We Want Mommy Not You Daddy (Cedar) novel Chapter 162

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We Want Mommy, Not You, Daddy!

Chapter 162

“Phew!” I exhaled loudly in relief.

Ridley snorted softly. “For someone so timid, you showed remarkable

courage last night,” he remarked with a deepening smirk as he

stepped out of the car.

Courage? What had I supposedly done last night? My face heated up

again. Was this jerk Ridley deliberately trying to embarrass me? Seriously, I was drugged last night–none of that was my fault!

I felt a surge of irritation, but he was already walking away. With no other choice, I pushed down my emotions and quietly followed

behind him.

Twilight had fallen, and the garden lights around the Sterling mansion illuminated one by one as we approached. I followed Ridley into the house, where a profound silence suggested no one was home.

“Upstairs,” Ridley commanded tersely, already ascending the

staircase.

I gazed up at the second floor, which appeared to consist mostly of bedrooms. The thought of following this man upstairs made me

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inexplicably nervous.

“What are you waiting for? Don’t you want to see Aria?” Ridley

paused, turning to fix me with a cool stare.

My eyes instantly brightened. “Mr. Sterling, you brought me here to

see Aria?”

“What else did you think?” His lips thinned as he posed the counter-

question.

I let out an awkward laugh and hurried up the stairs after him. The

second floor had several rooms, but only one door stood slightly ajar.

Ridley stopped in front of it.

“Aria’s inside,” he said quietly.

I grasped the handle and gently pushed the door open. On the

balcony, a small easel was set up, and Aria stood before it, paintbrush

in hand, completely absorbed in her artwork. Her dark eyes were fixed solely on the painting; everything else might as well have been

invisible.

My heart clenched as I stepped into the room. I made no effort to soften my footsteps, which echoed throughout the bedroom, but the child showed no reaction whatsoever.

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Chapter 162

“Aria,” I called softly.

She jerked her head up suddenly. Disbelief filled her dark eyes.

Seeing that she could hear me, I sighed with relief. I approached with

a gentle smile. “Aria, what are you painting? Would you teach me?”

Aria’s eyes hungrily traced my face, a storm of emotions swirling

within them. She released her paintbrush and slowly, tentatively

extended her right hand, eventually grasping my pinky finger.

My face softened with tenderness. I looked down, enveloping her

small hand in mine before drawing her tiny body into my embrace.

“Aria, can you talk to me a little?” I asked softly, holding her.

I knew she could speak–she had before–but her self–imposed

isolation had gradually eroded that instinct.

“Aria, the first time we met was at the amusement park, remember?

You could speak then,” I reminded her with a gentle smile. “You helped me that day. If it weren’t for you, I might have been taken away by the security guards. I’m not asking for much–just say something, anything. Can you do that for me?”

Aria’s lips parted, but no sound emerged.

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Chapter 162

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