Mommy，We Got a Husband
Chapter 52 The Little Ones Return to Their Places

"How's Caspian holding up?" Alaric had been worried ever since the boy left the hospital. Seizing a moment while Galatea was resting, he quickly called Cormac. Cormac had a headache himself, as Caspian hadn't come home with him. Instead, the boy had returned to the Knight family estate and locked himself in his bedroom. "He's been locked in there for over half an hour. Knocking hasn't helped." Cormac's concern was palpable. "I'm worried any stress could trigger his condition." It was evident that Caspian was genuinely angry and sincerely wished for Galatea to be his mother.

Alaric glanced around the hospital room. With Galatea's condition still critical, he was hesitant to leave, but his concern for his son had weighed heavily on him. "Try talking to him. If he won't budge, call me. I'll come right back," Alaric instructed.

"All right." After ending the call, Cormac tapped lightly on the door and said cautiously, "Caspian, can you open up? If you want to vent, do it to my face. Don't lock yourself away. Please, open up."

Caspian was slumped against the bed, hugging his knees to his chest on the floor. 'The time spent swapping places with Harry had been the happiest of his life with a tender, loving mother and a sweet sister, he felt a warmth he had never known before.'

He had dreamed that once his father married their mother, they would live together as a family of five, full of warmth and happiness. He wouldn't be so lonely, wouldn't fall ill, just like a normal kid.

Unfortunately, having tasted that life only to lose it permanently was more than he could bear.

Meanwhile, Harry, back in his own skin, entered their apartment and felt a surge of affection at the sight of Mia and Elisa.

"Mia, Elisa," he called out.

"Back before midnight, Harry? That's an improvement," Elisa commented.

It felt like an age since Harry had seen Elisa. He pinched her cheek and asked, "Did you miss me, Elisa?"

Glancing at the clock, Elisa frowned and responded, "We've been apart for just two and a half hours. Miss you? Get real, Harry. I'm your sister, not your girlfriend."

Harry fell silent.

He had called her from his own phone, and yet she still mistook him for an impostor. A sister like her must be one of a kind in the world!

"Harry," Elisa suddenly leaned in closer, whispering, "Seeing that mom and our future stepdad are off on a trip, how about we go on a little adventure next weekend? You can splurge on a fancy dinner and book us into a luxury hotel. I want to feel like a little princess for once."

The suggestion irked Harry, but he swallowed his frustration, unable to reveal his true feelings to Elisa.

"Elisa Storm, you know how hard mom works to provide for us. You can't always think about living it up. We can't afford to travel. In fact, we should be looking for part-time gigs, maybe as youth models, to earn some extra cash. That way, we can help out mom and ease her load."

After their mom's car accident, it was clear she needed to focus on healing and wouldn't be able to work for a while. That meant it was up to them to find ways to contribute financially.

"Isn't that child labor? Wouldn't that be illegal?" Elisa asked, clearly puzzled. "Besides, aren't you loaded with cash now? Why drag me into working if you're so well-off? Are you even my real brother?"

"Me, rich?" Harry was genuinely confused. Since when did he have money?

"You won first place in the Global Math Competition, remember? There was a huge cash prize," Elisa retorted irritably. "You used to be so generous, buying me all sorts of nice things. What happened? Did playing basketball switch your personality back?"

'What, large cash prize? Did Caspian tell her that?'

Caspian was from a wealthy family. Of course, he had money. But now that Harry was Harry again, he didn't have a dime.

"Elisa, even if I had money, we can't just blow it all. We should be frugal," Harry tried to explain.

Before he could finish, Elisa clutched his shoulder, pleading with sad, begging eyes, "Harry, please, just stay the way you are now. Don't revert to who you were before."

"Do you like him more than your real brother?"

"What do you mean?" Elisa was baffled, reaching up to touch his forehead. "You're not feverish. Aren't you, my brother?"

Harry realized his mistake and rephrased his question, "Okay, let me put it this way - do you prefer who I was before we went abroad or after?"

"Obviously, it's who you became after!" Elisa answered without hesitation. "Before, you were argumentative and petty, always competing with me for attention. Being around you then made me feel like just an ordinary sister getting picked on. But after, I felt treasured like a princess being coddled. Who wouldn't prefer that?"

Harry fell silent.

A bitter smile crept onto his face, filled with resignation and irritation.

"Elisa Storm, we've grown up together for six years. I thought we were close," Harry admitted, feeling dejected.

"What's the matter?" Elisa was increasingly confused. "I honestly don't get what you're trying to say. It's all over the place."

"You don't have to get everything, but starting next weekend, we need to figure out how to make some money. You got that?" "Why do we have to go out and make money?"

"I'm your older brother, and what I say goes. Now go to bed, no more arguments!"

Elisa, fuming with cheeks puffed out and fists clenched, retorted, "Harry, I'm starting to doubt that you're even my real brother!" "You're welcome to get a DNA test, but right now, you need to go to sleep."

Elisa fell silent.

She was seething with anger as she stomped back to her room and slammed the door.

Harry, too, was irked, "Caspian, you've truly done it now. Not only have you charmed Mom, but now Elisa is entirely smitten with you. It's driving me crazy!" After venting, Harry retreated to his room, realizing how long it had been since he'd slept in his bed. It felt incredibly comfortable!

Yet, for Caspian, returning to the mansion was like entering hell. His mood had been foul the whole day, prompting Alaric to rush back from the hospital. Entering the room, he found Caspian huddled on the floor, looking utterly miserable and helpless.