Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 288

"It's completely okay," Elara reassured her warmly.

She ran a hand through the little girl's hair and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Mommy knows it was an accident. I could never be mad at you."

The utter lack of reprimand only made Melody blush harder, burying her face deeper into Elara's shoulder.

Elara held her close for another minute before bracing her hands on the floor to stand up. "Ready to tackle the sofa now?"

Melody gave a small, obedient nod.

Elara led her by the hand out to the living room and settled her onto the plush cushions. Jocelyn was right behind them, immediately placing the two glasses of warm water on the coffee table.

Melody reached out with both tiny hands to cup her glass. "Thank you, Grandma," she rasped.

Jocelyn smiled softly, giving her head one last affectionate pat before retreating to the armchair across from them.

Having exhausted herself crying, Melody was severely dehydrated. She tilted the glass back and chugged half of the warm water in one continuous gulp.

Elara mirrored her, draining half her own glass while keeping a watchful, patient eye on her daughter.

Seeing Melody finally lower her glass, Elara asked gently, "Are you feeling hungry yet? Do you want to eat something?"

Melody turned to stare at her blankly, her tired brain buffering for a long moment before she gave a slow, sluggish shake of her head.

But then, sensing the thick, anxious tension rolling off her mother and grandmother, she quickly reconsidered. She gave a jerky nod, sniffling as she mumbled, "I want some Jell-O."

Because her nap had been violently cut short, her stomach hadn't realized it was time to eat yet. She didn't want anything heavy like cake, nor did she want fruit, so she latched onto the only appealing thing her grandmother had mentioned earlier: Jell-O cups.

"You got it. Sit tight, I'll grab them," Jocelyn chimed in.

She hurried into the kitchen, returning moments later with a brightly colored fruit cup. She peeled back the plastic seal and handed it over with a small plastic spoon.

"Thank you, Grandma."

Melody politely thanked her, carefully setting her water glass aside so she could accept the treat with both hands.

Jocelyn had grabbed a few extra cups from the pantry, passing one over to Elara as well.

The mother and daughter sat on the couch, quietly eating their Jell-O cups in companionable silence. Neither of the adults pushed the issue of the meltdown.

Obviously, they needed to figure out what had triggered the panic attack, but Elara knew Melody was still too raw and defensive. Pushing her now would only backfire. She swallowed her desperate need for answers, deciding to wait for the perfect, quiet moment later that night to gently coax the truth out of her.

After finishing the fruit cups and munching on a few crackers, Elara casually asked, "Do you want to watch a cartoon?"

Melody, eager to please and clearly still feeling guilty, nodded immediately. "Okay."

Elara grabbed the remote and turned on the television, pulling up the streaming menu filled with her daughter's favorite shows, leaving the final choice to her.

Surprisingly, Melody ignored all of her usual modern favorites. Instead, her little finger pointed directly at a classic, vintage superhero animation: *The Seven Sentinels*.

Elara raised an eyebrow in surprise, but dutifully clicked play on the old-school action show without a word of protest.

The episodes were incredibly short, barely lasting ten minutes each.

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