Chapter 48

Emmett felt that his brother was right. He wiped his tears, his voice soft as he asked, “He won’t give Mommy a divorce because he likes her, right?”

“No way, if he really liked Mommy, he would never have hurt her in the first place! He doesn’t care about our mom.”

Evan bristled with anger at the remark, “And Mommy doesn’t need his affection! Mommy is beautiful and kind; she deserves a much better man! That Tarquin is not good enough. for our mom!”

Sniffling, Emmett pressed on, “So, is he our dad, then?”

“It doesn’t matter if he is or not. I don’t want him!” Evan declared with a scowl.

Emmett nodded vigorously in agreement, “Me neither!”

Elliot stared at a photograph of Tarquin. The man bore so much resemblance with them and he was also their mother’s husband, after all–ninety percent chance he was their dad.

But…

So what?

They wouldn’t like someone who didn’t care about their mom!

“Evan’s right. Whether he’s our dad or not, we don’t want him. We grew up without a father’s love, so we’re not missing out on anything.”

“Yeah!” Emmett and Evan chorused in agreement.

Any kid would be long for a father. When they first found out Tarquin might be their dad, their eyes lit with hope. But when they had to choose between Mommy and Daddy, they didn’t hesitate to choose Mommy.

That’s kids for you–they clang to whomever they liked and whoever cared for them most. Elliot continued, “Let’s just cool down. If Mommy doesn’t want to talk about what happened back then, we won’t ask. We’ll act like we know nothing. Mommy knows Tarquin is in Jindale City now and she’s bound to seek a divorce. Once that’s done, we’ll take Mommy and leave this place. After we settle down in a new city, we’ll start planning our revenge for Mom!”

“Yeah!”

“But what if he still refuses to divorce Mom?” Emmett asked, worry creasing his brow.

Elliot frowned, “Then we’ll make him.”

Right!

When Elysia returned, the boys had calmed down. They pretended to be oblivious and Jung themselves into her embrace.

Elysia didn’t notice anything amiss. She just looked down at them with a face full of maternal love.

Seeing them, she understood why she’d felt such a strong connection to that boy named Elijah in the hospital. The upper half of Elijah’s face looked so much like her own sons, Elliot and Evan.

“Mommy, did you get everything sorted out today?” Emmett asked about the divorce.

Elysia shrugged helplessly, “Not yet.”

All three frowned, “Why not?”

“He was busy, said we should meet tomorrow.”

The boys exchanged glances….

Elysia planted a sweet kiss on each of their foreheads, “Let’s not dwell on it. If he said tomorrow, then it’s tomorrow. We’re not in a rush. Now, go get ready–I’m taking you boys out for some fun.”

“Huh? Out for fun?”

“Yes! We might be leaving after tomorrow’s meeting and might never come back here, but Jindale City has a lot of cool places to see. Since we’re free today, I want to show you around.”

She figured since Tarquin asked for a day’s delay, he must have had something urgent. The divorce would surely happen tomorrow. As soon as it was finalized, she’d whisk her kids away from this place of trouble.

But for today, they had free time, and she wanted to make the most of it for the kids, who’d been cooped up at home for days. Despite her painful memories here, there were still places in the city worth visiting.