âLittle Ian, itâs getting late. I have to go now.â
âAlright,â came a flat response from Ian, who was playing a game in the room.
Sasha rose from her spot and proceeded to put on her socks, ready to leave.
âSo will you be coming tonight?â
âWhatâs that?â
âYou said you would come over every night to treat Daddyâs illness.â
Ianâs fingers did not stop tapping on the game controller while his eyes remained glued to the screen.
With that listless demeanor of his, if Sasha had not been staying with the boy in the same room, she
might have suspected that he wasnât the one who said those words.
Sasha lowered her eyes. For a moment there, she thought about telling him that she would not be
coming that night.
In fact, she would not be coming anymore. She didnât want to treat his daddyâs illness again if she could
help it.
But as she stood there gazing at the boyâs little head and then at the medicine left on the table, she
nodded in the end.
âYes, of course Iâll come. You should go to sleep after you put on your pajamas, understand? I will come
to check on you as soon as I arrive, alright?â
The boy remained quiet.
He felt embarrassed now that his secret had been discovered.
But he nodded in the end before shifting his focus back to the game.
Sasha left the house after that, feeling relieved.
Half an hour later, at the preschool in Old Town.
âMommy, finally! There you are! I thought you donât want us anymore.â
Reaching the preschool at half-past four was not considered late. But as soon as she got there, her two
little kids came running toward her. They leaped into her embrace and began to whine like the children
they were.
Well, Vivian did most of the whining.
Matteo, on the other hand, just stood in front of his mother, carrying his schoolbag.
Sasha instantly cracked a smile. She squatted down and took her two precious kids in her arms. âNow,
why wouldnât I want you two? Thereâs nothing I want in the world other than the two of you.â
âReally?â
Vivian was happy to hear that. She gave Sasha a tight hug and kissed her on the cheek.
Meanwhile, Matteo merely hugged her.
From that hug, the clever boy could sense that something was amiss about their mommy. Her smile
seemed rather unnatural.
Is it possible that⦠Mommy went there again today, and something happened?
Matteoâs beaming face immediately dimmed.
After fetching her kids, Sasha brought them to the supermarket to get some groceries before going
home. She had to prepare dinner for them, clean up after that and then make a trip to Frontier Bay, so
there was no time to spare.
At the thought of going back to that place, she started to feel upset again.
âMatt, Iâm going to make dinner. In the meantime, you and your sister should get your homework done,
alright?â
âSure, Mommy.â
Having said that, Matteo led his sister to the living room and took out their homework from their
schoolbags. He spread out his sisterâs homework, got out her pencil which had a butterfly figurine, and
placed it nicely in front of her. After that, he whispered into her ear.
âVivi, I have to make a phone call. Do your homework here, alright? Cover for me and donât let Mommy
find out.â
âMatt, who are you calling? Is it Ian?â
The little girlâs pair of large eyes widened in anticipation. The way her eyelashes fluttered made her seem
just so much cuter.
Matteo nodded. âYes. I realize that Mommyâs not in a good mood today, so I want to ask Ian if sheâs been
treated badly at his place again.â
âHmph! Bad Daddy! Alright, call him! If Daddyâs been bad again, then weâre kicking him out of this
family!â
Vivian was definitely Mommyâs loyal fan. When she heard that Mommy was being bullied again, her
chubby cheeks flushed red with rage as she flapped her little arms about.
Matteo hurried to his room to call Ian.
But before he could dial the number, there was already a text message waiting for him. He clicked on the
message to realize that it was from Ian.
Ian: Sorry, Matt. Mommy and Daddy were fighting again, but Iâve already punished Daddy.
So they really got into a fight again!
Matteo was enraged when he saw the message, so much so that he automatically ignored the word
âpunish.â
Matteo: Mommyâs a person, not a thing. Do you think punishing Daddy is enough to settle this? If I beat
you up and allow you to punish me after that, does that solve anything? It doesnât! And thereâll surely be
a next time!
Ian did not reply after that.
After a long while, when Matteo thought that he would not get another response from Ian, the screen lit
up.
Ian: Then, what do you suggest?
Matteo: I wonât believe him again until he really repents his actions.
Ian: So, youâre not letting Mommy come over tonight?
Matteo: Thatâs right!
Silence fell again on the other end.
Their interaction had come to a halt. This time, Matteo did not receive any more messages from Ian until
Sasha finished making dinner.
Is he mad?
But thereâs no other way around it. This is our mommy here. If we donât love her, who will? Who else will
protect her and treasure her?
Matteo came out of the room, feeling upset.
Right at that moment, Sasha stepped out of the kitchen with her freshly made food. She was stunned to
see her son looking somewhat downcast, so she asked him, âWhatâs the matter? Matt, why the sudden
long face?â