Chapter 236

Royce quickly waved his hands. "Hey, don't get the wrong idea. We're cops. We're here to investigate Adelaide."

The elderly folks immediately got excited, talking over each other.

"I knew it! Adelaide must've gotten into some trouble out there. Why else would she come back?"

"With her looks, she could easily find a man out there. Why would she come back to live a hard life alone?"

"She must've done something wrong. Who knows what kind of trouble she's in."

Their conversation got more and more outrageous. Royce and I exchanged glances, unable to get a word in.

"Ma'am, could you tell us where Adelaide lives? We need to find her."

One of the elderly women nodded and stood up, dusting off her clothes. "Sure, I'll take you there."

We followed her through a series of twists and turns down a narrow path. The area was deserted, surrounded by vast salt flats with only a few houses standing.

She pointed to a small house. "That's the place. Adelaide is pretty lazy, so she's probably still in bed. You'll find her inside."

Royce and I exchanged another glance and quietly entered the yard.

The house was eerily quiet, with the curtains tightly drawn, as if to hide something inside.

Royce positioned himself by the door, while I knocked.

"Hello, we're here to distribute relief funds. Could you open the door, please?"

"Relief funds?" A voice quickly responded from inside. Soon, a woman appeared at the door. "You must be mistaken. I don't need any relief funds. I have money."

"That can't be right. The village head told us there's only you and a child here, which fits our criteria for relief funds."

"We just need to check your situation. Could you open the door so I can bring it in?"

Adelaide hesitated for a moment but eventually opened the door.

As soon as she did, I peeked inside and saw that the door to the room she had been sleeping in was tightly shut, as if hiding something.

Something felt off, really off.

At that moment, Royce kicked the door open.

"Adelaide, don't move! Where's the child?"

Adelaide's face turned pale, and she bolted towards the closed room.

We had no idea what she was planning, but we couldn't let her go. I grabbed her arm, but she was surprisingly strong and shook me off.

Luckily, Royce managed to restrain her.

"Don't move, or we'll call the police!"

"You know what you've done. Is the child in there yours?"

"Did Karen tell you to hide the child?"

Realizing she couldn't break free, Adelaide stopped struggling. "Yeah, how did you find me?"

"I thought I hid well enough. Who sent you? Renee? Or..."

I cut her off. "I'm the child's mother."

With that, I pushed open the door to the room.

Inside, there was a small bed with a swaddled baby on it.

My child was actually a few months younger than Aria, so while Aria could speak a few words, he could only express himself through crying.

Seeing his tiny hands waving, I was overwhelmed with emotion.

I couldn't believe I had found him. He saw me and smiled, waving his hands.

I scooped him up, and he seemed to sense something, starting to cry loudly in my arms.

I cried too, holding him tightly.

The feeling of finding him was more precious than anything in the world.

"Thank goodness I found you. You won't have to suffer here anymore."

Adelaide, still restrained, protested. "What do you mean suffer? I didn't mistreat him."

I glared at her. "Taking a newborn away from his mother is monstrous."

Adelaide fell silent.

I carried the baby out, but she suddenly broke free from Royce and lunged at me, trying to take the baby.

"Don't move! Give him back to me!"

"We've been together since he was born. He can't be without me."

"Please, let him stay with me."

"You're talking nonsense. How could I leave him with a kidnapper like you?"

"I'm not just taking him away; I'm calling the police on you."

I glared at Adelaide, my voice full of anger.

Her face turned pale, and she suddenly bolted, running away before we could stop her.

Royce hesitated, then chased after her.

But she knew the area too well and quickly disappeared. Royce came back, shaking his head. "Couldn't catch her. We'll have to call the police."

I nodded. "Yes, we have to."

"But it's okay. The most important thing is that the baby is back. Everything else is secondary."

I held the baby tightly as we got into the car.

I was paranoid, feeling like everyone around us wanted to take my baby.

"Royce, please hurry. I'm scared."

He nodded. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

He drove away from the village, gradually speeding up.

Once the village was out of sight, I finally relaxed, looking down at the baby in my arms.

He looked just like the baby in Adelaide's phone, and his eyes were a perfect match for Brett's. I was almost certain he was mine.

I held him tightly. He looked around curiously, unaware of what had happened.

"I'm so sorry for what you've been through. From now on, you'll have a good life with me, okay?"

He seemed to understand and smiled.

He was so adorable, I couldn't help but pinch his little cheek.

"You're so cute."

Royce drove us back to the hotel. I carried the baby inside.

He said, "A baby this young might not handle a helicopter ride well. How about we take the train back?"

I was touched by his thoughtfulness. "Thank you."

"It's nothing. I got us tickets for tonight. We'll be in Skyview City by midnight."

"Call your mom and let her know the baby is safe."

I nodded, grateful for his support.