Chapter 433
[ 486 words ]
Chapter 433:
She’d dealt with my pestering all day, then tended to a “sick” Silas all evening. She must have been completely worn out.
I moved carefully toward her, my heart filled with tender affection.
Bending down, I gently slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back before lifting her into my arms.
She was even lighter than she had been three years ago, so light it almost felt as though I was holding nothing at all. The guilt buried inside me surged uncontrollably.
I carefully laid her down on the opposite side of the bed. My movements were so gentle that even I hardly recognized myself.
I didn’t leave. Instead, I remained seated at the bedside, quietly watching her sleeping face in the dim light.
Reaching out, I enclosed her hand, which had slipped from beneath the blanket, within my larger one.
Her fingers were still cool, so I tightened my hold slightly, savoring the softness of her skin.
у𝗼𝘶r 𝘯𝗲𝘹t 𝘧𝘢𝘃o𝗋𝗶te 𝗿е𝘢𝖽 𝘪𝘴 on 𝗴a𝗅ո𝗼𝘷𝗲𝘭𝘀.с𝘰𝗆
Only through that tangible touch could I convince myself that everything before me was real, that it wasn’t another alcohol-fueled illusion, and that she had truly come back to me.
After sitting there for some time, my legs started to grow numb. As I adjusted my position, my foot accidentally brushed against the edge of the carpet.
A faint sound followed.
It was Lianne’s handbag, casually resting on the floor. When I bumped into it, the contents spilled out, sending folders and documents scattering across the carpet.
Afraid the noise might wake Lianne, I quickly crouched down to gather everything.
While organizing the papers, a photograph slipped from between the folders and caught my attention.
I picked it up and examined it beneath the soft glow of the wall lamp.
The moment I looked at it, it felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck me, leaving me completely frozen.
The photograph had been taken on a sunlit lawn.
Lianne sat in the middle, holding two children close to her.
On one side was Silas, pulling a goofy expression toward the camera. On the other side sat a little girl with braided pigtails, dressed in a pink ruffled dress.
The little girl had her head tilted back, her bright eyes curved into happy crescents as she laughed, a colorful lollipop clutched in her tiny hand.
Those sparkling eyes. Those round little cheeks…
For a brief second, my blood seemed to stop flowing before surging through my body like wildfire.
It was her! The little girl I had met outside a convenience store during my trip to Brinewick, the one who had tugged at my sleeve and sweetly begged me to buy her some candy.
At the time, I had only thought she seemed familiar and irresistibly adorable.
I never imagined she was my daughter. My child with Lianne!
I shot to my feet so suddenly that I nearly knocked over the chair beside me.
The photograph was clenched tightly in my hand, my fingernails pressing into its edges and leaving deep indentations.
.
.
.
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.