It was Caleb . He had seen the feral rage in Theodore and witnessed Bianca crumpled on the floor , shaken . Instinct took over as he bolted forward and began pounding his tiny fists against Theodore's leg , shrieking through tears , " Bad Daddy ! You hit Mommy ! You're a bad daddy ! I hate you ! I hate you ! " The sharp cries and pounding triggered Theodore's already unraveling nerves , scorched raw by fury and regret . It was no different from throwing gasoline onto an open flame . To him , Caleb was the bastard child that Bianca used to manipulate him . He was the one who pushed him to misjudge Clarisse and hurt her over and over again . His rage snapped . Without warning , he raised his leg and kicked Caleb hard . A short , piercing scream tore through the air . Caleb's small body flew several feet before crashing to the ground . He lay there unmoved . " Caleb ! " Bianca's shrill screams were gut - wrenching . She scrambled toward Caleb and held him desperately in her arms . " What's going on ? Why all the screaming again ? " Theodore's parents rushed down the stairs , only to stop cold at the sight unfolding in front of them . " Theodore Brooke ! Have you lost your mind ? " Miranda screamed . She shoved away Theodore , who was still standing in place with fury . She stared in horror at Caleb lying limp in Bianca's arms . " That's your son ! Your own flesh and blood ! How could you do this to him ? Were you trying to kill him ? " Edward stood frozen , face ashen . His body trembled with rage as he jabbed a finger at Theodore . " You bastard ! Have you lost it ? Over Clarisse ? You'd lay a hand on your own child for a woman ? You're not human ! " " Kill ? " Theodore forced a cold laugh . His eyes were bloodshot like a feral animal . " You're right , Mom . I did want to kill him . The biggest mistake of my life was not getting rid of this bastard child when he was still in the womb . " The word " bastard " hit the room like a thunderclap . Theodore's parents stood stunned , their minds blank with shock . Miranda's wails caught in her throat . She stared at Theodore in disbelief , her voice trembling uncontrollably . " What … What are you saying ? Caleb , he's … " " I'm not making anything up . " Theodore's eyes swept across Bianca's pale face , down to the unconscious boy in her arms . " She said it herself . She tried to drug me that night and failed . So , she found some guy who looked vaguely like me and got herself pregnant with that bastard child . She even put the baby into that house Chapter 12 with toxic levels of formaldehyde on purpose , causing him to get leukemia . 213 " She did all this just to win our sympathy and crawl her way back into our family ! This is the so - called heir you've been dreaming of ! " Miranda reeled as though struck by lightning . She looked from the limp Caleb in Bianca's arm to Bianca herself , now trembling in fear . " Bianca … Is it true ? Tell me ! " Bianca's whole body shook uncontrollably . Her lips quivered , but no sound came out . She only tightened her grip on Caleb , clinging to him in terror . To Miranda , her silence was as good as a confession . All the love and tenderness she once had instantly turned to a wildfire of betrayal . " My sweet boy ! The grandson I longed for was just some bastard ? You shameless wretch ! You've disgraced our entire family ! " She raised her hand , ready to slap Bianca across the face . But as she caught sight of the slight swell in her belly , her hand froze midair . A flicker of hope lit her eyes . " The one you're carrying now . Is he a Brooke ? " she asked . That question snapped Bianca out of her daze . Hope flared in her eyes . She still had the baby . She turned to Miranda , sobbing in desperation , " What happened with Caleb … I was out of options ! I was stupid and made a terrible mistake ! " Her hands clutched her belly like it was her lifeline . " But this one - this child in my belly - is really Theodore's ! It's his flesh and blood ! He's your grandson , a true heir of the Brooke family ! " Miranda latched onto her words like a drowning woman grabbing for driftwood . Her face lit up with relief . " That's good . Everything's alright . As long as this one is real , our family still has an heir . " To Theodore , the entire scene felt ridiculous . Miranda had just learned that the grandson she had adored was a lie . Yet instead of confronting Bianca's twisted lies , her first reaction was to ask whether the next child was real . If it were , everything else could be swept under the rug . Coldness spread through him like frostbite . All that was left inside him was a hollow , bitter ache . He had ruined everything for this bastard child . Again and again , he had compromised . He had hurt Clarisse until she finally gave up on him and walked away . Now , the weight of regret crashed down like an avalanche , suffocating him . His chest tightened until he could not breathe . " Clarisse … It's my fault … It's all my fault … " Theodore murmured , dazed . The guilt swallowed him whole in an endless sea of remorse . It felt like his heart was being shredded apart by something merciless , leaving Chapter 12 him gasping for air . That was when he noticed the document envelope . The very one Clarisse had sent him . He lunged toward it like a dying man grasping for air , hands shaking as he tore it open . There was no letter nor gift . Nothing he had hoped for was found in there . It was just a piece of paper . The bold silver characters on it burned his eyes like a brand . " Divorce Certificate . " With trembling fingers , he read the next line . " Theodore Brooke and Clarisse Hart . " Whatever fragile thread of hope he had snapped in an instant . His mind went blank , and his vision darkened . His knees buckled , and his figure reeled . The sound of him collapsing to the ground echoed through the room . 3/3 Memories flashed through Theodore's mind . Clarisse had handed him a file after that auction , when he asked her if she wanted anything , guilt - stricken . He did not even take a look before Bianca's call interrupted him . He signed it carelessly and left . He was the one who caused all this . He was the one who had let Clarisse go from his life . He clutched the divorce certificate tightly , knuckles bone - white . Hot tears fell in heavy drops , soaking through the paper . " Clarisse … " A broken sob tore from his lips like the cry of a dying animal . It carried a despair and regret too deep to name . 1/3 Chapter 13