It was his mother, calling to arrange a meeting between both familles to discuss the divorce.
Hunter glanced at Maya, still concerned about leaving Ryan.
He instructed his assistant to stay at the hospital while he took Maya to the meeting.
The atmosphere in the office was oppressive.
Hunter’s parents wore expressions of displeasure.
The Parker family was busy hurling insults at their absent daughter.
“Ungrateful brat,” “worthless tramp,” “doesn’t know what’s good for her“-the cruel words flowed freely.
In the past, Hunter wouldn’t have thought twice about such talk.
But now, every word made him increasingly uncomfortable.
He frowned, cutting them off: “Brooke isn’t as bad as you’re making her out to be.”
Mrs. Parker paused in surprise, then broke into a delighted smile.
“See what a wonderful man he is! That stupid girl doesn’t know how to appreciate what she has.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll talk some sense into her and make sure she never mentions divorce again!”
Hunter remained silent.
He found it hard to imagine how such a toxic family had produced someone as gentle and calm as Brooke.
Mrs. Mitchell, who had long harbored disdain for the Parker family, looked at her son and pulled Maya closer.
“It’s not your fault, sweetheart. We’ll just find a new mommy.”
“Maya, do you like Aunt Sloane? Would you want her to be your new mommy?”
The Parker‘ faces darkened instantly.
Hunter felt an odd discomfort in his chest.
For years, he had regretted not ending up with Sloane.
But their recent time together had made him grateful they hadn’t.
The minutiae of daily life had worn away at what was once passionate.
Sloane wouldn’t unconditionally accept his flaws the way Brooke had.
Two strong personalities like theirs would only result in constant arguments.
Hunter looked at Maya, already anticipating her answer.
Foot .10–د.
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Chapter 6
To his surprise, Maya shook her head.
“I want my real mommy back.”
“Aunt Sloane is nice, but she doesn’t make yummy food, and she forgets I’m scared of bugs, and she never reads me beatine
stories,”
“When I ask her to play with me, she just hands me her iPad. And when Ryan got sick, she didn’t help–she just yelled at Daddy. It was scary…”
Still just a child, she couldn’t continue without breaking into tears.
Maya ran to Hunter’s side, clinging to his leg as she sobbed.
“Daddy, I’m sorry! Please bring Mommy back.”
“I’ll be good, I promise! I won’t throw vases at Mommy anymore.”
“What vase?” Hunter tensed immediately.
A sinking feeling formed in the pit of his heart.
He knelt down, looking directly into Maya’s eyes.
“If you want Mommy to come back, you need to tell me EVERYTHING that happened!”
Frightened by Hunter’s serious tone, Maya cried for a long time before finally revealing the full truth about that day.
“I didn’t mean it! I’m sorry!”
“Ryan and I both regret it so much, but we were too scared to admit what we did…”
Hunter felt like he’d been struck by lightning.
He recalled Brooke’s pale face that day, her eyes filled with despair.
No wonder she had left so resolutely.
No wonder she was so determined to divorce him.
No wonder she departed without looking back.
Because in that house, not a single person truly cared about her.
Hunter’s emotions were a tangled mess.
But he couldn’t bring himself to scold Maya.
What did children really understand?
They were merely reflections of the adults around them.
They treated Brooke the way they saw others treat her.
The Parker family’s cruel words.
Coandal & Flee!
Chapter 6
The Mitchell family’s contempt and mockery.
And Hunter’s own cold indifference.
It was THEY who had corrupted our children. It was THEY who had driven Brooke away.
A sharp pain spread through Hunter’s chest.
He pulled Maya into a tight embrace.
“A mother will always be a mother. No one can ever replace her.”
“When Ryan feels better, Daddy will take you both to find Mommy and bring her home.”
He made a silent vow-
No matter how far, no matter where she had gone, he would find Brooke and bring her back.
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
