Chapter 39
Sebastian glanced at Maxine. She had already picked up her bowl and started drinking the soup, chatting softly with Jessica and alluctionately nomine
her hair now and then.
A strange tightness welled up in Sebastian’s chest. He quietly helped himself with the soup,his movements awkward and unfamiliar
Maxine had noticed his reaction earlier, but paid it no mind.
It wasn’t on purpose–at least not entirely. Maxine just didn’t see the need anymore.
Back then, Maxine had looked after both Sebastian and Brian in every imaginable way. She never even got a thank you in return.
Worse, the person Maxine once believed to be the closest to her heart had turned around and dismissed everything she had done, belittling her worth and pretending she never existed.
So now, Maxine no longer felt the obligation to take care of everything for them.
As for how Sebastian felt about it–it didn’t matter. Even after this soup was finished, they were still a couple on the brink of divorce.
Just then, Jessica’s sweet voice cut through the quiet tension. “Maxine, your soup is the best I’ve ever had! Can you teach me how to make it?”
That caught Maxine by surprise. She smiled. “If you want to eat it, I can make it for you. Why do you want to learn it yourself?”
“Because I want to make it for you too,” Jessica replied.
Jessica’s sincere words warmed Maxine’s heart deeply. She considered for a moment, then smiled. “Okay. But you’ll have to grow a little more first.
“Chopping stuff is still a bit too dangerous for someone your size.”
Jessica nodded hard. “Then I’ll eat more so I can grow up fast!”
With that, Jessica immediately took a big gulp of soup.
Seeing this, Maxine laughed, reaching for a napkin to wipe her mouth,
Sebastian found himself watching in a daze. It hit him all of a suddeh–Maxine hadn’t spent that much time with this child, yet they looked more like real mother and daughter.
Moments like this had never happened in the ten years they shared a home. Why was that?
The warm light cast a soft glow over Maxine’s smiling face. A feeling of emptiness grew inside Sebastian, pulling open something raw and aching.
Sebastian wanted desperately to fill it with something–anything–but the more he tried, the bigger that hollow space felt.
Never before had Sebastian felt this powerless. He thought bitterly, ‘Is it fear? Am I afraid that once I went back to our house, I’d never see Maxine smile like this again, never feel this kind of warmth?‘
Sebastian’s hands moved slower now, as if trying to hold on to this fleeting moment just a little longer.
But a bowl of soup could only last so long.
Jessica soon grew sleepy. She placed her bowl in the kitchen sink, said goodnight to Maxine, and went off to wash up.
After she disappeared into her room, Maxine turned and looked directly at Sebastian, calm and composed.
Sebastian was already looking at her. Their eyes met without warning.
09:11 Wed, 18 Jun
Chapter 39
A strange tension tightened in his chest. Sebastian thought back to what Jessica had said before dinner and quietly lowered his gate. It wash the dishes.”
Maxine replied calmly, “Don’t bother.”
Then Maxine took the soup bowl from him and set it down, her voice cool and even. “Sebastian, it’s time for you to go. It’s late. Aren’t you worried about Brian being alone?”
Sebastian stared at her. After a long silence, he asked, “What about you? Aren’t you worried about him?”
Maxine raised her eyes slightly. “Why should I be? There’s a nanny at home. You’re there. Worst case, Valerie’s around. He’ll be fine.”
“But he’s your son…” Sebastian answered. After a long pause, he added with deep weariness, “Maxine…can you come home? Please stop this.”
AD
