Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1101

Elysia Thorne's lips quivered as she glanced between him and the photograph repeatedly, her eyes filled with turmoil and confusion.

"I... If she really is Emmett's mother, then... do we have to give Emmett back to her?" she murmured, her voice laced with desperation.

Tarquin Bradford didn't answer immediately, instead, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a comforting embrace.

If Claire Yeager was indeed Emmett's biological mother, according to the law, they would indeed have to return Emmett to her.

"I... I can't..." Elysia's voice broke as tears streamed down her face.

She clung to Tarquin's shirt, her sobs making it hard to breathe.

She had often wondered, feared, what she would do if Emmett's real parents ever came looking for him. But she never allowed herself to think too deeply about it.

She admitted to herself that she was selfish; she couldn't bear the thought of being separated from Emmett, of giving him to someone else.

Emmett might not have been her biological child, but she had raised him from infancy.

When she found Emmett, he was so tiny and fragile, his body bruised and barely clinging to life.

She had watched over him day and night, fighting to bring him back from the brink.

Over the years, she loved Emmett just as much as she loved her son, Elliot Evan, but with an added sense of protectiveness.

Emmett, unlike Elliot Evan, wasn't as quick-witted or physically strong. Elliot Evan was as sturdy as a little ox by the age of one, while Emmett was still delicate, often falling ill.

She had invested far more time and energy into Emmett than she ever had with Elliot Evan.

No one could blame Emmett for being curious about his origins; if he knew he was adopted, he'd surely want to know about his real parents.

And while finding out about his biological parents should have been a joyous occasion for Emmett, Elysia couldn't help but feel anything but happy.