The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 149: Ethan Shaw, You Didn’t Sleep Well?
The bedroom door swung open again, and Ian ran in with his little backpack on. His face was filled with worry. "Mommy..."
A pang of panic hit Naomi. She immediately sat up and opened her arms to Ian. "Sweetheart, you’re home from school? It’s our fault. Mommy and Daddy were too busy to pick you up today. Can you forgive us?"
Ian threw himself into Naomi’s arms. He looked up, his eyes shimmering with tears and his lower lip trembling as he tried his hardest to keep from crying. A faint sob still escaped. "Mommy, are you sick?"
"Are you really, really sick?"
"Does it hurt? Let Ian blow on it for you, okay?"
He kicked off his slippers, climbed onto the bed, and clumsily took Naomi’s hand to blow on it.
"Mommy’s not sick. Don’t you worry, sweetheart, okay?"
"You’re lying!" Fat tears rolled down his cheeks. "I heard the grown-ups outside say you were sick."
Naomi paused before gently wiping the tears from the corners of Ian’s eyes. "You’re right, Mommy was wrong. I shouldn’t have lied to you. But I’m all better now, so please don’t worry, okay?"
Naomi lowered her head, guiding Ian’s little hand to her forehead. "See? I don’t have a fever anymore, do I?"
As he felt her cool forehead, Ian’s crying gradually subsided. He hiccuped. "Mommy, are you really all better?"
"Of course. Now, no more crying, sweetheart, okay?"
"Will you always stay with me, Mommy?" he asked slowly, his young voice full of earnestness.
Naomi held out her pinky. "How about a pinky promise? Mommy promises Ian that I will always be with you. No matter what happens, I’ll always stay by your side."
Ian quickly hooked his little finger with hers, as if afraid to miss his chance.
"Pinky swear, for a hundred years, never change..."
Ian finally broke into a tearful smile.
Naomi pulled Ian into a hug, sighing softly.
’Ian was the greatest, most wonderful gift heaven had ever given her.’
Ethan Shaw stood to one side, a complicated expression on his face.
For the rest of the day, Naomi was doted on by her son, who brought her water, peeled apples for her, and even massaged her shoulders.
The moment Ian Shaw picked up the fruit peeler, Naomi’s heart leaped into her throat. ’It’s far too dangerous for a boy his age to be holding a peeler!’
"Ethan Shaw," Naomi called out.
Ethan Shaw walked over and took the apple from Ian’s hand. "Let Daddy do it."
Ian wasn’t happy. "But I’m really smart! I can peel it."
Naomi beckoned to Ian. "Come here. Why don’t you tell Mommy about all the fun things you did at preschool today?"
Ian’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly scrambled onto the bed.
That evening, Ian refused to leave, insisting he wanted to sleep in the master bedroom.
Ethan immediately shot him down. "No."
"Mean Daddy!" Ian declared.
Ethan easily scooped him up into his arms, narrowing his eyes at the boy. "You’re four years old now. You need to learn to be independent. You can’t always be clinging to your mother."
"Ethan Shaw, don’t pick him up by his collar! A child’s neck is very fragile!" Naomi was so frantic she nearly jumped out of bed.
Ian kicked his legs, trying to get down, but gave up after realizing the disparity in their strength. He turned a pleading gaze to Naomi. "Mommy, Daddy’s a meanie! I want to stay with you, okay?"
Staring into Ian’s big, watery eyes, Naomi immediately surrendered. "Fine, fine. Let Ian stay. The bed’s big enough, he can sleep in the middle. I can’t bear to see him cry."
A grin lit up Ian’s little face, his big eyes curving into sweet crescents.
Ethan’s face darkened. "Absolutely not. He’s a boy, and he needs to learn some independence. He’ll never grow up if this continues."
"Mean Daddy!" Ian repeated, pounding his chubby fists against Ethan’s hard shoulders.
"Ian Shaw," Ethan said, his voice level.
Ian froze.
After a moment of internal debate, Naomi relented. "You have a point. He does need to learn to be more independent."
The next second, Ethan carried Ian out the door.
Ian reached for Naomi, not ready to give up. He blinked his big eyes pleadingly. "Mommy..."
He was still trying to look cute.
Ethan gave him a light swat on the behind and couldn’t help but laugh. "You little rascal, all you know how to do is act cute."
Half an hour later, Ethan returned. Naomi put down her phone and looked nervously behind him. "You didn’t hit him, did you? Or yell at him?"
"No." Ethan shook his head, though he looked a bit tired.
’Ian held a grudge and loved to make a scene. He’d thrown a tantrum in his room for a solid half-hour; it was a mystery where his tiny body found so much energy.’
’Ethan had just sat on the bed and watched the spectacle. Once Ian was tired, he’d climbed into bed and fallen asleep on his own.’
’Ethan had no intention of giving Naomi a detailed report. Knowing how much she doted on Ian, it would just make things difficult.’
Naomi was a deep sleeper. In a daze, she felt someone gently touch her forehead a few times. Vaguely annoyed at having her sleep disturbed, she slapped the hand away, her voice a sleepy mumble. "So annoying..."
The hand withdrew, only to return a moment later. Still lost in a fog of sleep, Naomi slapped it away again.
A faint, teeth-gritting voice cut through the darkness. "Naomi Kenway..."
Naomi mumbled a response in her sleep.
Since she had gone to bed so early, Naomi woke up early too. Ethan had just finished getting dressed and hadn’t left yet.
Naomi rubbed her eyes, deciding not to get up just yet. "Morning..."
"Up so early?" Ethan glanced in her direction, his slender fingers deftly knotting his tie.
"Yeah. I had a nightmare. I kept feeling like someone was bothering me..." Naomi suddenly remembered something and grew flustered. "Ian didn’t sneak in last night, did he? I... I think I slapped him..."
Ethan’s voice turned strangely cold. "He didn’t come in."
Naomi finally let out a sigh of relief, putting a hand to her head. "Oh, good. I was so out of it last night, I couldn’t really control myself."
As Ethan came closer to grab something, Naomi noticed the faint smudges under his eyes. ’Are those... dark circles?’
Naomi was genuinely surprised. Ethan’s daily routine was usually incredibly disciplined, his time management as precise as a machine, strict to an extreme.
"Did you not sleep well last night?"
"Yeah." Ethan fastened his watch, glancing at Naomi. "Are you still going to the film studio today?"
"Yes, I’m feeling much better, so I’ll head over at eight." Naomi checked the time on her phone. "There’s still time. I’ll just lie in bed for a little while longer."
