What bothered him most was the apron–clad man standing beside the table, smiling eyes offering Margaret a slice of dessert.
Did she like it?
Charles didn’t know.
He only saw Margaret in the photo, holding the child while gesturing toward a book on the table.
“That’s the bakery owner, Jack.”
Noticing Charles‘ gaze fixed on the photo, his assistant explained.
“Neighbors say the little girl Mrs. Rivera holds is his child. They seemed incredibly close.”
“Enough.”
Charles‘ chest tightened as a strange emotion consumed his reason.
Margaret, how could she change like this? She’d stood by my side since I was ten, and even after Barbara came along, she’d still appear whenever I needed her.
But now, everything’s different. How could she look at another man with such affection?
Just then, a child’s voice called out behind him.
Victor dashed out in slippers, his nose still red from crying.
“Uncle Lee is here!”
He knew it was Grandpa’s assistant, who always brought news about Mom. He’d rushed out before even putting his shoes on properly.
Charles settled the boy on his lap, tracing the child’s brows with his fingertips. After all this silence, had Margaret tru- ly given up on them? Staring at the photo where she’d grown thinner, he wondered how she was faring in Philadel- phia.
Does she truly love children?
Charles couldn’t help wondering. Due to his own actions, Charles had never been close to Margaret. Initially, she’d tried hard to please him, until eventually he couldn’t stand the sight of her. Still, she always gave Charles her very
best.
0.0%
00:28
Chapter 24
“Dad, let’s go find Mom. I miss her.”
288 Vouchers
Charles glanced at the photo in his hand and said quietly: “Let’s go.”
Mr. Rivera had suffered a heart attack upon learning about Margaret’s divorce from Charles, landing him in the ICU. When he heard the child had changed his mind and wanted to win Margaret back, he pulled out all the stops to sup- port him.
The assistant immediately arranged for a private jet.
Unaware of the Rivera family’s major maneuvers back in the States, Margaret
was in the bakery’s workshop with Yaya, crafting her own birthday cake.
Standing on a small stool, Yaya had streaks of cream smeared across her face. Tipping her head back, she chirped sweetly: “Aunt Margaret, add lots of fruit! Daddy loves strawberries most.”
With trembling hands, she sprinkled strawberry bits between the cake layers. Margaret leaned in, hastily patching gaps with cream to prevent collapse.
“You little rascal, is it Daddy who loves them… or you?”
Suddenly, she dabbed some cream on Yaya’s nose.
Yaya smirked slyly: “Hehe, you caught me.”
The two made a mess in the kitchen. Jack walked in holding freshly made fruit tea, his face wasn’t spared.
“You two!”
He chuckled helplessly: “Whoever made the mess cleans it up. Don’t even think about blaming me.”
Sunlight streamed through the doorway curtain as all three burst into laughter.
Jack pulled out wet wipes, bending down to naturally wipe cream off Margaret’s face.
His fingertips brushed her skin. Margaret froze instantly, her earlobes flushing crimson down to her neck.
She lowered her head, seeing Yaya’s grinning face, and mumbled awkwardly: “I… need the restroom.”
“Daddy, what’s wrong with Aunt Margaret?”
Yaya stared at Jack cluelessly.
The other person didn’t speak, just crouched down to carefully wipe the dirt from her body.
In the restroom, icy water splashed repeatedly over her face as ink–black hair slipped over her shoulders. Margaret fi- nally snapped back to reality, gazing at her reflection. Her fingertips lightly touched the face in the mirror.
Just three months, yet she’d completely forgotten Charles in such a short time.
37.6 %
00:28
Chapter 24
288 iVouchers
So she too was this shallow and fickle.
Margaret’s fingers brushed the cream floating on the water’s surface. A warmth spread through her–she seemed to know what life she truly wanted.
What Charles saw when he brought the Rivera girl into the bakery was precisely this scene.
Jack squatted on the ground, wiping cream off the little girl’s face. Margaret stepped out from the inner room with a towel.
Wasn’t this ordinary, harmonious family of three exactly what Charles had once longed for?
7
