Clara: Drink, sweet boy. You're safe now.
Leo stopped screaming. His small, trembling hands reached up to touch Clara's thumb as he latched onto the bottle. A soft swallowing sound filled the quiet nursery as the infant began drinking greedily, his dark eyes fixed entirely on Clara's face.
Marcus stood over them, his mouth opening in shock and disbelief as he watched the infant drink calmly. For two straight days, three high-priced pediatric nurses had tried everything—special nipples, different formula blends, even intravenous fluids—and the baby had fought them until his face turned red.
Marcus: How... why is he calm with you? He's actually swallowing...
Clara: Because babies know when they are loved, Marcus. They know when a person's hands are gentle.
Marcus: He hasn't taken a bottle since Tuesday morning...
Clara: He wasn't waiting for milk... he was waiting for love.
Tears cut through Clara's cheeks as she looked up at Marcus under the US flag, her voice steady despite the painful mark fading on her face.
Marcus: You... you hold him the exact same way Sarah did in the hospital photos.
Clara: We were twins, Marcus. We shared everything until you pulled her into your high-society world and told her to cut ties with her family.
Marcus: I didn't force her to cut ties! She wanted to focus on our corporate estate merger!
Clara: She wanted to protect me from your mother's insults! She knew how your family treated people who didn't grow up with millions in a bank account!
Marcus took a slow step back, staring at the baby drinking peacefully in Clara's lap. The rage that had filled his chest since entering the room began to fracture, replaced by a strange, unsettling guilt.
Marcus: I thought... I thought you came here to demand money from the estate.
Clara: I don't care about your mansion, Marcus. I don't care about your corporate shares or your trust fund.
Marcus: Then why did Sarah's lawyer contact you?
Clara: Because Sarah knew if she didn't survive childbirth, you would treat this baby like an asset in a boardroom negotiation instead of a son.
Marcus stood frozen in silence, looking down at his sister-in-law and his baby bonding peacefully together under the American flag.
Marcus: She... she thought I wouldn't love him?
Clara: Look at what you did the moment you walked through that door today, Marcus. You slapped me while I was holding your son because your pride was hurt.
Marcus looked down at his own right hand, his fingers trembling slightly as the realization of his actions sank into his chest.