She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 34

Under the glow of her phone screen, Sylvie's eyes darkened, her lips pressing into a thin line.

When she looked up again, she seamlessly slipped back into her understanding, gentle persona. "Mr. Jewell, it's getting late. Since you're home, I know Miles is in good hands. I'll..." She gently set down the boy who was clinging to her. "I'll get going now."

Herbert glanced at his watch, frowning slightly. "Are you heading back to the hospital, or back to your apartment?"

Sylvie smiled, though it looked bitter. "The hospital wards are past curfew, so I can't go back there. As for the apartment... It's fine, I'll just find a cheap motel for the night."

"Absolutely not," Herbert instantly vetoed the idea, guilt flashing in his eyes. "You came all the way out here because of Miles. Just stay here tonight. I'll drive you back first thing in the morning."

"Oh..." Sylvie hesitated, looking torn.

"He's right, Ms. Sinclair. You should stay. The house is massive, we have more than enough room," Callie chimed in, assuming the girl was just being polite.

Hearing she might stay, Miles bounced with excitement, refusing to let go of her hand. "Sylvie, stay! You can sleep in my room, it's huge! Please stay, please!"

"Well... okay then." Acting as if she simply couldn't resist the boy's pleading, she agreed with a smile.

Callie beamed. "He really does adore you, Ms. Sinclair."

Sylvie picked him up. "And I adore him too."

Miles happily snuggled into her arms, thinking to himself that it wasn't so bad if his mom wasn't home sometimes. At least Sylvie got to sleep over.

He stayed up incredibly late that night, begging Sylvie to play with him.

But when it finally came time for bed, he felt deeply unsettled. The person beside him wasn't the mother who flawlessly read him bedtime stories every night, but rather Sylvie, who wasn't very good at it.

It made him miss Hulda a little.

That's fine, he thought. Mom makes breakfast for him and Dad every single morning.

So she would definitely be back by tomorrow morning.

Noticing the heavy, dark circles under his eyes, Callie paused. "Sir, did you not sleep well either?"

What was going on?

Both father and son had had a rough night...

Herbert kept his face blank. "Yeah. Was reading papers late."

Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they heard noises coming from the kitchen.

Miles's sleepy eyes instantly lit up. "Mom's back!"

Breaking free from Callie's grip, he sprinted toward the kitchen.

Herbert maintained his stoic expression, making no move to stop his son's reckless dash.