What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 255

"Uncle Simon!" Anna cheered, jumping up and down.

The two little girls finally skipped out of the school gates, hand in hand.

"Uncle Simon, do you have plans for later?" Brynlee tilted her head, asking curiously.

Simon paused, a gentle smile touching his lips. "Why do you ask?"

Brynlee immediately looked up at Kaia. "Mommy, didn't you say you were going shopping this afternoon? I want to go with Anna. She already said she'd keep me company."

Anna nervously peeked at Simon's reaction, her big bright eyes flashing with guilt. She grabbed one of his fingers and tugged it gently. "Uncle Simon..."

Simon instantly understood his niece's motive.

He did have prior engagements, but...

"I'm completely free this afternoon," Simon smiled.

Kaia couldn't stop her daughter in time. Hearing Simon say he was free only made her feel more awkward.

"Mommy, I promised to get Anna a little gift. The last time I came back to school after being sick, she gave me two pretty hair clips." Brynlee rubbed her hands together, looking at Kaia pleadingly. "Can we let Anna pick out a gift she likes?"

Kaia sighed helplessly at her daughter's unauthorized planning and guilty little face.

"Is it inconvenient for you, Kaia?" Simon asked, looking at her. "It's been a while since I took Anna out shopping anyway. If you don't mind..."

Kaia hesitated for only a second before nodding. "Sure. Let the kids have some fun. Brynlee owes Anna a gift anyway."

The two girls were ecstatic. And just like that, the four of them formed a little shopping squad and headed to a massive upscale mall nearby.

Simon let Kaia handle Anna as they walked out. He drove his own car, trailing behind Kaia's silver Mercedes. Stopped at a red light, Simon stared at the car ahead of him, a complex storm of emotions surging in his chest.

It felt like a dream—one he had chased for a very long time. The dream was finally bleeding into reality, yet he was terrified that the moment he blinked, it would vanish again.

Arriving at Galleria West, Kaia's first stop was Toy Kingdom to let the kids pick out their gifts.

The two girls ran ahead happily, their tiny figures darting from aisle to aisle, deep in serious debate over their selections.

Kaia and Simon were forced to trail behind them. For a moment, the air between them felt slightly awkward and rigid.

Suddenly, Simon stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on a display.

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