16
Did I hear that right?
Am I hallucinating?
Gavin couldn’t believe his ears when his beloved daughter asked him to kiss her Mommy’s cheek.
His feelings were akin to swallowing a bitter pill.
His relationship with Kariette was quite complex, and he was uncertain if she still harbored any love for him.
It seemed the phrase “It’s harder to rekindle love than to fall in love” was proving true.
Kariette maintained a friendly distance, making Gavin uneasy about moving closer to kiss her cheek.
‘This is absurd.
I’ve done more than just kiss her cheek before, so why am I this nervous now?
Acting like a blushing virgin, so embarrassing,’ Gavin closed his eyes slowly, straining his brain for a way out of this awkward situation as fast as possible.
He had resolved to keep all promises to Eris, not daring to undertake what seemed overwhelmingly difficult.
In Gavin Calos’s mind, kissing an ex-lover’s cheek was more daunting than taming a dragon.
In the fraction of a second Gavin spent pondering, Kariette had her own tumultuous reactions.
Her heart throbbed wildly, nearly bursting out.
She tried to keep her face calm, but her mind was racing far ahead.
‘Is he going to do it?
What will he do?’ Now a mother, Kariette wasn’t the naive girl she once was.
In reality, her spiritual age had already exceeded fifty.
And why should her heart race over a mere cheek kiss?
She had faced far graver situations before.
Kariette didn’t show resistance or surrender!
It was just a cheek kiss.
She wanted to demonstrate that even if he did kiss her, she wouldn’t blush or shy away.
The love she once held for him had dried up and withered away.
She raised her arms defensively, waiting for Gavin’s move, her shoulders subtly trembling.
Shiver me timbers.
‘Oh!
My sweetheart, you opened my eyes to the world’ Kurt contrasting the tension of the other two.
His sister had always been the ice queen, vowing to keep men at bay, and the idea of her being kissed seemed incredibly far-fetched.
Kurt was adept at understanding relationships.
He enjoyed socializing and witnessing various events.
Now, his brother-in-law was hesitating about making a move, while his sister was subtly excited about the possibility.
Silly.
Just do it already, kiss her.
Others might assume brothers should be protective, but Kurt found amusement in his sister’s romantic endeavors.
Opposition was only from little Holly.
‘Oh, niece, what have you said?’ Holly was flabbergasted.
Suddenly, she couldn’t comprehend how such a scene was unfolding.
Was this man about to kiss her revered sister?
Unthinkable!
Holly couldn’t accept that the man she disliked was about to taint her idolized sister, though, in truth, Gavin had already blemished Kariette with Eris’s existence.
Those painfully silent five seconds seemed eternal.
But little Eris, oblivious to the adults’ complex thoughts, wouldn’t know how her simple request impacted everyone.
Gavin inhaled deeply and met Kariette’s gaze.
They understood each other with just a look.
Despite the awkwardness, for their daughter’s happiness and peace of mind, they would cast aside any embarrassment.
“Papa?
Doesn’t Papa love Mommy?” Eris tilted her head, puzzled why nobody was moving.
Didn’t Papa love Mommy?
“Of course, I do.
Why wouldn’t I love Mommy?” Gavin smiled at his daughter before moving closer to Kariette.
Her heart raced, almost bursting with a mix of anticipation and dread.
She resisted the urge to push him away, wanting to show their daughter that her parents loved each other genuinely.
She refused to let Eris harbor any negative emotions or insecurities.
Unexpectedly, Gavin didn’t immediately kiss Kariette’s cheek but instead used his hand to gently guide her closer to him.
With a shy demeanor uncharacteristic of an adult, he tenderly pecked her cheek, causing both of their faces to flush, yet they strove to maintain natural expressions.
“See?
Papa does love Mommy,” Gavin said, smiling.
Eris nodded, convinced her dad loved her mom.
Kariette was momentarily stunned, her heart no longer racing as before but seemingly pausing.
The emotions were fresh and inexplicable, as if they were young lovers experiencing affection for the first time.
‘Ugh, I’m such an idiot!
Why didn’t I take out my phone to capture this moment?’ Kurt regretted silently.
Meanwhile, Holly was overwhelmed and had no reaction.
Then it was time for breakfast.
Although Gavin had prefaced that it was seaweed pork porridge, everyone adjusted their expectations.
However, upon tasting, they were pleasantly surprised.
Was this really porridge?
What kind of amazing porridge was this?
“Brother, is the rice magical too?”
“No,” Gavin responded with a smile.
“No?”
“Yes, just regular rice and pork from our kitchen, with only the seaweed being magical.
The exquisite flavor and aroma come from boiling the seaweed and ginger into a broth before adding it to the porridge.”
“Ah, I see!
You’re amazing,” Kurt complimented, ready to praise where his siblings were reluctant.
“Papa is amazing, this white thing is so yummy!” Eris beamed, happily singing despite not typically enjoying pork.
Though the pork was ordinary, the added seaweed and ginger elevated its taste.
But Eris really liked it!
It was easy to eat, easy on the palate, and delicious.
Kariette ate her porridge slowly.
When there was nothing left in the bowl, she turned to speak to Gavin.
“Kurt and I have errands to run.
Until what time are you free today to take care of Eris?”
“I’m not sure.
But I will definitely stay and make lunch for Eris.”
“Um…if nothing goes wrong, I’ll be back around 2 p.m.
I have to visit a servant who was injured the other day.”
“Will you visit Uncle Sun?” Holly asked with concern; Uncle Sun was injured while protecting her and Eris and had to be rushed to the emergency room.
He was still lying unresponsive in the ICU.
“Yes.”
“I would like to visit him too.”
“You have classes until the afternoon, right?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s meet at the hospital then.”
“Okay.”
“Mommy, where is Grandpa Sun?” Eris asked with a worried face.
She hadn’t seen Grandpa Sun for several days and knew that he got injured while protecting her.
“Grandpa Sun is unwell, but he will get better soon.
Once he is recovered, he will come back to play with you just like before,” Kariette reassured with a smile.
“Really?
Grandpa will get better and come back to play with me for sure?”
“Mommy promises.”
“I want to see Grandpa Sun.”
“Grandpa Sun needs to rest.
In a few more days, Mommy will take you to see Uncle Sun,” Kariette soothed her daughter.
Uncle Sun was still in the ICU, and she didn’t want her little girl to witness his heart-wrenching condition, so she convinced her to wait another week.
Eris looked slightly upset but nodded in understanding and agreement to wait.
“Eris, do you want to continue building the castle with Papa like yesterday?”
“Yes!” Eris turned to smile at her father and then raised her hands to be picked up.
Gavin then carried his daughter to continue building the castle, leaving them at the dining table without looking back.
Kariette and Kurt had to take care of the business at the company in place of their father, who was on vacation abroad with their mother.
They hadn’t been to the company for two days due to concerns for Eris, and there would be a mountain of work to deal with, so they hurriedly left for the company before traffic got worse.
Meanwhile, Holly took a separate car from her siblings.
From morning till afternoon, there were no special events.
The information Gavin needed was sent by Faker through Nelson in an email that afternoon.
However, just before he could open the file, a crisis occurred – suddenly, Uncle Sun’s condition drastically worsened!
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