Chapter 443
Chapter 443
I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness for Serena and Brandon, thinking of Neil’s gentle tone when he’d picked up Hiram earlier.
Neil would have been such a wonderful father, if only…
After spending some time with the kids, I carried little Yara out and headed over to Russel’s place.
He was already at work, but I knew the key and the code to the front door, so I let myself in with no trouble.
Daisy and Boomer were sleeping but awakened at my entrance. Daisy barked a few times, thinking we had an intruder, but upon recognizing me, her barks turned into happy tail wags.
I gave the two adorable creatures a smile before carrying Yara up to the guest room on the second floor.
After settling her down, I sent Norah a text asking her to stay over at my place tonight and keep Serena and Brandon company.
Once everything was arranged, my phone rang. It was a call from Stella. She must have shown great restraint to hold off calling me this long. Her temperament had clearly mellowed over the past few days. The old Stella would have been hounding me with calls every minute.
“Rena, tell me you knocked that vixen out cold!” Stella demanded hotly.
“I didn’t, but she’ll probably quit tomorrow,” I replied.
“Quit? She can do that? Women like her are experts at clinging to men. I know she won’t be easy to get rid of. That jackass Mitch, trying to take my child, getting tangled with a woman like that. I’m so over it,” Stella scoffed bitterly.
I filled Stella in on the details, and she fell silent for a while.
I wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but I was certain she still had feelings for Mitch, which were shattered by Ariana’s appearance.
Had Mitch been smarter, if he’d apologized sincerely before things got too serious with Ariana, he might have been able to convince Stella to give him another chance.
But he was a fool, his brain apparently devoured by zombies.
“I see,” was all Stella said before ending our conversation.
I sighed, glancing at Yara asleep on the bed. Her dad was such a blockhead.
The next morning, Norah sent me a text. [Ms. Finch, Mitch has left.]
Left? I checked the time, it was already ten!
I quickly turned to check on Yara, but she was gone!
I felt as if I’d been struck by lightning. I shot up and checked under the bed and in the blankets, but Yara was nowhere to be found.
Had a thief broken in and kidnapped her? The thought chilled me to the bone.
Panicked, I dashed out of the room and ran downstairs.
“Bark! Bark!”
“Meow~”
Daisy and Boomer were playing. Seeing me running down, they happily came to rub against me.
I was in no mood to play. I wanted to go out and search for Yara or call the police.
In my haste, I didn’t even notice the delicious smells of cooking wafting through the air.
“Irene, where are you going?” Russel’s voice sounded behind me, puzzled.
I turned around in surprise. Russel was wearing an apron, carrying a steaming bowl of greens. His handsome face was expressionless, but his eyes were questioning.
Near him was a baby stroller, with Yara lying quietly inside.
My heart immediately settled down, feeling as if I could breathe again.
“When did you get back? Why didn’t you wake me? You scared me half to death!” I complained, patting my chest.
“I got home at eight. Daisy and Boomer were upstairs guarding the room, so I checked in and found you and Yara sleeping soundly. You looked tired, so I didn’t wake you up. I just took Yara downstairs, Russel explained nonchalantly.
He returned to the dining room, set down the bowl of greens, and removed his apron. He wiped his well-defined hands with a wet wipe, “Come eat something.”
I was surprised I’d slept in so late. I was a bit hungry, but I wanted to check on Serena and Brandon first. I’d spent the night away from them, which made me anxious.
Russel seemed to read my mind. He pulled out a chair, “Sit down. I’ll bring Serena and Brandon over.”
“I can go, I quickly replied.
“Just listen to me.” Russel went out the door. His back to me, I forced myself to stop worrying. Serena and Brandon were fond of him, too.
The table was set with three simple, aromatic dishes and a soup. I had to admit Russel’s cooking skills had improved significantly, and he seemed to always make my favourite dishes.
I was touched. There was this man who was quietly taking care of me in his own way, and I couldn’t help but feel something.
About five minutes later, Russel brought Serena and Brandon over. The kids were well taken care of by Norah, behaving well and cooing unintelligibly, occasionally sucking on their hands.
“Eat up,” Russel joined me at the table. From the side, his eyelashes looked incredibly long, almost like fake ones. His well-defined eyebrows added depth to his eyes, giving them an almost hand-drawn quality.
I didn’t think I had any special charm that would make this man willingly do so much for me.
“Why are you staring at me?” Russel noticed my gaze and glanced sideways at me. There was a hint of amusement in his deep, glossy eyes. “Wait, I should let you keep staring. Maybe you’ll start to feel something for me after a while.”
“Russel, you’re good-looking, but why don’t you use your brain?” I blurted out.
Under normal circumstances, my words would have been a mood killer, but not for Russel. Instead, he laughed, “Do tell. I’m all ears.”
“Did you trade in your IQ for those good looks?” I asked bluntly. “What’s the point of wasting your time on me? Think about it, what’s so special about me? I’m just a divorced woman with two kids. Why are
you so kind to me? I just can’t understand.”
Russel put down his fork and knife, his arm casually resting on the edge of the table. The smile at the corner of his lips was gone, replaced with a certain sternness. “Can you clearly explain why you were so infatuated with Neil back in the day?”
