Sophia Kendall and Serena Sawyer exchanged a quick, guilty glance and fell silent.
Timothy Xavier said, "If Zoe Ellison were really like what you described, she wouldn’t have brought Doris to the hospital."
After speaking, he imdiately called Jack Sullivan to escort Sophia Kendall and Serena Sawyer out.
Seeing this, Serena rubbed her belly and sobbed, "Timothy, do you really not want this child? This is your own flesh and blood! Mom just has a short temper. Even if I had a boy this ti, I wouldn’t favor sons over daughters. I would still treat Doris just as well as I did before."
But Timothy’s expression remained unchanged.
Jack Sullivan called for security, and as Sophia Kendall was being pushed out, she kept shouting resentfully, "Zoe Ellison! You must have turned Timothy against us! I’ve never seen such a shaless woman like you! You wretched woman, it’s you who made Doris end up like this!"
Finally, her voice faded away.
At this mont, Sharon suddenly ran to Doris’s bedside and said to us, "Doris is awake!"
Timothy and I then realized that Doris on the hospital bed had opened her eyes.
"I’ll go call the doctor!"
Timothy imdiately went to the doctor’s office.
Soon the doctor arrived and gave Doris a thorough check-up.
After the examination, the doctor said, "The child is out of danger. All indicators are stabilizing. The previous high fever didn’t affect her intelligence. Just pay attention to care in the future."
The weight lifted off my heart at last.
Timothy also visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
At this ti, Doris choked out, "Mom... I want Mom... Where was Mom yesterday? I called for her a long ti, but she didn’t answer."
Timothy’s face was troubled, knowing his daughter was calling for Serena, but he had just driven Serena and Sophia away.
Seeing Doris, who had narrowly escaped death, still asking for Serena upon waking, made feel utterly disheartened.
Only Sharon earnestly explained to Doris, "Your mom and grandma left you alone at ho. No one cared when you had a fever. It was Auntie Ellison who brought you to the hospital. Auntie Ellison was so worried, she even cried."
As soon as Sharon finished speaking, Doris angrily retorted, "You’re lying! My mom wouldn’t ignore ! You’re bullying with that bad woman, you both leave!"
A wave of exhaustion surged over like a tide. This father and daughter duo, truly disheartening!
I didn’t say anything, just turned to Sharon and said, "Sharon, co on, we should go."
Sharon hesitated for a mont but obediently ca to my side.
I took her hand and left the hospital room.
Timothy quickly caught up and blocked my path.
With a frown, he spoke with a faint trace of panic in his voice, "Are you really so heartless as to not care for your own daughter?"
I looked up at him, my gaze steady and unruffled, "Three years ago, when you told that monuntal lie and let Doris call soone else mom, you should have expected today. Timothy, when it cos to being heartless, compared to you, I’m just an amateur."
Pausing, I emphasized, "You’ve already proven to be an unfit husband. Please make sure you beco a competent father from now on. Otherwise, Doris might have been better off if she hadn’t been born at all. At least she wouldn’t have to endure so much unnecessary suffering in this world."
After speaking, I ignored him and, without looking back, took Sharon’s hand and left.
On the way, I drove silently, and Sharon was so well-behaved beside that even her breathing was gentle and quiet.
When we were almost ho, she cautiously said, "Auntie Ellison, you’re crying."
Saying this, she took out a cute square handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to .
"Thank you."
I forced a smile and hugged her, thinking how wonderful it would be if Doris were as considerate as Sharon.
Once ho, I felt utterly exhausted, without even the energy to cook.
"Sharon, let’s order takeout tonight, okay?"
Sharon nodded obediently and said, "Then I’ll start on my howork."
She went to the study, and I sat alone in the bedroom without turning on the lights.
From today’s events, it was evident that as soon as Serena beca pregnant, she could ignore Doris, even allowing her to have a fever-induced seizure without care.
In the future, life would likely only beco harder for Doris.
I wondered if Timothy could protect her well?
Although this child had repeatedly broken my heart, thinking about her future still caused pain.
I didn’t know how much ti passed, but the doorbell rang.
Thinking it was the takeout, I imdiately went to open the door.
But to my surprise, standing at the door was Julian Sinclair.
Today, he was wearing a dark gray wool coat, emphasizing his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and elongated figure.
A thin layer of snow dusted his black short hair, and even his breath ca out in white puffs, making him appear as if he had stepped out of a winter painting, yet inexplicably hard to look away from.
My heart skipped a beat, overwheld by an indescribable feeling, and I instinctively asked, "Why are you here?"
He casually replied, "Sharon called , saying you were planning to have takeout with her for dinner. It’s fine for an adult to manage with such als, but how can a child grow eating like that all the ti?"
"I..."
I had just started to explain when Sharon ca out of the study.
She ran to Julian Sinclair’s side and looked up, stating, "I asked Uncle Sinclair to co! Uncle Sinclair said before that when I miss my mommy and daddy, I can think of Auntie Ellison and Uncle Sinclair as my own parents!"
The words "mommy and daddy" made my cheeks instantly flush.
But Julian Sinclair remained calm, gently stroking Sharon’s head.
Only then did I notice that in his other hand, he was carrying two brown paper bags filled with various groceries, likely bought at the nearby imported goods supermarket.
Julian Sinclair slightly raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you not going to let in?"
I awkwardly stepped aside to let him enter, with a hint of apology in my voice, "Sorry, I was too tired today, so... I didn’t cook."
Julian Sinclair glanced at briefly before heading straight into the living room, removing his coat and handing it to .
As I took the coat, I could still feel the lingering warmth from his body on the fabric.
anwhile, Julian Sinclair was already in the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his forearms, deftly turning on the tap.
I hung up the coat and followed him into the kitchen, intending to assist him.
