?Chapter 1062:


    He stumbled over his words, clearly uneasy. “That’s not it…”


    Alicia slipped her hand into Linsey’s, a small, reassuring smile on her lips. “He gets this way sometimes. Honestly, it’s just a restroom trip. I could’ve gone by myself, but I don’t mind thepany.”


    Lifting an eyebrow, Linsey replied in a rxed tone, “It’s not every day you see Jeffery so protective.”


    Her eyes drifted to Alicia’s stomach, and her voice softened. “You’re expecting, so of course he’s concerned.”


    She paused, letting her gaze linger a moment longer. “But trust me, I have no reason to hurt you. Surprising that Jeffery seems to think I would…”


    Looking him straight in the eye, Linsey added, “You can rx, Jeffery. I have children of my own. No matter how I feel about someone, I’d never hurt a pregnant woman. To be honest, it’s only you that gets on my nerves. Alicia and I are just fine.”


    As soon as he heard those words, the faint embarrassment on Jeffery’s face gave way to mild resignation.


    He didn’t bother to argue. “Alright, you two go on. If you need anything, just call—”


    Before he could finish, Linsey and Alicia slipped out the door, leaving the room quiet behind them.


    No sooner had the door clicked shut than M clutched Jeffery’s arm, worry etched into every line of her face. “Jeffery, did I hear that right? Did Linsey say she has children? What is going on?”


    “You and Alicia didn’t look the least bit surprised. Did you already know about this, Jeffery?” Cruz said, his curiosity getting the better of him.


    They were starting to see just how much of Linsey’s life remained a mystery to them.


    For thest four years, she had vanished from their worldpletely, leaving no trace and no word.


    Jeffery paused, the weight of it settling in as he realized something—they still had no idea that Linsey was a mother.


    He nodded. “Yes, Dad. Mom. Linsey really does have children.”


    During the drive to the restaurant, M and Cruz had taken a different car, which meant they had missed the earlier exchange between Linsey and Alicia about Linsey’s experience raising children.


    Jeffery, on the other hand, had stumbled across the truth about Linsey’s pregnancy more than four years back.


    A stunned silence settled over M and Cruz. Shock widened their eyes, and they exchanged looks, lost for words.


    After a long moment, M found her voice. “So… is Collin the father? Or someone else?”


    Her tone was a tangle of confusion and concern.


    A glint of mischief sparked in Jeffery’s eyes as an idea popped into his head.


    Putting on an exaggeratedly serious expression, he said with mock gravity, “The kids aren’t Collin’s. Word is, Collin wants to patch things up with Linsey—but only if she agrees to leave the children behind. He said he won’t marry her again unless she gives them up.”


    Cruz’s hand mmed onto the table, his anger echoing through the room. “Unbelievable! That bastard, Collin—how dare he treat Linsey like that? If he hadn’t lied to her all those years ago, would she have been forced to leave everything behind?”


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