“Okay. It’s nothing too serious, is it?” Averie said. “I’m not used to this sudden discipline in you.”
Mike chuckled and said, “I was just worried you think I’m out messing around. You don’t need to keep dinner for me.”
“Okay.”
After Averie hung up the phone, she glanced around the empty house and could not help but think of her mother.
She refused to hire a nanny because she wanted to do all of the things Laura used to do.
.
She wanted to guess what her mother was thinking about when she did those things.
The more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt.
Laura always took care of her after Averie got pregnant.
After the children were born, Laura gave her all to help raise them.
She never lived a day of her life for herself.
Averie never thought that there was anything wrong with that kind of life.
It was not until Laura was gone that she realized she had put all of her energy in her work and the children.
“Mommy! Hayden’s picking on me!” Layla cried suddenly as she ran out of the room.
Averie quickly wiped the tears off her face and recovered her normal expression.
“How did he pick on you?”
“He said I wasn’t doing my homework right, then said he’d rip my books apart if I didn’t do it properly!” Layla whimpered.
Averie took her daughter’s hand, then walked her to the bedroom and checked Layla’s homework.
It was no wonder Hayden was frowning in rage.
Layla’s homework was a mess.
“I’ll teach you, Layla. Let’s erase this line first,” Averie said patiently as she sat down at the desk next to Layla.
By the time she was done helping the children with their homework and getting them ready for bed, it was already ten at night.
Averie dragged her tired body back to her room.
Her mind was blank.
She felt like she had done a lot, but nothing at all at the same time.
Laura was the one who took over these errands for her before.
She owed a lot to her mother, and would have to wait until their next lifetimes to pay her back.
Averie walked into the closet, opened up her wardrobe and was about to pick out a pair of pajamas.
The moment she opened the wardrobe door, the body curled up inside almost fell right out!
Averie reached out and caught Shea on reflex before she fell to the ground!
What was Shea doing here?!
How long had she been hiding here?!
Averie had no time to think.
She laid Shea on the ground and checked on her condition.
Moments later, she called Wesley for help.
When Layla and Hayden woke up the next morning, they noticed that their mother was not at home and that she did not prepare breakfast for them.
Their preschool provided breakfast, but Hayden was not used to the food.
Which was why Averie would always make breakfast for them.
“Where did Mommy go, Hayden?” Layla asked with a confused expression on her face. “If Mommy isn’t home, does that mean we don’t have to go to school?”
Hayden took on the role of a big brother and said, “If Mommy’s not here, I’ll take you to school.”
“Can you tell me where Mommy went?” Layla asked with concern. “Mommy wouldn’t have thought we were dragging her behind and decided to run off by herself, right?”
Hayden tapped on a button on his smart watch.
Moments later, the sound of Averie’s ringtone echoed from the master bedroom.
“She didn’t bring her phone. She must have left in a hurry,” Hayden concluded, then walked to Averie’s room and checked to see who the last person she called was.
At the Foster mansion, Elyette did not get a wink of sleep all night.
Logically, Shea’s mental state was better than it was before.
She could even memorize Elyette’s phone number.
There was no reason for her to spend all night hiding outside by herself. The night before, Elyette stationed some of his people at the Starry River neighborhood.
He had not received any news since, which means that there was still no trace of Shea.
The weather was warmer than it was during the new year, but she could still catch a cold if she was roaming around on the streets.
Where could Shea be hiding?
Did a good samaritan take her in?
Elyette blamed himself.
Shea had tried to run away before her first surgery.
Since her intellect had improved, Elyette thought that she would have higher endurance, too.
He had explained to her again and again the reason behind the surgery, so he had thought that she understood him to some extent.
Who would have thought that she would still be so against it?
If he had known this would be the outcome, then perhaps he would not have been so insistent about the surgery.
However, he did not want her to be mentally disabled for her entire life!
What if he dies before her?
Who was going to care for her once he’s gone?
Elyette could not bear the thought of Shea being picked on.
The mere thought of it was unacceptable to him.
To Elyette, there were two types of people in this world.
The first was the average person, and the second was him and Shea.
Elyette drove over to the Starry River neighborhood and searched every corner once again.
Later, he visited the neighborhood’s surveillance center and checked the entry and exit records of every car.
At two in the afternoon, Elyette’s bloodshot eyes saw a familiar Rower leaving the underground garage in the surveillance footage.
He moved the mouse and paused the video.
“Isn’t that Averie’s car?” he mumbled to himself, then glanced at the time on the footage and added, “Where was she going at 10.30 p.m.?”
The people next to him did not know how to respond.
Was he not searching for Shea?
Why did he bring up Averie Tate?
Elyette pulled out his phone and dialed Averie’s number.
When Averie’s phone rang at the Starry River Villa, the two children immediately turned their heads around.
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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