But just as I was about to move the vegetables to a side, he gently moved aside.
Julian Sinclair’s voice was deep: "If you’re tired, go rest. I’ll call you when the food’s ready."
I didn’t leave, leaning against the kitchen door fra, watching him wash, cut, and stir-fry with precise movents.
The warm yellow light fell on him, softening the chill of deep winter.
I hesitated for a mont, then said, "You’ve been gone for so long, and suddenly you’re cooking at my place. It’s... a bit hard to get used to."
The spatula in Julian Sinclair’s hand paused, and he turned to look at , his gaze so deep it was unreadable: "Don’t you have any clue why I disappeared for so long?"
I was taken aback, staring at him in confusion: "What do you an?"
But he looked away, continuing his task, his voice fading: "If you don’t understand, then forget it."
...
Since it was already past eight, he didn’t make anything complicated, just three dishes and a soup.
They looked and tasted great.
Sharon Hawthorne usually ate very little, but this ti she finished a whole bowl of rice.
After dinner, Sharon leaned against the window, murmuring, "It’s the first snow of the year..."
Julian Sinclair walked over, following her gaze out the window, and asked gently, "Does Sharon want to go downstairs to build a snowman?"
Sharon’s eyes lit up instantly, asking, "Really? Can we?"
Julian Sinclair smiled as he patted her head, saying, "Of course, we can."
Honestly, I didn’t want to go down. Doris’s situation has left feeling very unsettled and agitated.
But Sharon tugged at and said, "Auntie Ellison, co with us! Let’s build a snowman with a carrot nose!"
I couldn’t refuse any longer, so I wrapped Sharon in a thick down jacket, put on a coat myself, and went downstairs with them.
In the neighborhood, the snow had already accumulated into a thick layer, crunching underfoot, and the streetlights bathed the snowy ground in warm light.
Sharon was no longer as quiet and reserved as when she first arrived, and her playful nature was released on the snowy ground.
I never would have guessed that Julian Sinclair, usually so serious, could be so patient with a child.
"Uncle Sinclair, the snowman needs a scarf!" Sharon shouted, holding up her teddy bear scarf.
Fearing she might get cold, Julian Sinclair draped his own khaki scarf around the snowman’s neck.
I stood aside, dazed, spending most of my ti in a stupor.
At that mont, a small snowball hit .
I was startled, and Sharon was looking at with a cheeky smile.
As if afraid I’d be angry, she said, "Uncle Sinclair told to do it. He wants you to join us in building the snowman."
Julian Sinclair didn’t deny it and said, "If you’re going to keep being a downer, then go back up! No point in coming down just to catch a cold."
Sharon ca over and pulled in, and because I walked too quickly, one foot sank into the snow, and I stumbled toward Julian Sinclair.
...
anwhile.
None of them noticed the solitary shadow standing in the corner.
Earlier, when he saw Zoe Ellison about to fall, he instinctively took half a step forward, almost on his tiptoes, but that step never landed.
Because Zoe Ellison had already fallen into Julian Sinclair’s arms, and they tumbled together into the snow.
After a while, he saw Zoe Ellison hastily scrambling up from him, awkwardly forming a small snowball to throw at him.
Julian Sinclair let her throw snowballs at him over and over. It was clear he was enjoying it and was even laughing.
Later, he helped Zoe Ellison brush the snow off her body.
In that shadowy corner, Timothy Xavier’s stance was as rigid as ice.
He watched Zoe Ellison fall into Julian Sinclair’s embrace, saw her neither angry nor pushing him away, but instead using a slightly coquettish manner to cover her embarrassnt.
He was all too familiar with that look.
When Zoe Ellison was young, she was afraid of the dark and would secretly tug on his clothes from behind, yet still used other expressions and actions to hide her fear; the first ti he gave her flowers, she blushed and shoved them back at him, saying, "They don’t look good."
He knew Zoe Ellison had feelings for Julian Sinclair too.
At this mont, the snowy light reflected the woman’s smile, soft as lted candy.
But that smile was no longer for him.
Now, the way Zoe Ellison looked at him was only with distant coldness, more biting than the wind carrying the snow.
Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on the brown paper in his hand, the warmth of the roasted sweet potato long gone, leaving only a hard chill.
It was the taste of that old shop in the alley behind Veridia Central High.
Every winter, Zoe Ellison would drag him there to buy so.
A faint image of Zoe Ellison’s coy deanor eating roasted sweet potatoes erged in his mind, saying, "In future, every year during the first snow, you’ll accompany , okay?"
He’d pinch her food-stuffed cheeks with a smile and say, "Okay. It’s a promise! I’ll be with you, buying you your favorite roasted sweet potatoes from this shop."
Upon saying that, he grew a bit worried, "What if they quit one day, then what?"
"Then you’ll beco their apprentice and learn to make it for !"
She swung her legs, tilting her head, carefree and without a trace of worry.
But he hadn’t bought any in four years. Of course, he never cooked, nor would he make her als.
Instead, during the years she beca Mrs. Xavier, she took exceptional care of him.
The Zoe Ellison who once didn’t lift a finger soon learned everything after marrying him.
Timothy Xavier knew that from the mont he t Naomi Sawyer, Zoe Ellison was no longer the girl he cherished most.
He always assud that she would be like before: no matter how far he went or how many mistakes he made, as long as he turned back, Zoe Ellison would always be waiting for him in the sa spot.
But now, Naomi Sawyer was gone, and Zoe Ellison was gone too.
The scene in front of him — Zoe Ellison, Julian Sinclair, and Sharon — although not related by blood, looked just like the happiest family of three.
Julian Sinclair would help Zoe Ellison brush the snow from her hair, and Zoe Ellison smiled as she watched them build the snowman. Even the sound of the wind blew with a warmth he hadn’t felt in a long ti.
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