And it seemed that being too engrossed in acting was not a good thing either. I smiled while typing on the phone: I cried hard after you left. Do you feel better now?
John: Yeah. Now, we only have to wait and see what will happen tomorrow.
After that, he stopped replying to me.
Hence, I placed my phone aside and entered the car.
The night was still early, and the city was lively and bustling. Everything outside the car window was like a picture scroll, exiting my line of sight at a constant speed. None of those excitements had anything to do with me.
If Anthony or any of our children was sitting next to me at that time, I would probably have had a different feeling.
“Mommy…”
As soon as I entered the house, Audrey ran into my arms while crying.
Later on, I found out that she had refused to eat her dinner unless she saw me. But the food Lindsey cooked was too mouth-watering. The more she waited, the hungrier she became.
“All right. All right. It’s all my fault. Don’t cry anymore. We’ll have dinner together now, okay?”
“Okay…” Audrey puffed her cheeks and pursed her lips. Just one glance at her melted my heart instantly.
Feeling guilty and distressed, I hurriedly carried her up and walked toward the dining room. “Mrs. Kingsley, please heat up the food. Eating cold food isn’t good for the children.”
“I just heated the food. It’s the perfect timing to eat them now,” responded Lindsey.
Hearing that, I sat down and accompanied the children as they had their dinner.
“Mommy, why aren’t you eating? All these dishes are delicious,” mumbled Audrey while chewing the food in her mouth.
On the contrary, Gregory and Shaun were eating elegantly. I did not need to worry about them at all. All of a sudden, warmth filled my heart, and I smiled. “I’m not hungry. You should eat more so that you can grow taller.”
“Okay!” Audrey nodded and swallowed all the food in her mouth. Then, she stopped eating and looked at me solemnly. “Mommy, is Ashy not coming back anymore?”
“Huh?” For a moment, I forgot that it was Anthony’s nickname. I frowned when I came around. “Audrey, you can’t call Daddy that.”
I then turned to Gregory and reprimanded, “Gregory, were you the one who taught her that?”
“No!” Audrey did not give Gregory a chance to speak. “I saw it in Greg’s book. Daddy is a bad guy! He hasn’t come home for such a long time, and because of that, Mommy doesn’t like to stay at home. I don’t like him anymore!”
I wondered if Anthony would continue his pretense if he found out that his beloved daughter was so discontented with him.
However, I could not explain the situation to the kids, so I could only educate them indirectly. Putting down the spoon, I looked at her seriously and said, “Audrey, did Uncle John tell you that there are many children in this world who don’t have enough food to eat? In order to support them, their parents have to leave their hometown and work at a place far away from home. For a year or maybe many years, those children won’t be able to see their parents.”
Holding her spoon, Audrey blinked and nodded. “Yes, Aunt Emma showed me their photos before. She also told me that those children’s parents are dead. If Uncle John donates money to them, they will have food to eat, and Mommy will also come back to me. Aunt Emma wasn’t lying.”
For a brief moment, I was stunned, not knowing that John had done all that to look for me.
Someone fearless like him had actually believed that life would reward him for his good deeds.
Not hearing any news from me must have left him in despair, but fortunately, fate had reunited us.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to get hold of my emotions before continuing, “Yes. Without money and a home, you’ll end up like those children. They might not be able to eat all the food that you’re eating now in their whole life. Because of Daddy’s hard work, you can live in a cozy house and eat delicious meals every day. Do you think it’s right for you to say he’s a bad guy?”
“No, but…” Audrey pursed her lips, and her voice trailed off.
“I know what you mean. Daddy has indeed neglected us during this time, but we’re the closest people to him. Shouldn’t we be more considerate of him?” I stretched out my hand and caressed her hair. “Do you know that he always says that you’re his beloved daughter?”
I did not know which sentence had moved her. In an instant, she was on the verge of tears again. “I’m sorry, Mommy. I was wrong.”
She felt like crying, but knowing that she was at fault, she was too embarrassed to cry out loud, so she pressed her lips together tightly and stared at me.
Looking at her forlorn expression, I quickly comforted her while fondling her hair, “It’s okay. Since you’ve admitted to your mistakes, I’m sure Daddy won’t blame you.”
Soon, Audrey lifted her hand to wipe away the tears and continued to eat her dinner obediently.
Seeing that, I breathed a sigh of relief and prayed for Anthony in my heart. This is all I can do for you. If you don’t come back and apologize to your precious daughter soon, you’d better be prepared to face her wrath.
Since Anthony was not around, Audrey kept clung to me and wanted to sleep with me.
She explained that it was too scary for her not to see Anthony or me the moment she woke up. Thus, she wanted to see me as soon as she opened her eyes. That way, she would not cry when she woke up and found that Anthony was not by her side.
After she fell asleep, I sent Anthony a text after much consideration: Are you abandoning your daughter as well? If you don’t come back anytime soon, the kids might disown you!
Worried that his phone had been tampered with, I did not dare to write anything ambiguous in my text, nor did I expect him to reply.
Nevertheless, it was the first time I had contacted him after such a long time, so I could not help but feel nervous.
Unexpectedly, I received his reply in a short time: No matter what, I’m still their biological father.
Even though he sounded domineering, it was reassuring. I stared at the phone screen for a while before replying to him: Don’t be so confident. I might divorce you and remarry another man. At that time, your children will take another man’s last name!
I thought Anthony would reply immediately, but he did not.
It took him five minutes to reply: That would be great.
What’s great? Remarry?
I wondered if he really meant it or if there was a hidden meaning behind those words of his.
All of a sudden, my heart missed a beat, and I felt restless. Picking up my phone, I went to the balcony.
After waiting for a while, there was still no reply from him. Soon, I lost my patience and typed on my phone again: What do you mean?
For the whole night, I felt uneasy. Worried that I might miss his reply, I did not dare to sleep soundly.
However, there was no reply from him after that.
The next morning, I heard my phone ringing in a daze and jolted out of bed reflexively. It turned out to be my alarm. I had promised Audrey to make breakfast for her in the morning last night.
Feeling disappointed, I went to the bathroom and washed myself up.
Unexpectedly, after I sent the kids to school, Nathaniel’s car stopped in front of me.
However, it was Nora who came down from the car.
Wearing a grimace, she rushed over and slapped me in the face.
“Why are you always going against me?”
Because of the stinging sensation on my face, I finally regained my senses.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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