Nicole was bewildered at Maya’s words.
Maya stayed with me for a year at the estate. Since she’s seven now, that means she was six when she was with me. She said their mother sewn it for her when she was about to turn six years old, which was about a year before she stayed with me. But didn’t Susan tell me their mother died several years ago in a car crash?
Mulling over that question, she concluded that someone must have deliberately told a white lie to Maya. They must have someone else sew it and tricked Maya into thinking her mother had done it.
Poor, poor child. It really must suck to lose their mother at such a young age. I’m sure Susan will treat them as her own.
Nicole pulled out a small packet of cheese from the hidden pocket. Tearing it open, she popped the snack into her mouth. Maya beamed at her brightly.
She reached out to pinch Maya’s plump cheeks playfully, her heart clenching in her chest.
Will she be very sad when she discovers I’ve left without saying goodbye? Well, might as well rip off the Band-Aid now instead of dragging things out. I am bound to leave anyway.
From the room next door came the sounds of Juan and Kyle playing games together.
She entered their room curiously and Juan stuck his tongue out at her. “Mommy, I’ll practice my Taekwondo after this round!”
Kyle smirked and added, “I’ll try to improve on my hacking skills after this round!”
“Sure.”
Once again, Nicole lamented the fact that their mother passed away so young. It was such a pity.
Evan had said that the woman in the photo was his only wife.
Maybe it’s because of these outstanding children that he can’t seem to forget about her. That woman must be absolutely irreplaceable in his heart.
“Mommy, could you bring us to the amusement park tomorrow? It’s a Sunday tomorrow and we’ll have to go back to class on Monday!”
“That’s right, Mommy! You used to bring us to the amusement park all the time.”
Nicole mulled over the idea for a moment, finally agreeing. She would just think of it as fulfilling one last wish for the children before she left.
“Alright.”
“Should we ask Daddy to come with us?”
Honestly, she was getting tired of being treated as a substitute by Evan. Besides, he was a married man. She should be keeping her distance from him.
She shook her head, replying, “No need. I can take all of you myself. Actually, there are maids here, aren’t there? We can just bring one of them along with us.”
The kids glanced at each other, remembering all the times their mother used to bring them to the amusement park alone. Their father was probably too busy with work to come with them anyway.
The next day.
The children woke up very early due to their excitement. After breakfast, they changed into their favorite clothes and stood outside Nicole’s bedroom door, waiting.
Their father was displeased with how they shouted and banged on Nicole’s door to wake her up the day before. He told them that she was very tired and that they should let her rest. They were not allowed to make a commotion.
Heeding his instructions, they stood outside her door and waited in silence obediently.
By the time Nicole woke up, it was well into the day.
Checking the time, she bolted upright in bed. Were the children too tired from their outing yesterday? It was strange that they were not knocking her door down to wake her up.
She took her time changing into a clean set of clothing before she opened the door. To her surprise, the four kids were lined in a neat row in front of her door.
“Mommy!”
“Good morning, Mommy!”
“Mommy, time to eat breakfast!”
“Mommy, we’ve already eaten!”
She frowned when she took in how they were already dressed and ready to go.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?”
They looked at each other, grinning but not replying. At last, one of them spoke up, “Maya, you tell her!”
Maya was the most straightforward and honest of them all.
Giggling, Maya explained, “Daddy said he would give us a spanking if we woke you up by banging on your door!”
Evan threatened them? Is it because he wants to let me sleep in? That’s very thoughtful of him. Too bad he’s about to disappear from my life forever. We’re just not fated to be together.
At the thought, her heart trembled and ached terribly. Curling her fingers into fists, she mentally berated herself.
Nicole Lane! Such is your life! Accept it and move on. Stop thinking about him and focus on enjoying your last day with the kids!
“Mommy, is there something wrong?”
