His intention in doing so was to ease the overwhelming pain that spread through his heart during moments of longing.
Despite their divorce, Josie would always hold the position of his wife deep within his heart. Dexter approached her cautiously, stopping just half a step away from her.
“Do you still plan on deceiving me?” He stared intensely at Josie, his gaze burning as if he was trying to see through her.
Josie turned her face away, resisting his approach. She simply said, “Dexter, we are already divorced. We have no connection anymore… Please return my daughter to me.”
“Is she really not related to me? Josie! Actually, finding out the truth is quite simple. With the advancements in modern technology, conducting a DNA test wouldn’t take much time…”
However, he chose not to rely on technological means. That was simply because he trusted his intuition. In other words, he was more inclined to believe that Josie would not choose to be with someone else in the short time they were apart.
“Enough.” Josie took a deep breath. “I’ve been with someone else for a while now, and you have absolutely no involvement in this matter.”
Huh!
Dexter thought he was no longer capable of feeling pain, but upon hearing those words, it felt as if a needle had pricked his heart. “Someone else? Is it Lachlan?”
Josie was taken aback.
Surprisingly, he knew about Lachlan. It seemed that he had extensively investigated her prior to this.
“Yes,” she stated with certainty. In the next moment, Dexter’s piercing eyes darkened. He swiftly seized her wrist, forcing her into a corner. An overwhelming sense of oppression surged forth, and Josie felt as if she was on the verge of suffocation.
“Josie… did you really-”
“Baddie, let go of my mommy.” Before Dexter could finish his sentence, a childish voice rang out. Grape had somehow appeared behind them and had run up to Josie.
With a forceful push from her small hands, she tried to shove Dexter away. Her strength was not great, but Dexter willingly loosened his grip, stepping back two paces in response.
“Grape-” Upon seeing Grape, Josie let out a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
She quickly crouched down, pulling the little girl into an embrace.
The sight of the mother and daughter tightly embracing each other stirred something within Dexter’s heart.
Before he could regain his composure, Grape stood directly in front of Josie, her eyes glaring angrily at him. “Baddie, you’re not allowed to hurt my mommy.”
Dexter gazed at the tiny figure before him, his throat bobbing slightly.
For a moment, he didn’t know how to react.
“Grape…”
Grape scoffed and immediately retorted, “You’re not my daddy. I don’t want you to be my daddy…” The father she yearned for was like a towering tree, protecting her and her mother. He was their iron shield, a heroic figure, not a sword that hurt her mother.
If her father were like this, then she would rather… not have a father at all.
“Grape…” Josie’s voice was hoarse as she spoke, her gaze fixed on the tiny figure, her eyes slightly moist. The situation before her eyes was something she had never anticipated.
“Mommy… he’s not daddy, is he? Daddy wouldn’t make Mommy angry. Daddy would love Mommy very much…” The room was filled with the innocent words of a child.
Every word and every sentence struck Dexter’s heart.
Dexter felt an overwhelming discomfort deep within his heart, a suffocating sensation that seemed to envelop him entirely, causing a raw, throbbing pain.
I’m not a capable husband.
I’m certainly far from being a competent father. Josie was amazed by how perceptive her daughter, who was just a little over a year old, could be. It touched her deeply.
“Sweetheart, it’s time to go home.”
