The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 269

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Winona was so embarrassed she didn't know what to say. Zane, nestled in Julian's embrace, was equally awkward. Though he had always craved his father's love, had always dreamed of being held by him, years of disappointment had taught him to get used to his father's indifference. That indifference had slowly turned into a sense of unfamiliarity, and now, it had become a chasm of distance.

Because he had already found a father he loved: Yves Prescott. Dad Prescott.

He hadn't spent much time with Dad Prescott, but he was willing to play with him, buy him all the toys a boy could want. Even when Dad Prescott's hand was injured, he had let Zane ride on his back like a horse as he lay in his hospital bed. He had promised to take him to the grasslands to learn how to ride a real horse and shoot a bow and arrow. Zane had been overjoyed. He finally felt like a child who was loved by a father. He adored Dad Prescott.

As for Julian, his biological father, he now felt so distant that being held by him was uncomfortable. He wanted to pull away but didn't dare, afraid of making his father angry. Winona reached out and took Zane's hand, and he immediately scrambled into his mother's arms.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Nicholson," Winona said, her voice strained. "Please… don't do this. We're about to get a divorce. We need to provide a stable environment for the children, not confuse them."

"Am I confusing them?" Julian asked, his voice filled with defeat.

"You…" Winona didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had just saved her life; she didn't want to argue with him. But she had to make him understand. "You don't think you're confusing them? If you haven't been, then why is Tiana acting like this?"

Julian was silent.

"Tiana is just a child," she continued. "First, you hinted to her that I was a bad mother, that Felicity was so much better. She finally accepted Felicity, and they were getting along so well. Please, Julian, don't change things again. A child's mind is still developing. If you keep switching things up like this, aren't you afraid she'll grow up with no sense of security?"