Chapter 1773

The words hit Elwood like a sudden gust of wind, catching him off guard. For a heartbeat, he said nothing, his mind racing. How did Baker find out about this? Could it be that after going home yesterday, Kylee went to ask Baker about the matter?

He dismissed the notion almost instantly—it didn’t seem likely.

Baker let out a soft, resigned chuckle. Then, with a steady breath, he began to explain. “Yesterday, Kylee came to me out of the blue, asking odd questions. She looked me in the eye and said, ‘No matter what happens, you’ll always be my father. That will never change.'”

He paused, the memory clearly weighing on him. “At that moment, I knew something was wrong. At first, I suspected Carola might’ve said something to her, but then I thought better of it, because Carola had once seriously asked me to never tell Kylee that I’m not her biological father.”

His gaze dropped, his fingers curling slightly as he pressed his lips into a faint line for a moment. “So I had someone discreetly look into Kylee’s movements. Eventually, I found out she had met with you, Mr. Wright. That’s when it all came together. I realized she had learned the truth about who her real father was.”

Baker lifted his gaze, his expression solemn as his eyes locked with Elwood’s. “Mr. Wright… Kylee is your and Carola’s daughter.”

The words hung in the air like a thunderclap. Elwood sat there, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Baker spoke again, his voice low, almost reverent with emotion. “I always knew this day would come. I just never expected it to arrive so soon—so abruptly that I had no time to brace myself.”

Elwood’s gaze fell to the man across from him, noticing the faint redness clouding Baker’s eyes. He figured Baker must be reluctant to part with Kylee, whom he had raised for years.

Now that the truth had surfaced, Elwood exhaled slowly. He knew there was no need for pretense anymore. His voice turned solemn, his tone laced with sincerity. “Baker, I owe you a great deal. Thank you—for taking care of Carola and for raising our daughter as your own.”

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He paused for a moment before continuing. “There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask. Regarding the past between me and Carola, how much do you know?”

Baker gave a slow shake of his head, the corners of his lips tugging into a faint smile. “Not much,” he admitted. “Carola never spoke to me about it. She kept that part of her life locked away. Even the truth about you being Kylee’s father—I didn’t hear it from her. I pieced it together over time, through bits of conversation, signs, and instinct.”

He exhaled lightly, as though sifting through old memories. “Years ago, I asked her once, why me? Why choose me out of everyone? She told me it was because I was dependable and ambitious. But what struck me most was what she said next: the most important reason was my surname. That’s when it clicked for me. Kylee’s biological father had to have the surname Wright. Carola didn’t want her child to bear a different surname from her father’s. So she chose me because my surname is also Wright.”

Baker wasn’t lying about this. This was indeed what Carola had said at the time.

As Elwood listened, a rush of emotion surged through him, crashing like a wave against the walls of his composure. He was both moved and heartbroken. Carola had chosen to keep their child and had gone so far as to marry a man who shared his surname, just so their daughter could grow up with a complete family and carry the name he couldn’t give her himself. This meant that she loved him deeply.

So, why had they broken up in the first place? Follow current nov?ls on find?novel.net

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