Dominic stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over Julian, finally settling on Elara’s face:
“Elara… We’re here to take you home.”
“Stop being stubborn. The punishment you gave was enough, and the children know they were wrong… Please, come back with us.””
The pottery studio suddenly became terrifyingly quiet.
Other customers and staff stopped what they were doing, curiously watching the scene unfold.
“Home?” Elara scoffed. “Which home?”
“Mommy, come home with us!” Mia pulled on Elara’s hand, shaking it. The wilfulness in her eyes was replaced by longing and pleading.
“We won’t make you angry ever again!”
“Yes, Mommy,” Leo also quickly said. “We drove Auntie Cassie away! Daddy said from now on,
you’re our only mommy!”
3:52 pm S
<
Elara’s expression shifted. She knelt, looking at the two children at eye level:
“I won’t come back with you, because not everything can be fixed with an apology.”
“Why?” Mia’s tears gushed out. “Doesn’t Mommy love us anymore?”
The question was like a blunt knife, savagely plunging into Elara’s heart.
She opened her mouth, then said with a bitter smile:
“Pushing me down the stairs, framing me for feeding you mango… Weren’t these things you did with your own hands?”
“Not wanting me as your mother, only wanting Cassandra Sterling to be your mother, weren’t these
words that came from your own mouths?”
“I believe, although I might not have been a perfect mother, I always did my best to care for you, to love you.”
“I don’t know why, but in the end, I got such a result.”
The two children were red-faced, too ashamed to speak, but Leo still didn’t want to give up, pleading
again:
“Mommy, we were ignorant before… I know I was wrong now, please, forgive us, okay?”
Before Elara could open her mouth, Lily suddenly said timidly:
“Auntie Elara…” Her small hand gripped Elara’s sleeve tightly, her beautiful big eyes filled with tears. “Are you leaving?”
Julian bent down and picked up his niece, softly comforting her. “Lily, don’t be scared, Auntie won’t leave you… No matter where Auntie chooses to go, we must respect her choice.”
“And even if Auntie isn’t here, she’ll often come to play with Lily.”
Dominic watched this scene, an inexplicable rage burning in his chest.
How dare this stranger use such an intimate term?
How dare he stand by Elara with a child in his arms, as if they were a family?
&
3:52 pm D
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