His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 267

Seeing that he remained entirely unmoved, unwilling to even acknowledge her, Chloe dug her nails ruthlessly into her palms.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled Toby forward. "Archer, I just brought Toby out to clear his head. I never imagined we'd run into you here. I... I have some things I need to say to you," she said, her voice dripping with sorrow.

Archer's expression remained glacial. "Sorry. I don't have time."

He shifted Cindy to his other arm, his gaze cold and indifferent as he looked at Chloe.

Psycho! It's all because of these two bitches that Archer is ignoring me!

Chloe lowered her head, hiding her homicidal rage. Then, while no one was watching, she pinpointed the soft flesh on the inside of Toby's arm and pinched it viciously.

"Waaah..."

Toby shrieked in pain, the tears instantly spilling over.

"Daddy!" The little boy wrenched his hand out of Chloe's grip and ran toward Archer, sobbing hysterically as he locked his arms around Archer's leg. "Daddy, I missed you..."

Archer frowned deeply, staring down at the little boy who was crying so hard he could barely catch his breath.

With Chloe being 'sick' for years, Archer had practically raised Toby single-handedly. Seeing the boy crying this intensely tugged at years of ingrained habit and responsibility; he simply couldn't ignore it.

He gently set Cindy on the ground and, without hesitation, bent down and scooped Toby into his arms.

Virginia stood silently to the side, her face an unreadable mask as she took Cindy's small hand.

She had read the divorce papers and seen the paternity test results. But watching Archer step toward Chloe to comfort the boy still brought back painful memories that twisted uncomfortably in her chest.

"Wait here with Cindy for a second."

"Let's talk over there," Archer said, holding Toby and walking a short distance away.

Virginia looked away. Gripping Cindy's hand, she turned back to watch the miniature ocean world behind the glass.

She lifted her tear-streaked face, looking utterly devastated. "Toby is your own flesh and blood! Are you just going to abandon him too?"

Sobbing, she reached out and grabbed Toby's small hand.

On the surface, she looked like a loving, desperate mother. But in reality, she was squeezing down hard, her sharp acrylic nails digging painfully into the child's skin.

The pain made Toby cry even harder.

He reached out with his free hand, desperately fisting the hem of Archer's shirt. Between aggressive hiccups, he sobbed, "Daddy, Daddy, please don't throw me away..."

"Archer, today is Toby's birthday. Don't tell me you forgot..." Chloe sniffled, her voice a fragile whisper.

Archer froze.

"Daddy, can you come home tonight for my birthday?" The little boy looked up at him, his tear-stained face filled with absolute desperation and... terror?