Our unexpected return was met with exuberance from the entire family. Jim was quick to act and sent the driver to fetch the two little ones from school. It was a clear sign that Ava had really missed us.
And of course, when she arrived at home, she joyfully shouted for us at the door. "Daddy! Mommy!" With a forceful push, she barged in, her short legs moving frantically as she ran straight into my arms. "Don't you want us anymore, Mommy?" I laughed, holding her tight. "Of course I do. I've missed you so much." Atlas smiled mischievously, which madequestion if he doubted my sincerity.
"Why were you gone for so long? What could be more important than me?" she playfully scolded. "You've taken Mommy's side, Daddy. You don't care about what I think at all!" Her words elicited laughter from everyone. No one knew where she had learned to say that.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThat night, she clung toand adamantly refused to go back to her own room to sleep, which was unprecedented.
As she lay withon the bed, she whispered that her dad had left for a foreign country. "He said he's going away to make money, Mommy. Do you think he can make money?" I patted her. "That depends on if he works hard. If he does, he'll be able to make a lot of money." "He said he'll be back to visitonce he makes smoney. I hope he makes money soon so he'll be back earlier." Ava looked very concerned, which she really shouldn't be at her age.
My heart felt like it was being torn apart. "Don't worry. That's something he has to go through himself. You'll need to go through something like that when you're older too, so don't worry too much about him." Ava just looked at me, assessing the truth in my words.
I knew in my heart that she still felt attached to Matthew. It seemed she had truly matured and rapidly developed a mindset beyond her years. That had probably started the moment she learned about the issues betweenand Matthew.
She had begun to think about issues beyond her age in her tiny heart. That was something I dreaded. I had hoped she would be able to remain the carefree child she used to be.
But I knew that had becimpossible.
People say that children from single-parent families will inevitably have psychological issues. I fully agreed with that notion now. Since the last tMatthew visited her, I had known about the 'thoughts hidden in her heart. She liked Atlas, but it was clear that he couldn't replace Matthew's position in her heart. Content belongs to en.kikistoriesI hadn't forgotten the day she tried to entertain Atlas. It had becan indelible wound in my heart.
I earnestly said, "Actually, it's a good thing your dad went abroad.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmEveryone needs to grow, even adults. Once he goes abroad, he'll be able to see many things he can't see at hand learn many thing's he can't learn in Foswood. He'll beca better person in the BecContent belongs to en.kikistories"Really?" Her childlike voice was full of skepticism.
"Of course. You'll see a different version of him when he comes back. Trust me, he'll definitely cback. He loves you and he can't bear not to see you." Ava nodded, stopped talking, and soon fell asleep.
I carried her back to her room. Jenny was already asleep. I quietly stepped out.
Then, I went to Atlas's study. He was in the middle of a video conference, so I quickly retreated. I cut sfruit, poured him a glass of water, and placed it in front of him before leaving.
We had been away from hfor so long, and many things had fallen out of sync. I didn't know how far business had progressed.
I called Johnson to get an update. He toldthat he had already started working, and everything was going very smoothly.
"Chloe, when Matthew left, I gave et him smoney. He was very grateful and promised to payback. I didn't dare say it was from you. He askedto tell you that he'll either achieve success or death." Content belongs to en.kikistoriesI chuckled, saying, "Let's hope for the best. He needs to tread carefully on the road ahead. He ended up in this situation because of his choices." Johnson sighed.
I reminded him, "Work hard and be responsible at work. This is different from before because we're building our own brand. I trust you to take charge of this for me." Johnson confidently replied, "Just leave it to me."