Caroline's POV:

Looking into George's big blue eyes, I felt a connection spark between us. It was funny how an innocent infant, not even able to stand yet, was able to recognize those who were good to him. All the while, my ex-husband treated me with only disloyalty and distrust. How could a baby recognize the goodness in someone's heart over an adult?

Sophia gawked at her son's actions, rage flitting over her face. "George, no!" she scolded. "She's only going to hurt you!" Grabbing George's tiny wrist, she yanked hard, forcefully pulling his hand away. George's face scrunched up in pain and he began to sob, kicking his legs pitifully.

Who treats their own son like that? I wondered. Did Sophia even care about her son, or was George just some tool to consolidate her position and win over William's heart?

"Stop!" I demanded, making Sophia jump on the spot. "Don't you see you've hurt him?"

William's deep voice spoke up from behind us. "He's hurt?" he fretted, coming over to inspect George's condition. "Sophia, did you hurt him?"

"No, I...I don't mean it." Sophia struggled to answer, each word ending with a stutter, but a noticeable red mark on George's wrist betrayed her. And William just growled in frustration. "Give him here."

He took George out of her wicked hands. Through his tears, George still reached out his little hand towards me, still looking to me for a semblance of comfort. My heart ached to draw near, and in the end, I gave into that desire.

I stepped forward and offered one of my fingers for George to latch on to, and unexpectedly, his whines started to quell once his soft little digits wrapped around mine.

For the first time since Sophia got there, the private doctor that had saved George stepped forward to give his two cents. "Mr. Anderson, George needs a stable environment in order to recover. Frequent changes to his living environment will only hinder his emotional growth."

William gave the doctor a dutiful nod and brought his attention towards Sophia. "George is staying with me."

Sophia balked at the statement, as if hardly believing her ears. "But I said "

"I know what you said, Sophia, and I'm telling you no" William interrupted, frustration lacing his voice. "George will get better care here. We have a nanny, a doctor, and-" His gaze fell onto me and I just looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. William awkwardly cleared his throat as he returned to Sophia. "Ahem, and me. As George's father, I am responsible for him."

Sophia looked absolutely stunned by the refusal. Was this the first time William had ever denied her anything? Was she really so pampered that the word "no" had her gaping like a fish out of water? It was honestly so pathetic.

The cruel woman's eyes fell onto me in a fiery glare. I challenged her with a hardened look of my own, and after a long moment, she decided to take her chances with William. She looked up at him pitifully, and t swear I could even see her tower lip begin to tremble.

"In that case, William, please protect our son," she begged. "Don't give 'anyone' the opportunity to hurt him, okay?" She was, unsurprisingly, alluding to me truly. I honestly didn't

care about what she had to

Say, let

alone what William's reaction to it all

was.

With that, Sophia finally left us, and I could feel a heavy weight lift off of my shoulders now that the witch was gone. I could tell there were words on William's tongue that he was trying to get out, but I wasn't in the mood to listen. "I'm going for a walk," I stated indifferently, already heading out.

William swiftly grabbed my wrist with his free hand, his eyes holding an unreadable look. "Where are you going?" he asked, something close to anxiety appearing behind those eyes. Was he worried about being left alone?

I was left speechless by his behavior, and I quickly yanked my wrist away. "I'm just walking around the perimeter. I'm not leaving." Without waiting for a response, I walked off.

William's property was a nice piece

of land that extended quite far into the evergreen forest. There were many beautiful paths to walk along, with my favorite being one that took me beside a little duck pond. As I admired the pond, enjoying the songs of the birds and the crisp autumn air, I heard someone talking from a distance.

Across the pond, I noticed Sophia and Sandra, the nanny. Sophia looked consumed with fury, scolding the woman within an inch of her life. As they drew near, I quickly hid myself behind a tree, listening in on what they were saying. What the nanny uttered next shocked me to my core.

"I'm sorry, madam," Sandra said, pleading for forgiveness. "I didn't expect the plan to fail. Please give me another chance!"

I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep from gasping as a chill shot up my spine. George's poisoning; it was all planned!

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