Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 76

"I was wrong."

"I came home late again last night."

"I accept my punishment."

Apologies were meant to earn forgiveness, but when the other party refused to forgive you, saying 'sorry' a million times was useless.

So Julian skipped the apologies entirely and simply laid out his mistakes.

Melody spared him a single glance, said absolutely nothing, stood up, stepped backward, and grabbed Elara's hand.

"Mom, let's go blow up balloons."

"Okay."

Elara held her hand, leading her toward the door. "But are you brave enough to blow them up?"

Melody was normally too scared to blow up balloons herself, terrified they would pop in her face.

"Umm..."

Melody frowned, thought about it very seriously, and looked up at Elara. "I want to try."

"I'm going to be four soon. I'm practically a big kid now, so I should at least give it a try, right?"

"You definitely can."

Elara agreed, adding, "Balloons are naturally prone to popping. It has nothing to do with being a big kid or a little kid; it's all about how much pressure the balloon can take."

"So when you blow one up, you have to use your judgment. You can't just be greedy and want a massive balloon while completely ignoring how much it can actually hold."

Melody listened intently, processed the information for a second, and nodded. "I get it. So Mom, how big do I blow it to make sure it's safe?"

Without a balloon in hand, Elara couldn't really show her, so she said, "How about we test it out together in a minute?"

"Okay! Whatever you say, Mom."

Mother and daughter laughed and chatted as they walked out of the playroom.

Julian trailed silently behind them. Just as they were about to enter the living room, he hurriedly called out, "Elara, wait."

Elara stopped instantly, turned to face him, and gave him a frigid stare that clearly screamed: *What now?*

Elara grabbed a wet wipe, began cleaning Melody's hands, and said casually, "I know you're upset. You feel like Melody disrespected you, and you want me to back you up and discipline her. Let me make this crystal clear: I refuse."

Tossing the used wipe into the trash can, Elara looked up, locking eyes with Julian. "Because I don't think Melody's rebellion is wrong."

"Elara."

Julian voiced his disapproval, reminding her, "Melody is four years old."

She was no longer a clueless infant who only knew how to cry and throw a tantrum until everyone else was miserable.

"She's not four yet."

Elara corrected him. "And besides, what does it matter if she is? No matter how young she is, she still has the right to refuse to forgive you."

Julian: "..."

"Furthermore," Elara's gaze grew even colder, "the person who pushed Melody to this point is you, Julian."

"You forced her to act 'unreasonably.' You're the one who needs to be disciplined. You're the one who needs to learn some self-control!"