Chapter 1049



As Elma lay there, feeling drowsy, her goal for the day suddenly flashed in her mind. She quickly jolted awake. She couldn’t afford to sleep, not when she had a mission to complete.

With that thought in mind, Elma cleared her throat and sweetly said to Kallie, “Mom, I feel sleepy now.”

Kallie flushed, pulling away slightly. She replied, “Let me change you first, and then you can sleep.”

Jake quickly seized the chance to retreat.

“I’ll step outside for a moment.”

“No!” Elma’s voice rang out, strong and insistent. Her small hands grabbed at both of them.

“You can’t leave! You have to stay with me!” Elma insisted, her voice firm.

Kallie and Jake exchanged glances, silently acknowledging the hint of resignation in each other’s eyes.

Kallie responded, “No, either I sleep with you, or your daddy does, but not both of us together.”

“Why not?”

“Well… because…” Kallie hesitated, momentarily caught off guard by the seriousness of Elma’s question.

Unable to recall what had happened in the past, Kallie turned to Jake, hoping he could help explain.

Jake softly patted Elma’s back, his tone gentle as he explained, “Because we’re divorced, sweetheart. It’s not something people in our situation usually do.”

Jake didn’t mince his words. He knew Elma and the other two children understood this, though it had never been openly discussed before. Nonetheless, it needed to be said.

If Kallie recalled the past and decided to be with Clayton, their divorce would inevitably come to light.

Before Elma could ask anything more, Jake gently cut her off.

“I understand what you’re thinking, but Elma, some bonds, once broken, are hard to rebuild. You’ll understand when you get older.”

Elma refused to accept Jake’s words, looking intently at Jake and Kallie as she said earnestly, “But after all, you are my mum and dad. Wouldn’t it be natural for me to want you to get back together?”

Kallie felt a heavy weight in her chest. So she and Jake had really been together once. They had even been married. BLM Free they had been separated. Could it be, as Lacey had once suggested, that they had never been happy together? Or was it possible that she had cheated on Jake first? The thought made her gasp. She looked at Jake and felt a pang of unease that she could not shake.

Jake, however, was completely focused on comforting Elma. He was oblivious to the way Kallie was looking at him.

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