Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 74

Breakfast today was once again cooked by Elara, with the maids stepping in to handle the cleanup.

By the time Julian finally wandered downstairs, a rich, delicious spread was already set on the table, and the mother-daughter duo had already taken their seats and started eating.

Across from them sat a third, untouched plate with an identical sandwich, a sweet Breakfast Custard Pot, and a glass of juice.

This time, they hadn't waited for him.

Julian stood outside the dining room and watched for a moment, a storm of complicated emotions brewing in his chest.

On the walk downstairs, he had traced the chain of events and accepted that he was the one at fault. He was the one who had broken his promise to Melody again.

But seeing the two of them so openly ostracize him—refusing to greet him, ignoring his good mornings, and not even waiting for him to eat—made a tidal wave of disappointment crash over him.

Simultaneously, a profound, inexplicable sense of panic gripped his heart. But before he could even decipher why he was panicking, it was instantly swallowed by a surge of anger.

Even if he and Elara were going to get divorced, even if their family of three was destined to split up, they were still a family right now. He was still connected to Melody by blood, and he and Elara were still a married couple with a daughter.

As long as they lived under the same roof, they were a family.

How dared they isolate the head of the household like this?

Julian took long strides into the dining room and walked straight to his usual seat across from Elara and Melody.

Melody was dying for blueberry jam today; she wanted it on almost every bite of her sandwich.

But she couldn't quite manage it herself. Whenever she tried to spoon it onto the half-eaten sandwich, the jam just slid off.

Holding the sandwich in one hand and a spoon in the other, Melody looked pitifully at Elara and pleaded, "Mom, can you help me?"

"Of course."

Elara took the spoon, scooped up a small dollop of jam, tilted it carefully, and let the jam slide perfectly onto the filling between the two slices of bread without spilling a single drop.

"Wow!"

Melody watched in absolute awe, showering her mother with endless praise.

"Mom, you're amazing!"

"Mom, you can do anything, you're the best!"

"Is my mom a genius? How are you so good at this?"

If she hadn't been holding her sandwich, she would have clapped.

Elara almost floated out of her chair from the compliments. It took everything in her to keep a steady hand as she applied the rest of the jam.

"Thank you for the compliments, sweetie."

Elara set the spoon down, leaned over, and kissed Melody's forehead, adding a small condition. "But next time, can you wait until I'm done spreading it before you praise me? Otherwise, I might get too excited, my hand will shake, and the jam will fall out."

Melody nodded in agreement, then looked at Elara with a completely serious expression. "I trust that my mom won't mess up."

Elara was speechless.

Today's entire breakfast consisted of things he didn't like and wouldn't eat.

And Elara had just wordlessly served it to him.

Julian stared at the sandwich and sweet custard in front of him, turning it over in his mind. Finally, he silently pushed the custard away, picked up the sandwich, and choked it down with some juice.

The studio was scheduled to arrive at nine-thirty to set up the birthday decorations.

With some time to kill, Melody wanted to play with her building blocks, so Elara sat down to join her.

The two of them went into the playroom, kicked off their shoes, sat cross-legged on the floor, and chatted while they built.

Julian thought for a moment, grabbed a pack of Melody's favorite Kiddo-Blast Milk Cartons, followed them in, and sat down next to his daughter.

Melody was looking for a specific red piece. She tried a few different ones, but none of them fit.

Julian glanced at the instruction booklet, noticed the exact piece she needed was right by his foot, picked it up, and handed it to her.

Melody froze. She looked at the piece in his hand, then looked up at him, but didn't take it.

Assuming she was worried he had grabbed the wrong one, Julian pushed it closer and prompted, "It's this one."

Melody pressed her lips together in silence for a moment. Then, she raised her hand and mercilessly swatted away the perfectly correct piece Julian was offering.

The red block bounced off the beige foam mat a few times before landing next to the trash can in the corner.