Bonnie was close enough for Darren to feel her breath on his face. He suddenly froze.
Bonnie quickly grabbed the chopsticks from Darren's hand and shied away.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment, and only Darren's and Bonnie's heartbeats filled the silent air in the huge study room.
Looking at Bonnie's face scattered Darren's thoughts. Subconsciously, he focused on her red lips.
Disappointment flashed in his eyes as soon as Bonnie pushed him away.
Bonnie could not tell what Darren was thinking. She looked at him and stammered, "It was an accident. Don't read much into it."
Darren smiled slyly. "Who said I'm reading into it? But I admit I can't help it. Your heart's racing too. Do I make you nervous?"
Bonnie blushed and fell silent. She had no answer to that question.
"Don't be ridiculous," she finally said a bit defensively. She rolled her eyes in an attempt to feign indifference.
"Oh, I don't think I'm being ridiculous at all," Darren replied with a mischievous grin.
Bonnie felt her heart skip a beat at that. She gritted her teeth and looked away.
Darren just watched her with an amused expression on his face. Even though she looked away now, he had caught her staring at him multiple times.
Bonnie was still too embarrassed and angry to say a word, but Darren acted as if nothing had happened. He pointed at the chopsticks in Bonnie's hand and said, "You must have eaten before I came back. There are so many dishes left. If I don't eat them, they will go to waste."
It was not like Darren to wear that innocent look. Anybody who was familiar with him knew that he only had a limited number of facial expressions, and an innocent one was not one of them.
It was the first time for Bonnie to see Darren acting like a spoiled child, which was a little different from her impression of him.
But she did not hate it. She ignored the butterflies in her stomach and handed the chopsticks back to him.
Darren smiled, took the chopsticks, and started eating.
He scarfed down every bit of food on the table like a tornado. Bonnie sat beside him and watched while still desperately trying to sort out her emotions.
Witnessing this, Taylor felt very sad. She also had a child, and only she could understand how heartbreaking all this was. Taylor then thought of her own child, her lovely smile, and the happy times they had spent together.
They were the best memories a mother could have, memories Emily could not make with her own children. Taylor could not help feeling sorry for Emily. She could only sigh as she could do nothing about it.
Nothing was more ruthless than tearing a mother away from her children.
Emily looked at the two children who seemed to be trying to hide from her. Her heart was suddenly empty like a tipped-over glass of water. Emotional throes rushed over her like sea waves. She simply stood there, tired and hollow.
She could feel the pain threatening her knees to buckle. She struggled against it. For the sake of her children, she would get herself better. She would beat her illness.
With a complicated look on her face, Taylor looked at Emily and asked, "Can you handle it?" Emily snapped back to her senses. After a short hesitation, she slowly nodded. Her expression was firm, as if she had decided that no matter how difficult the world was, she would not break.
This was the power of maternal love.
Emily finally took the first step, followed by the second, and then the third... She slowly closed the distance between herself and her children. The walk felt like it was taking forever. Emily felt like a mermaid princess who had just gained human legs and was now setting foot on strange human lands, willing to face anything for those she loved. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears guided by a clear voice that told her to make things right for her children.
Seeing his sister approaching, Louis was both surprised and worried. Locking gazes with Taylor made him even more worried. He knew that if Emily relapsed now, all the previous efforts at making her better would be in vain.
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