Half an hour passed before Natalie returned home from buying the desserts she and her. children loved the most. Tm back, Emma.” When she stepped into her home, she was surprised that Emma wasn’t there. Did she not hear me? Is she in the kitchen or keeping the children company upstairs?
Just as she wondered about Emma’s whereabouts, she saw what was transpiring in the living room. Sophia was sitting on Mikhail’s back, giggling and urging him to run faster. Meanwhile, he crawled on the ground and held her in place with one hand so she wouldn’t fall from his back.
As for Emma, she was standing at the side, watching the scene unfold indifferently, as though she had been desensitized. Furrowing her eyebrows, Natalie asked, “What’s going on?”
Her sudden voice prompted everyone to turn their attention to her. Upon putting down the dessert in her hand, Natalie approached Sophia and attempted to remove the girl from Mikhail’s back. Before she could do that, however, the girl leaped from his back and scampered to her mother like a cheery bird. “You’re back, Mommy!”
“What are you…” Natalie was confounded. “This mister is very nice, Mommy. When I said I wanted to play pretend to ride a horse, he played with me!” Sophia pointed at Mikhail, who was still on the ground, his face covered in sweat. He seemed pretty happy to have played with her.
Mister? I don’t think he told Sophia his identity yet. It seems like she’s just treating him as though he was just another senior. Natalie crouched before her daughter and advised, “He’s not a spring chicken, Sophia, so his back may not be in good condition. If you want to play that next time, you should ask your daddy or Uncle Steven to do it instead. He’s an old man, so if you want to play with him in the future, you mustn’t treat him like that, okay?”
After briefly processing her mother’s words, Sophia glanced at Mikhail and nodded vigorously. “I get it now, Mommy. I won’t be that willful next time.”
“Good girl.” Smiling, Natalie suggested, “Look at the dirt on your hands and sweat on your face. You should go and take a shower first. Once you’re done, we’ll get Franklin, Clayton, Yumi, and Xavian to eat dessert with us together.”
“Okay!” Sophia nodded obediently. Then, Natalie stood and turned to Emma. “Please help me bring Sophia upstairs, Emma.” Emma picked up Natalie’s intentions and nodded. “Will do, Ms. Nichols.”
Then she held the girl’s hand and went upstairs. At the same time, Mikhail slowly stood from the ground, wiped the dust on his body, and stared at Natalie. His attendant noticed his intentions as well and backed away. At that, only Mikhail and Natalie were left in the living room. Natalie’s eyes glinted as she muttered, “Why…. are you here?”
Standing still, he asked somewhat moodily, “While I can receive news of your recovery progress, I still want to take a look at you myself. How are you doing so far?”
“I’m doing well. My recovery’s almost complete.” The edge of her mouth twitched. “Thanks for getting Dr. Dalton to treat me. He did a great job, so much so that my injuries won’t be leaving any scars.”
“No need to thank me. This is what I’m supposed to do.” He really wanted to acknowledge her as his daughter, but he wasn’t sure how to put his thoughts into words, so he instead said, “I have many things I want to ask and tell you, Natalie. However, I’m not sure where to begin. Will you give me a chance to do both?”
Staring at the white-haired man in front of her, Natalie thought, This is the man Mom deeply loved and never made her regret anything. After experiencing so many ups and downs, I don’t want to hate anyone anymore. Instead, I’m much more curious about him and Mom’s past…
