Chapter 49

Elysia hadn’t planned on taking the kids to the zoo. After all, what kind of creature hadn’t they come across during their five years spent deep in the woods?

You could find all kinds of animals in the zoo deep in the woods.

The triplets liked animals, sure, but they weren’t exactly over the moon about them.

However, the mere mention of an outing had them bouncing off the walls with excitement. They threw on their clothes in record time, eager to follow Elysia out the door.

The family of four hailed a cab and headed straight for the water park to check out the ‘Jindale Eye‘.

It was the trio’s first real outing, and the array of attractions had them gawping in amazement.

They wanted to try everything.

Elysia was on a tight budget, but the kids had never had a chance to experience anything like this. She didn’t want to dampen their spirits, so she splurged on tickets.

If they were out to have fun, she was going to make sure they had the time of their lives, no holding back.

She took them on the Ferris wheel and also the roller coaster.

Evan, the brave one, even dared to take on the giant swing.

Emmett, a little more timid, steered clear of the high–adrenaline rides, so Elysia took him to feed the fish.

Twenty bucks for a bottle of fish feed, and there was Emmett, grinning like a Cheshire cat as he fed the little swimmers.

Kids found joy in the simplest things.

All the while, Elysia was snapping photos with her phone and capturing these precious moments with her children.

Life had thrown its share of curveballs, but so what?

that was more than enough.

She had three healthy, adorable kids that was Sure, being a single mom was tough, but it beat settling for some deadbeat just to avoid loneliness.

The internet was riddled with horror stories of abusive partners; that was real suffering.

Time flies when you’re having fun, and before they knew it, twilight had settled in.

2006 Back at their place, the kids were so wiped they conked out on the bed without even washing up, off to dreamland in seconds.

They had played hard and were now paying the price.

Elysia looked at her little ones with eyes full of love.

Tomorrow, after the divorce was finalized, she planned to take them down South to settle in a little town with balmy weather all year round.

As long as she stayed diligent and worked hard, she knew she could raise them right.

After tucking the triplets in, Elysia retreated to her own room. Drifting off, her thoughts were full of hope for a brighter future.

The next morning, Elysia was up with the dawn.

She checked her phone – no word from Tarquin yet. But she was still settled since it was barely past six.

Just to be safe, she called up the Royal Community office to confirm the afternoon appointment for the divorce proceedings.

The reply was that Tarquin was occupied in the morning, so the divorce was delayed to the afternoon.

But an accurate update was all she needed – afternoon it would be.

Feeling chipper, Elysia lounged in bed scrolling through her phone until a news alert made her sit bolt upright.

It was Blossom. Panic surged through Elysia as the article claimed she’d been assaulted. She tried calling Blossom, but there was no answer.

Jumping out of bed, Elysia didn’t bother with breakfast. She scrawled a quick note for the kids and dashed out the door.

Blossom was more than a friend; she was family, just like Winona. They had faced. backlash for standing by her during a scandal, macabre gifts like wreaths and dead animalsduring cruel taunts and even receiving Elysia had avoided reaching out to them upon her return, fearing that any attention might bring them trouble again. Her plan was to reconnect after the divorce when she could breathe easy again.

But now she accidentally got the news that Blossom was beaten up, so she couldn’t stay calm.

She took a taxi to Blossom’s place and was about to try calling again when a shriek behind her made her spin around.

20.06 There stood Blossom, decked out in a long down coat and sporting an adorable bear–themed hat, her large eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Elysia,