The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 384

Zane was sound asleep, lost in a vivid dream.

In it, Dad Prescott and his mother had taken him to a colossal castle-themed amusement park filled with incredible rides. His mom was too scared for the thrilling ones, so Dad Prescott took him on all of them. He was having so much fun he was screaming with delight.

And then, suddenly, he needed to pee.

He got off the ride and started looking for a restroom. Just then, his smartwatch began to ring. He lifted his wrist to see who was calling, but the screen was blurry; he couldn't make out the number. Why was it so blurry? He didn't have time to wonder. He just needed to find a bathroom, fast.

But the watch rang again. The sound was incessant and annoying, and he couldn't seem to turn it off. He still hadn't found a restroom. He was about to burst.

In his dream, the little boy wandered desperately, searching for a bathroom while the relentless ringing of his watch tormented him. Finally, when he couldn't hold it any longer, he woke up.

The moment he opened his eyes, the ringing stopped.

Zane scrambled out of bed and dashed to the bathroom.

On the other end, Tiana had called Zane three times with no answer. As a last resort, she pinned her hopes on the old woman who claimed to be her great-grandmother, someone she had never wanted to acknowledge. Her mother used to tell her to call the woman Great-Grandma, but her father disliked her, so Tiana had disliked her too, and never said the word. The old woman, however, always called her Tia, doting on her affectionately.

She knew her great-grandmother had always loved her. On the very day of her parents' public divorce, she had heard the old woman ask her mother to bring her over for a hug.

Tiana found her great-grandmother's number and dialed it, her heart pounding with anticipation. She had despised the old woman before, but now, she longed to hear her say, "Come here, Tia. Come to your great-grandma and your mother, and we'll take care of you."

The call connected, but to Tiana's shock, the response was the same as before: *The number you have dialed is not in service.*

Even her great-grandmother, who had always loved her, had blocked her?

Zane was a kind-hearted boy. He knew Tiana had hurt his mother, but she was still his mother's child.

The noise woke Winona. She switched on her bedside lamp and stared at Zane in surprise. "What is it, sweetheart? Who's calling you in the middle of the night?"

Before he could answer, she heard Tiana's heartbreaking sobs coming from the watch. Winona froze for a second, then took the watch from Zane.

"Tiana," she asked, her voice calm and steady, "what's wrong?"

"Mommy," Tiana cried, "I don't belong here anymore. Can I… can I come live with you?"

Winona was silent for a long moment before answering quietly, "No."