Chapter 91
The couch was small, but it was soft. A beige couch pad was laid on top of it.
The living room wasn’t big, but it felt warm and cozy. There were flowers in a clear vase on a table, and a few pots of succulents sat on the windowsill.
The TV was small and old-fashioned, and stickers that little girls liked littered the surface of
another table.
The air carried a fresh and pleasant scent.
The table was a bit messy. Selena’s books, a handmade poster, and all sorts of markers were scattered about. As soon as Selena got home, she leaned on it and began drawing with full
focus.
Sebastian watched her.
Selena looked up and asked, “Uncle Sebastian, would you like some fruit?”
Sebastian wanted to say no, but he nodded instead.
She got up immediately and ran to the fridge. Her ponytail bounced as she trotted.
She was absolutely adorable.
Standing on tiptoe, Selena opened the fridge and called for her mother. Valeria came over and helped her get an apple.
And so, Sebastian ate the apple the little girl handed him.
He only got to experience this for a short moment. But for the other man, Shane, these moments were part of his everyday life.
Sebastian looked toward the kitchen, where Valeria had her back to him.
The water in the kettle buzzed and bubbled. Valeria raised a hand to rub her neck, then stretched a little. She took off her coat, and the blue blouse she wore had a gentle, pearl-like sheen under the light.
When she looked down, the nape of her neck looked pale in the warm yellow light of the
kitchen.
Sebastian took a bite of the red apple, and it tasted sweet and juicy. But the more he ate, the
more his mouth felt sour.
He suddenly stood up.
Selena looked surprised as he walked to the door and disappeared.
“Mommy, Uncle Sebastian left,” she said.
Valeria, still in the kitchen, heard her. In fact, she had already heard him leave when the door
closed.
The place was small, only around 800 square feet. Even the wind outside could be heard when it picked up, so of course, she heard the door when he left.
The water she had put on took four minutes to boil, and by the time it did, Sebastian was
already gone.
Valeria watched as the steam rolled from the kettle, then she made herself a cup of Darjeeling
tea.
She walked into the living room, knelt on the carpet, and looked at the handmade poster
Selena had drawn.
Selena was confused and asked, “Mommy, why did Uncle Sebastian suddenly leave?”
“Maybe something came up.” Valeria gave an excuse.
Selena’s response was a simple “Oh”.
Valeria didn’t really want to keep talking about Sebastian, but Selena tilted her head with a marker in hand. She asked, “Mommy, Uncle Sebastian is really strong. He carried me up the stairs like it was nothing.”
Valeria couldn’t help but marvel at the strength of a family bond.
Over the years, she had come into contact with a few men. They were colleagues, and most of the interactions were always work-related.
Even Nathan, as one of L&M Design Studio’s partners, had once given Selena a toy and invited Valeria to join other coworkers for dinner. Valeria had brought her daughter along that time,
too.
Then there were the male colleagues from her team.
There was also Caleb Wane, whom Danny had introduced to her.
Selena had met all of them, but they were just strangers to her.
Not long ago, they ran into Caleb in the neighborhood.
At that time, Selena said she was tired and didn’t want to walk. Valeria struggled to carry her, and Caleb offered to help.
Selena didn’t resist him, as she had heard Lucy mention him many times. But the little girl had never brought him up this happily in her day-to-day life.
Valeria wiped the leaked ink off the markers with a wet tissue. Then she capped them and placed them back in their box. First graders often had drawing and handmade poster
assignments.
Valerie asked offhandedly, “Do you like Uncle Sebastian?”
