth to her daughter. "However, her daughter was diagnosed with mild autism. Her condition has improved after years of treatment, but she is still non-verbal. As such, Ms. Jenkins has returned in hopes of finding better treatment options and facilities for her daughter." Seth's heart tightened when he heard this. All he could think about was the way Daisy had smiled at him. There was something healing and comforting about the little girl's smile. It was as if she had unknowingly soothed his deepest wounds. Logically speaking, he ought to hate the little girl. She was, after all, a product of Layla's relationship with another man, and the reason why Layla had so readily abandoned Benjamin. However, Seth couldn't bring himself to hate Daisy. If anything, he was inexplicably enamored with her. It broke his heart that a little girl as adorable and pretty as Daisy was plagued with a disorder like that. He opened the glove compartment and found the lollipop that Daisy had given him. He took a whiff of it, picking up on the faint powdery scent interlaced with the fruity sweetness of the candy. A part of his heart crumbled at the little girl's plight. He even thought about doing what he could to get the child to speak to him, which was funny, considering that she had nothing to do with him. Seth figured his intention to help Daisy must come from a place of guilt. This was just his way of making it up to Layla. As such, he ordered his assistant, "Find the best therapist in all of Kingsville to treat Layla's daughter." His assistant replied, "Alright, Mr. Parker. There's something else I've discovered during the investigation. Ever since Ms. Jenkins left the Parker family, several renowned wedding dress designer brands have reached out to her and offered her the role of chief designer. But she's turned them all down." Seth's brows creased. "Why?" "Well, she claimed that her well of inspiration has dried up," his assistant explained. "But she did guide one of the contestants of the Wainwright Wedding Dress Designing Competition, and that contestant won first prize." Wainwright was a prestigious international designing competition, and its accolades were equally valuable. Layla had always dreamed of winning the competition, and she had wanted the world to be stunned by her designs more than anything. Why would she direct another contestant and guide them to victory when she could have participated in the competition herself? Seth was still trying to make sense of it when a horrific thought suddenly crossed his mind. It was so bone-chilling that he couldn't help the cold sweat that broke out over his back as he demanded with rare urgency, "Go find out what manner of injury Layla had sustained four years ago!"