Elara, ne stepped forward, nis voice low. Stop being stubborn. The children need you.
“As a mother, do you really not want to raise your own children, but instead raise someone else’s
child?”
“I’m stubborn… they need me?” Elara stood up, her eyes flashing with a cold light Dominic had never
seen before.
“When they pushed me down the stairs, did they need me?”
“When they said they hated me in front of everyone, did they need me?”
“When they called Cassandra ‘Mommy, did they need me?”
Each question was like a slap, leaving Dominic speechless.
The two children cried even harder, clutching Elara’s clothes, refusing to let go.
“We were wrong… Mommy…” Mia cried, gasping for breath. “We’ll only love you from now on… We’ll never hurt you again.”
Elara’s eyes were red, but her stance remained unwavering.
Julian silently offered her a tissue. This subtle gesture, however, completely enraged Dominic.
“Who do you think you are?” he coldly demanded. “What right do you have to meddle in our family
affairs?”
Julian calmly pushed up his glasses, his voice steady. “I am Elara Hayes’s friend. As for my right…”
He glanced at the two tear-stricken children. “I think the people who hurt her should have no right to ask me that question.”
Dominic’s fists clenched, knuckles cracking.
Just as the atmosphere became dangerously tense, Lily suddenly whispered, “Auntie Elara, our bowls aren’t finished yet…”
At these words, Elara finally made up her mind. She took a deep breath and turned to Dominic.
“Please take the children and leave… I’m telling you again, there’s nothing left to say between us.”
3:52 pmD
<
“Mommy!” The two children shrieked simultaneously, clutching her legs, refusing to let go. “Please, don’t abandon us!”
The scene descended into chaos.
The pottery studio owner hesitated, wondering whether to call the police, while other customers pulled out their phones to record.
Elara stood at the center of the storm, her face as pale as paper.
Dominic looked at her trembling hands and suddenly realized-he had made a fatal mistake.
He thought bringing the children would move her, but he had forgotten to consider her feelings.
Those hurts couldn’t be erased by a mere apology, just like a shattered vase, it would always have cracks, no matter how much it was mended.
“Leo, Mia…” he said with difficulty. “Let’s go home.””
“No!” Leo cried defiantly, clinging tightly to Elara’s clothes.
“We want Mommy! You said you would bring Mommy home with us today, you promised!”
Elara closed her eyes, tears silently streaming down.
Julian silently offered Lily’s small hand, and the little girl immediately grasped Elara’s fingers tightly, as if to give her strength.
“Dominic,” Elara said, making up her mind, her voice cold as ice, with not a trace of hesitation left.
“Take them away. I’ve already told you, I cannot forgive what you all did in the past.”
“If you’re here to discuss their child support, I can transfer the money without hesitation.”
“As for anything else, don’t bring it up to me again. If you come back, I won’t hesitate to call the police.”
These words were like a heavy hammer, completely shattering Dominic’s confidence.
He had expected Elara to soften, to return with him for the children’s sake.
3:52 pm 20
D
<
But to his surprise, her determination to leave was unyielding.
He bent down, forcibly picked up the two children, and, ignoring their crying and struggling, strode
towards the door.
Before pushing the door open to leave, he took one last look back-
Elara was kneeling on the ground, comforting Lily. Julian stood beside them.
The three figures looked so intimate, so happy.
Inside the pottery studio, everything had quieted down.
Elara mechanically shaped the clay in her hands, her knuckles white from the effort.
Lily sat quietly beside her, occasionally glancing at her with concern.
“Auntie Elara…” The little girl finally couldn’t help but speak, her eyes bright and full of worry.
“Are you sad… Auntie, you look very unhappy.”
Elara’s hand paused. She managed a strained smile. “No, Lily, don’t worry about Auntie. Keep working on your little bowl.”
Julian silently offered a cup of warm water, gently placing it beside Elara. “Do you want to rest for a
bit?”
She shook her head, her gaze falling on the half-finished clay bowl in her hands-
Its shape was wobbly, just like her mood at the moment.
The sight of Leo and Mia’s red, tear-filled eyes kept flashing in her mind, making her chest heavy.
“They… looked thinner,” she said softly, more to herself than to him.
Julian didn’t reply, simply staying by her side in silence.
Sunlight streamed through the glass window onto the workbench. Lily’s small bowl gleamed softly in the light.
“Uncle,” little Lily thought for a moment, then suddenly suggested, “Let’s make a gift for Auntie
3:53 pm D
<
