I grinned. “Yes. Who told you that?”
“Uncle John called and told me this morning.”
Surprised, I smiled at her. John was quick at getting updates.
I carried her up and sat on the bed. With a solemn face, I gazed at the little girl. “Summer, I’ll be away for several days. Do you want to stay with Mr. Fuller or Uncle John and Grandpa?”
She tilted her head while staring at me in bewilderment. “Mommy, aren’t you going to bring me along?”
“Summer, you need to go to school, so you can’t go around with me all the time. Just stay in K City. Uncle John, Grandpa, and Mr. Fuller will take good care of you.”
“But I want to go out and have fun with you, Mommy,” she protested with a frown.
“Summer!” I raised my voice. “You can come with me during the school holidays. Do you remember that you’ve taken a day off previously? Everyone has their own responsibilities, children and adults alike. Just like how Mr. Fuller goes to work every day, you need to go to school every day too.”
As usual, knowing that I was angry, the little girl no longer argued with me. She kept quiet for a moment before saying, “Okay, Mommy. I’ll listen to you.”
Opening my mouth, I wanted to say something to comfort her, but in the end, the only words I could say were to ask her to take care of herself.
At night.
It was already 12 a.m. when Ashton came home. In my sleep, I vaguely felt that he got into bed, but I was too sleepy to ask him how things went.
The next morning, he had left when I woke up.
Flora knocked on the door. “Good morning, Mrs. Fuller. Your breakfast is ready. Before Mr. Fuller left this morning, he asked me to send his clothes for cleaning.”
I nodded and allowed her to come in and go into the bathroom.
She was the one taking care of and in charge of the laundry, so I let her do whatever she needed to. Tying my hair up, I went into the bathroom to freshen up.
As the woman was taking out the clothes Ashton had worn yesterday, her body suddenly went stiff.
Instinctively, I turned to look at her and saw her holding a white shirt. There was a glaring, red lipstick stain on the collar.
“Mrs. Fuller, maybe Mr. Fuller…” Flora was at a loss for words. The atmosphere was awkward at that moment.
I flashed her an assuring smile. “It’s okay. Perhaps it was rubbed on the shirt accidentally. Go ahead and send it for cleaning.”
Lowering my head, I continued brushing my teeth and washing my face. To be honest, I was unfazed. After years of being together, I knew full well what kind of a man Ashton was.
When it came to loyalty and relationship, I had faith in him, and I wouldn’t doubt him only because of a small matter like this.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Flora left the room with the laundry.
After walking away for a short while, she retraced her steps and stood at the doorway. “Mrs. Fuller, Mr. Fuller isn’t that kind of man. Please don’t think too much.”
“We’ve known one another for eight years, so I know his character very well. I trust him,” I replied with a confident smile.
Then, she seemed relieved and walked out of the bedroom.
After having breakfast, I asked Flora to take care of Summer and headed to Hannah’s place.
It’s been almost half a year since I last saw her. On my way, I went to a shopping mall and bought some baby clothes as a gift for her child.
When I arrived, the baby, who was less than one year old, was crying unceasingly while Hannah held him in her arms to comfort him.
The woman saw me, and she couldn’t help but freeze for a second. Handing the baby to the caregiver, she strode over to me. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re coming? I could’ve picked you up. Have you eaten?”
“I ate before leaving my house,” I answered with a smile. My gaze landed on the baby. “Is he hungry?”
Hannah signed and complained, “He just can’t stop crying, whining about every little thing. This boy is even more attention-seeking than a girl.”
Staring at her blissful face, I was overcome with envy. “He’s still a baby. I believe he’ll be fine once he grows older.”
I held back my urge to carry him and gave Hannah the gifts instead.
Holding my hand, the woman babbled on while taking me into the living room and updated me about her current life.
After leaving Hannah’s place, I didn’t know where to go, wandering on the street. Then, I saw an old man selling sausages in an alley. The scene made me hark back to my past.
Walking over, I asked for a few sausages, and the old man said, “Miss, we have tacos and potato wedges. Do you want to buy them too?”
Looking at his tanned and kind face, I couldn’t resist nodding my head. “Okay.”
As I was about to pay, I found that my bag had no purse, but only a phone and a few bank cards. It’s been years since I stopped bringing cash with me when I go out. My face turned red with embarrassment.
The old man seemed to have noticed my situation and said with a grin. “It’s alright. I’m here every day. You can pay me whenever you pass by again.”
I looked down at the food in my hands, which cost about ten bucks. Afterward, I handed the food back to him. “I’m sorry, I have no cash with me now.”
However, he refused to take it back. “Miss, just take it, it’s on me. If you like it, you can come often.”
I’m never the one who could bring myself to reject others’ kindness, so I nodded my head and took the bag of food. My cheeks heated up again.
After thanking him, I took a seat in the alley and started eating the sausages and taco leisurely.
