The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 341

Stella smiled gently. “Keep eating this for a while longer and your cold hands and feet will get much better. Once that’s sorted out, I’ll help you with your stomach issues too. But you’re still very young—your digestion isn’t fully developed yet, so it’s best to cut back on sweets, cold drinks, and fried foods, okay?”

Marvin nodded obediently. “Stella, then what do you think I should order?”

Stella opened the menu, pointing out a few dishes for him. “These are all good for kids. See if there’s anything here you’d like.”

Keen sat beside Stella, silent. Ever since they arrived, she hadn’t said a single word to him, not even a glance, while she kept chatting away with Marvin.

A wave of panic crept over Keen, a feeling of being left out.

He remembered how, in the past, whenever he saw Rachel Pearce, he would run up to her, talking non-stop and sharing every silly thing that had happened that day. But when it came to his own mom, he could barely muster a word.

All the other kids at preschool had parents who’d at least finished college. His mom hadn’t even graduated high school. Grandma once said she probably couldn’t even read properly. How could someone like her ever have anything in common with him or Dad?

As he got older, Keen slowly learned the meaning of shame... and pride. He went from clinging to his mom to feeling embarrassed by her. At preschool, he never dared talk about her with the other kids or teachers. Whenever someone asked who picked him up, he would always say it was the housekeeper.

Grandma said it was normal for kids to look up to those who were stronger or better off. Before he turned five, his mom was his whole world. But after five, nothing about her could make him feel proud anymore.