Side Chick Era Over (Sharon and Carter) novel Chapter 346

Chapter 346

Sharon had started noticing something unsettling lately-there were more and more bruises and scratches showing up on Matty’s body.

Whenever she asked about them, Matty would shrug it off. Either he’d say he accidentally bumped into something, or claim it happened during PE class.

But to Sharon… it didn’t look like that.

That afternoon, while Matty was at kindergarten, she brought it up to Wendy.

“You don’t think… maybe he’s getting into fights with the other kids, do you?” Wendy asked instinctively.

Sharon frowned. “Matty’s always been well-behaved at school. Even the teachers are full of praise for him. I don’t think he’s the type to start fights.”

Wendy nodded, thoughtful. “That’s true. He doesn’t seem like the kind of kid who would. Did you ask his teachers? What did they say?”

“I did. They said there’s been nothing unusual lately.”

Wendy’s brows knit together. “That’s strange…” She tapped her fingers against the table. “Tonight when you give him a bath,

check him over and see if there are more bruises.”

Sharon sighed, feeling helpless. “He insists he’s a ‘big boy’ now. Says he doesn’t need anyone helping him bathe anymore.”

Both of them sat there, puzzled, wondering how exactly Matty had gotten hurt. Sharon was determined-she’d ask him directly

tonight.

But that evening, Matty didn’t come.

And not just that day. For several days straight, he didn’t return.

In the past, even if Matty went home for a day, he’d always throw a fit and beg to come back.

This time, the sudden shift in behavior felt… off. Deeply off.

A dark thought crossed Sharon’s mind. Could it be… Xavier hit him?

Her chest tightened. Unable to sit with the unease, she pulled out her phone and dialed Xavier’s number.

It picked up quickly. His deep, rich voice floated through the speaker. “Sharon?”

She hesitated. “Xavier, you’re not on a business trip right now, are you?”

“Nope. I’m in Amstern City,” he answered casually, with a light chuckle. “Why? Something you need help with?”

“It’s not that…J just wanted to ask about Matty. How’s he been lately?”

“Matty?” Xavier’s brows lifted in surprise. “Isn’t he still at your place?”

Sharon blinked, “No… he went home several days ago You didn’t know?”

“He… went home?” Xavier clearly hadn’t heard about this. “I’ve been tied up with a business summit. Staying at a hotel near the venue. Haven’t been home in days. That little brat didn’t tell me. I assumed he was still with you… figured he just didn’t want to

come home.”

Sharon stiffened. “He hasn’t been back here for four or five days now. I thought… I thought he was with you.”

His tone grew heavier. “Alright. Stay calm. I’ll call home and check.”

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“Okay.”

A few minutes later, he called back.

“He’s been going back home every day. Hasn’t been anywhere else. Don’t worry.”

Relief washed over her, loosening the knot in her chest.

Still, after a slight pause, she quietly brought up the bruises.

Xavier fell silent for a moment before letting out a low laugh. “I’ll head home tonight and check in on that little rascal. Probably nothing serious. You don’t need to worry. He’s… different from most kids. His mental endurance is pretty strong.”

“But I’m worried,” Sharon murmured, “what if other kids are bullying him?”

She had spent enough time around Xavier and his son to roughly understand the man’s approach to parenting.

He was hands-off-wild, almost. He never interfered in the squabbles and fights between kids.

More than once, he’d said plainly that children should solve their own problems in their own way. Once adults stepped in, everything got messier.

Matty was five now. It was the age where a child’s worldview was beginning to take shape.

And in Xavier’s eyes, if a kid always had a parent jumping in to fight their battles… they’d grow up thinking dependence was the solution to everything.