The Years Between Signing and Seeing novel Chapter 310

After leaving the preschool, Suzie and the rest of the group finally arrived back home.

The three kids immediately swarmed her. Zoey tilted her head, her expression thoroughly confused. "Mommy, didn't you say we had to keep it a secret that you're our mom when we go outside?"

The other two boys chimed in. "Yeah, Mommy."

A painful lump formed in Suzie's throat at the innocent question.

She hated herself in that moment. She had been so focused on maintaining her own peaceful, private life that she hadn't fully considered the emotional toll it was taking on them.

It was hard enough that they had grown up without a father, but now they weren't even allowed to call out to their own mother in public.

She slowly pulled all three of them into a tight, fierce hug, softly weaving a comforting little lie. "Mommy was just playing a game with you earlier. Do you know what kind of game? I was testing you. I wanted to see if you could remember my words, keep our secret safe, and stick to the little promise we made."

She pulled back, flashing them a radiant, beaming smile, and gave them two enthusiastic thumbs up. "And guess what? I realized my babies are incredibly smart. You passed the test perfectly."

Zayn blinked up at her. "Does that mean... we can call you Mommy whenever we go out now?"

Suzie looked down at their hopeful, shining eyes. Instead of giving a direct answer, she asked gently, "Are our sweet babies famous little stars now? Do famous stars need to hide from their fans?"

They all nodded in unison, completely serious.

She lovingly ruffled their hair, one by one. "From now on, you only need to remember two things. First, we have to keep Mommy a secret to hide from your fans. Second, if anyone ever asks you directly who your mommy is, you don't tell them. That's called 'protecting our privacy.' But other than that, you can call me Mommy anywhere and anytime you want. Do you understand?"

Three adorable little heads bobbed in perfect harmony. Confident that they understood, Suzie pressed on, her voice light and cheerful. "Alright. So tomorrow after school, we're going to take Hayden and Mia on a road trip. We'll even have a barbecue outside. How does that sound?"

***

Later that evening, after dinner.

Once the children were finally tucked into bed and asleep, the house settled into a comfortable quiet.

Hayden and Mia lingered in the living room for a little while before eventually saying their goodbyes and leaving Marquis Residences.

Still deeply worried about Oliver Cross's mother, Suzie grabbed her keys and drove out to the hospital alone.

By the time she pulled into the hospital's parking garage and secured her car, the night air was thick and heavy.