Chapter 1135

Autumn's nerves were shot. Devin said he wanted to come see the baby today, and now Mr. Walker was insisting on taking their son home from the hospital. The timing was just... strange. Too much of a coincidence.

But everything Mr. Walker said sounded so reasonable, so caring—Autumn couldn't find a single excuse to push back.

“Mr. Walker, he's so tiny. I can't stand being away from him. What if I just get discharged too, and we all go home together?" Autumn's voice wavered. She just couldn't let Mr. Walker take the baby alone.

Mr. Walker shook his head gently. "Autumn, you need to focus on getting better. Your health is the most important thing right now. Once you're stronger and out of the hospital, you'll see your son every day at home. Please, trust me. Don't worry."

There wasn't a single thing Autumn could argue with, and if she pushed too hard, she worried he'd start to get suspicious.

So, in the end, Mr. Walker took the baby home. Autumn was left behind, anxious and restless, unable to sit still.

She kept glancing at the door, half dreading Devin would show up, half wishing he'd actually come. She waited and waited, but Devin was nowhere to be seen.

And Mr. Walker didn't return to the hospital, either.

Her anxiety reached a breaking point. Autumn called Mr. Walker's phone, but it was his assistant who answered. "Mrs. Walker, Mr. Walker's in a meeting right now. Once he's free, I'll have him call you."

What could she even say to that?

"Linda, has he really been in meetings all day? And... and what about my son?"

Still worried sick, Autumn tried calling home, but nobody picked up.

The assistant's voice was polite but distant. "I'm not sure about the baby, ma'am. Mr. Walker's been in back-to-back meetings. He'll call you later, I promise."

But before Autumn could say anything else, the call was already disconnected.

She just couldn't take it anymore. The moment the nurse step ed out, Autumn braced herself, fought through the pain from her stitches, and discharged herself from the hospital without permission.

She hailed a cab straight home, her heart racing. She couldn't stand being away from her son for another minute.

This child-her miracle baby, born to her so late in life-was more precious than anything. Sure, she'd hoped for a daughter, but a son was hope, a future, everything.

It was already five in the afternoon, and still no sign of Devin. She scoffed to herself -he'd probably just been stringing her along. That cowardly guy? No way would he actually show up.

When Autumn got home, she pushed open the door to find the house eerily quiet and empty. Panic clawed at her chest. "Ben? Sweetheart? Baby?"

She dashed upstairs. Suddenly, she heard a baby's cry coming from one of the rooms. Heart pounding, she rushed over and threw the door open. There was Shirley, the nanny, feeding the baby.

"Ma'am!" Shirley looked up, startled. "You're home already? Weren't you still at the hospital?"

Autumn didn't bother answering. She went straight to her son and scooped him up, voice trembling with emotion. "Ben, come here. I'll feed him now, Shirley. Could you give us a little privacy?"

She was fiercely protective, as if someone might try to snatch the baby away.

Shirley, sensing Autumn's mood, nodded and quietly slipped out.

Even though she was still in pain, Autumn insisted on nursing her baby herself, biting her lip and powering through Just a few short hours apart had left her feeling like a ghost, She realized, maybe for first time, just how much this little boy meant to her-and she started to wonder what Mr. Walker was really planning.

It wasn't long before Mr. Walker came home too.

Autumn was rocking the baby to sleep when she suddenly sensed someone behind her. She turned and nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of Mr. Walker standing there.

"Autumn, it's getting late. Let me take you back to the hospital," he said, smiling, but there was something chilling about it.

Autumn tightened her grip on her son. "Mr. Walker, I'm not going back. I'm well enough I can recover just fine at home."

He stared at her, his gaze hard. "Why are you being so difficult?” He reached out his hands. “Give me the baby."

His words were soft, but there was no room for argument.

A shiver ran down Autumn's spine. “Mr. Walker.....”

"He's our son

What are you so

afraid of?" he asked, his tone loaded.

"Autumn, want us to be a real

family. We waited so long for this

child, I'm going to raise him right. Just Nook at Ben-those eyes, that nose-he's my spitting image. He'll go far, you'll see."

But the truth was, Ben looked nothing like Mr. Walker.

The more he insisted, the more scared Autumn felt.

"You're right, he looks just like you," she managed, her voice steady even as her heart pounded. "Of course l want us to be a family. I'm not trying to keep him from you, I just can't bear to be apa from him. You're his

father-why would I ever mistrust

you?"

Mr. Walker took the baby from her arms, his smile unreadable. "He's a Walker, after

all. Of course he's my son."