At her age, Audrey couldn’t understand her uncle’s joke. Tilting her head, she asked with concern, “Uncle John, are you not feeling well? Me too. Just follow me, Uncle John!” She proceeded to demonstrate a breathing exercise. “Breathe out all the bad energy and you’ll be as good as new!”
Due to my previous experience with Summer, I was worried that Audrey had come down with some sort of illness. “Are you not feeling well, Audrey? Tell me where it hurts,” I asked anxiously.
Audrey shook her head first and peered at me innocently. “No. I just don’t like the smell of that man’s place.”
I immediately realized that she was talking about Nathaniel’s art gallery. Indeed, oil paint gave off an unusual smell, but it was already much better after drying up. The paintings had also undergone special care and maintenance. Hence, the smell usually wouldn’t affect its viewers. I never expected Audrey’s nose to be so sensitive.
No wonder Ashton brought her outside within a few minutes of exploring the gallery. He probably noticed Audrey’s discomfort.
My eyes snapped to Ashton, to which he calmly explained, “She’s allergic to oil paint, but she didn’t come in direct contact with it, so she’s fine.”
I was taken aback for a moment, not expecting him to be so attentive when it came to matters regarding our child.
But in the next second, I noticed that something didn’t add up. If Audrey is allergic, then why did he buy that painting?
As if reading my mind, Ashton added, “I would never spend my wife’s money if it wasn’t for a good reason. You’ll understand when we get back.”
Since he put it this way and Audrey was fine, I didn’t inquire further.
Immediately afterward, Ashton instructed Joseph, “Head to The Jade first. We’ll go back after eating.”
Audrey absolutely loved food. Thus, she immediately bubbled with excitement. “Yay! I wanna eat lots and lots of cakes!”
At the mention of cakes, she turned to look at me with puppy dog eyes. “Mommy, does that mean Greg has to eat alone?”
It was just a meal. It was good for boys to learn to be independent from a young age. Besides, the school wasn’t on the way.
Just as I was about to explain to Audrey, Ashton stated his decision, “Pick Gregory up from school first.”
“Thanks, Daddy! You’re the best! Love you!” Audrey clapped her hands with joy.
After passing an intersection, Joseph replied, “Yes, sir.” Then, he swiftly switched to another lane and drove in the direction of Gregory’s school.
Glancing at Ashton again, I noticed the gentle look on his face that was bordering on fatuous. Needless to say, this look was only reserved for his precious daughter.
Never before had he shown such unconditional indulgence to anyone, not even me.
Indeed, this was the magical bond of blood ties. A daughter would always be the apple of her father’s eye.
Thinking about this, I couldn’t help but feel slightly despondent.
John told me before that Summer recovered very well under Jared’s care. Because of her great aptitude for mathematics, she was accepted into a program for gifted children in a well-known university in M Country and Jared had constantly stayed by her side to take care of her.
Although she was a genius in her own right, she was still a teenager after all. Without the warmth of her family, she undoubtedly missed out on many happy moments.
I had been absent for six years of her life. At present, the crisis was still unresolved. I didn’t know when I could finally be a part of her life again. At the thought of this, I struggled to breathe through the pain of failing Macy.
I could only hope that Ashton was right and Jared had truly turned over a new leaf.
If he was merely bidding his time to exact revenge, she wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of betrayal.
…
An hour later, we arrived at The Jade.
Emery seemed to be expecting us as she was already waiting by the entrance when we got there. As soon as Audrey hopped out of the car, Emery walked forward with a wide smile and reached out to hug her. “You’re finally here. Come, give me a hug!”
Audrey frequently spoke to Emery on video calls, so they weren’t strangers to each other. Hence, she allowed her aunt to hug her.
After greeting everyone, she turned around and led us in.
Getting too carried away often resulted in accidents. When we passed through the lobby, a waiter happened to be escorting some guests away. Emery was so focused on talking to Audrey that she almost ran into them.
Luckily, Ashton had quick reflexes, stepping forward at lightning speed to block the similarly oblivious waiter. Only then did I release a breath of relief.
