Chapter 20
Jennifer gaped for a moment before she smiled bitterly and asked, “Wasn’t it your own hands that pushed me down the stairs? Didn’t you accuse me of feeding you mangoes? Weren’t you the ones who said you didn’t want me as your mother, that you wanted Samantha instead?”
She continued, “I may not have been the best mother, but I always tried my best. I cared for you, and I loved you with all I had. I just don’t understand how, in the end, this is what I got in return.”
Yannick’s and Yvonne’s faces were utterly red in embarrassment, but Yannick still refused to give up. He pleaded again, “Mom, we didn’t understand back then, but I do now. Please, forgive us.”
Before Jennifer could even speak, Clara timidly spoke up,
“Ms. Jennifer…”
She clutched tightly onto Jennifer’s shirt, and tears filled her eyes. “Are you leaving?”
Kevin bent down and gently picked up Clara, soothing her softly, “Don’t be scared, Clara. She won’t abandon you. Regardless of where she goes, you should respect- her choices. Even if she doesn’t stay here, she’ll still come to visit you all the time.”
Leonard burned with fury as he looked at that scene.
Who gave this man the right to be so intimate with her? Who gave him the right to hold that child and stand by Jennifer’s side as if they were family?
Leonard took a step forward and said in a low voice, “Jennifer, stop being stubborn. The kids need you. You’re their mother. Are you really going to abandon your children just to raise someone else’s?”
“I’m being stubborn? They need me?” Jennifer stood up, looking at Leonard with a coldness he had never seen on her face before. “When they pushed me down the stairs, did they need me? What about when they told everyone how much they hated me? Or when they called Samantha their mother?”
Each question only served to render Leonard more and more speechless.
The two children sobbed harder, clinging desperately to her clothes.
Yvonne was choking on her tears. “We were wrong, Mom. We’ll only love you from now on. We’ll never hurt you again…”
Jennifer’s eyes reddened, but her resolve didn’t waver.
Kevin silently handed her a tissue. It was a small gesture that pushed Leonard over the edge.
Leonard demanded coldly, “And who do you think you are? What right do you have to interfere in our family matters?” Kevin calmly adjusted his glasses. “I’m Jennifer’s friend. As for the right…”
He looked at the sobbing children. “I’d say anyone who’s hurt her like you all have doesn’t get to ask me that question.” Leonard clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked.
The tension was unbearable until Clara suddenly said, “Ms. Jennifer, we haven’t finished making the bowl yet…”
The moment Clara said that, Jennifer made up her mind. She took a deep breath and said to Leonard, “Take the kids and leave. Let me make this clear, there’s nothing left to say between us.”
Both children screamed and hugged her legs tightly. “Mom! Please don’t leave us!”
The scene descended into chaos.
The studio owner hesitated, wondering whether to call the police. Other customers were filming the scene with their phones.
Jennifer stood at the center of the storm, and her face was as pale as paper.
Looking at her trembling hands, Leonard realized that he had made a fatal mistake.
He had thought that bringing the kids along would be enough to move her, but he never stopped to think about her feelings.
Some wounds couldn’t be patched up with apologies–scars etched too deep to ever truly fade.
“Yan, Von…” He finally said hoarsely, “Let’s go home.”
“No!” Yannick screamed, crying uncontrollably. He clutched tightly to Jennifer’s shirt. “We want Mom! You said we’d bring Mom home today! You promised!” Jennifer closed her eyes as tears slid down her cheeks.
Kevin gently reached out for Clara’s hand, and the little girl immediately grabbed Jennifer’s fingers tightly, as if trying to lend her strength.
“Leonard,” Jennifer said at last. Her tone was cold as frost, and it was filled with resolve. “Take them and leave. Like I said, I can’t forgive what you all did. If you’re here to talk about child support, I’ll wire you the money without any hesitation.”
Jennifer added, “As for anything else, don’t bring it up again. If you come here one more time, I won’t hesitate to call the police.”
Those words hit Leonard like a hammer, shattering the last remnants of his confidence.
He had thought Jennifer would relent, that she would return, if only for the sake of the children.
But he had never expected her to be this resolute about leaving.
He bent down and picked up both crying children despite their flailing and sobbing. Then, he walked straight to the door.
Just before stepping out, he looked back one last time.
Jennifer was crouched beside Clara, gently comforting her while Kevin stood beside them.
The three of them looked so close, and very much like a real family.
