Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 82

"There's no rush."

Elara kissed her daughter's forehead. "Just observe for a bit first, then decide if you want to keep liking him."

"Whether Dad is doing the right thing, whether he's being good or bad, and whether he deserves your unconditional forgiveness and love—you have to judge that for yourself."

"No matter what you decide, Mom supports you."

Melody nodded, half-understanding. "Okay."

She threw herself into Elara's arms and invented a brand-new point system on the spot. "Then I'll give Dad ten points to start. As long as he doesn't drop below six points, I can forgive him whenever he does something wrong and apologizes."

"If he drops below six points, I won't forgive him temporarily, until he goes back up to six. If he drops below three points, I'll... temporarily stop liking him. If he loses all his points, I'll never like him again."

"Mom, do you think that works?"

She talked about not forgiving and not liking him, but it was all temporary, and the points could always be earned back.

Deep down, Melody still loved her father dearly. She couldn't bear to let him go and desperately wanted to keep him around.

"That works."

Elara supported her in everything. She kissed her daughter's forehead and said, "This point system is a great idea. Do you want to make a chart for it?"

"Yes."

Melody's mind worked fast, and she already knew exactly how she wanted to execute it. "If Dad behaves well, I'll reward him with a little red flower. If he behaves badly, I'll give him a weed sticker."

She leaned against Elara, gesturing wildly in the air with both hands. "I want to make it this big and put it in the living room, right where he can see it every day when he comes in and out."

"Alright."

Once the creation and rules of the chart were settled, Melody fell silent for a brief moment before mumbling, "Dad has been really bad these past few days, and he didn't come home today, so I've decided to give him a weed sticker. Now Dad only has nine points."

She rolled over and climbed up. "Mom, help me send Dad a message. Tell him he lost one point today."

The next day.

It wasn't even eight in the morning when Elara was woken up by a call from Sarah Norwood.

Groggy, she grabbed her phone and answered, "Did something happen?"

"Big news."

Sarah's tone was heavy, yet tinged with a hint of excitement. "The investigator I sent to look into Julian just got back to me."

Hearing that, Elara immediately sat up. "What's the verdict?"

"Those documents you sent me last time were completely real."

Sarah let out a sharp laugh. "Marcus Thorne, the corporate rep for that new shell company, passed away a year ago. Julian's entire deal with them is about to blow up in his face."