Husband With Benefits
Chapter 321: Mrs Mercer

Chapter 321: Mrs Mercer

Unexpectedly, as the woman caught sight of him, her eyes widened in shock and she fell to her knees.

Erasmi hurried forward and extended a hand to the lady," Are you alright, miss?"

As he got a careful look at her, he realized that this was probably not the woman he had come looking for. This person looked too young. Maybe she had been scared of the boys, he deduced, relieved that this was not a reaction from seeing him. However, in the next moment, he could not help but doubt himself.

The girl looked at his hand, then him and then the surroundings before slowly shaking her head and trying to get up on her own. Her eyes almost seemed to be accusing him to wanting to harm her. She moved to kneel and stand up, however, before she could, she was wracked with coughs which made her small body shake.

Erasmi looked down at the frail looking fay-like girl and wondered who this was. Could it be that the couple had adopted another child along with Caius. He crouched down in front of the girl and gently tried to pat her back, to help her breathe.

The reaction this time was even more alarming because she jumped to her feet and ran back towards the house with an alacrity that would have made the fastest sprinter surprised.

Erasmi watched the girl disappear into the house, bewildered by the unexpected turn of events. Did he look that bad? He’d even taken care to shave himself before coming here...He stood up, unsure how to proceed now. Should he knock on the door or should he go back and come at another time?

The decision was taken out of his hand when the door opened again, the girl walked out and said," You can come in."

Cautiously, Erasmi stepped into the threshold of the house, calling out, "Miss, I didn’t mean to frighten you. I’m sorry, I’m looking for someone..."

"Its me. You’re looking for me." The girl told flatly as she gestured for him to take a seat at the table.

Stumped, Eramsi looked at the kitchen curiously while the girl placed a large jug of tea in front of him and a glass, while ordering curtly," Have some tea."

Erasmi looked at the tea and then the bristly girl," You are Mrs. Mercer?"

"Yes." The girl answered straightforwardly.

To take a moment to compose himself, Erasmi poured himself a glass, wondering how this girl... no woman could be his child’s adoptive mother? She looked in her early twenties.

As he took a sip of the tea, he reminded himself that he should not judge the woman and tried to introduce himself," I am sorry to barge in unannounced. You might not know me..."

"I know who you are. I recognized you at first glance. You look like a grown-up version of MY son."

Erasmi did not miss the emphasis on the word ’my’ and took another sip of tea. It seems the woman was not as receptive of him as the old man had implied.

"You are here. Does that mean Mr Elijah Frost is gone?"

Erasmi nodded carefully. The woman nodded and murmured her condolences before looking away.

As she turned her head, she was once again had a coughing fit that shook her frame, making him worry. Hadn’t he heard at the diner that she’d fallen sick. No wonder she had such an air of frailty...

Concerned, he stood up and took a step forward, keeping a respectful distance. "Are you okay? Can I get you some water?" She hesitated, then nodded slightly and Erasmi quickly grabbed a glass off the table and filled it up.

Once her breathing was normal again, he spoke carefully,"Mrs Mercer, since you know who I am, I’d like to speak about Caius. He..."

Before he culd continue, the woman quickly cut in, "Mr. Frost, you’ve made a wasted trip. I will not give my son to you under any circumstances."

Erasmi opened his mouth to clarify that he was not here to ’take’ Caius away but the woman did not give him a chance as she continued fiercely," I know what I and my husband agreed to with Mr. Frost all those years ago but the circumstances have changed over the years. Caius doesn’t know anything about his biological family and we are already very troubled with... things. This is just not a good time for Caius to go away from here. And I won’t let you! I am his mother while you are only his uncle!"

Erasmi frowned as he quickly realized that she was mistaking him for Demetri, probably because that is what the old man might have implied. But as he tried to get in a word of explanation, the woman continued to ignore him," You don’t understand the suffering he has felt. Caius has his own troubles as a growing up boy and bringing you into his life would only complicate things further."

Erasmi’s frustration grew, and he tried to assert himself and make the girl listen, "Mrs. Mercer, I—"

But she cut him off again, her voice rising in intensity. "This is not the time for your presence! I won’t let you disrupt his life, and that’s final!"

Erasmi’s patience reached its limit. He took a deep breath, his voice finally rising to match hers, "Mrs. Mercer, listen to me! I am not here to disrupt anything! I am not his uncle. I am his biological father!"

The sudden shout silenced Mrs. Mercer. She stared at Erasmi, her eyes wide, processing the words he had finally managed to voice. The room hung in a charged stillness as the weight of the revelation settled between them.

Seeing that the woman in front of him had finally stopped talking, Erasmi breathed a sigh of relief and tried to talk calmly," I am not Caius’ uncle. I am his father."

"You are not Demetri Frost?", Mrs Mercer asked uncertainly.

Erasmi nodded and introduced himself," I am Erasmi Frost. Demetri is my twin."

"But...but you’re not dead. Why are you not dead?" As she said the words, she seemed to realise that she’d said something horrendous, and her mouth formed an o... which she covered with both her hands.

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