Nicole’s response was very calm. She smiled faintly with a layer of mist in her eyes.
She suppressed her emotions and said, “Yeah, I know I shouldn’t think that way. My relatives shouldn’t lose me because of what happened to my husband. No matter how much I love him, I need to continue living.”
Her voice was a little hoarse, and it faded with the wind.
However, every word struck Jeff’s heart.
He breathed a sigh of relief, but he also felt flustered.
His heart was painful as if a thin thread tightened around it, and Nicole’s gentle smile was even more hurtful.
His eyes were distressed and complex, and he could not say a word.
This was the third time he felt powerless.
The first time was the time he was born because he was unable to choose his family.
The second time was when the earthquake hit. He could not stop the natural disaster. When he fell from the top of the mountain, he only had one thought in his mind, ‘What will happen to my Nicole?’
The third time was this moment.
The raging waves drowned his inner voice.
No one could hear his internal struggle.
He wanted to cry and complain about the injustice of fate, but he could not.
He could not expose his unease because he was Jeff, not Clayton.
He wanted to comfort her as a bystander, but he could not do it.
He could not utter a word because his throat seemed to be burning, and the pain made his body tense and twitch.
Fortunately, Nicole was so immersed in her own despair that she did not notice anything wrong with him.
After a while, Nicole’s phone rang.
Kai video-called her.
Nicole picked it up without even thinking about it.
“Mommy, I didn’t see you when I woke up. I miss you so much...”
Chatty looked at Nicole through the phone and pouted cutely, acting like a baby.
Kai, who was on the side, helplessly straightened the phone for Chatty.
“This big baby refuses to drink milk. She said she’ll only drink it if you coax her.”
Nicole’s heart softened. A completely different smile appeared on her face.
This tenderness had some temperature.
That smile was as if she found comfort for the rest of her life.
Nicole smiled and said, “Be a good baby and drink your milk so you can grow taller and fight monsters.”
Chatty raised her chin obediently, and her big eyes glowed with wit.
“Mommy, are you on a date with Daddy?”
Nicole was stunned. Her smile froze, then she turned her phone in a certain direction.
“This is Uncle Jeff, not Daddy!”
Chatty’s excited eyes lit up when she saw Jeff.
“It’s Daddy, the transformed Daddy! Mommy, you shouldn’t lie to children. I’ll wait for you two to come back! Bye bye...”
Chatty knew not to disturb Daddy and Mommy’s date, so she hung up the phone even if she was reluctant.
She excitedly hugged Kai and rolled around.
“Oh, Uncle K! My daddy is back!”
Kai was speechless as he was crushed by Chatty, who treated him like he was a horse.
He was helpless and doting toward her.
Nicole looked at the call that was hung up and was forced to swallow the explanation she had.
Thus, she could only look at Jeff apologetically.
“Sorry, my daughter just misses her dad so much. I’ll explain it to her.”
Jeff could not even force himself to smile.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Deserted Rich Beauty (Nicole and eric)