Chapter 109
A sharp glint flickered in Kelly’s eyes.
She frowned slightly and spoke, “Carter, that boy-Matty-what exactly is his relationship with Sharon? I get the feeling… she treats him even better than she treats Theo.”
Carter hadn’t been paying much attention to Sharon until then, but at Kelly’s words, a crease formed between his brows. He looked over in her direction.
He didn’t know what Matty had said, but Sharon was smiling at him gently, pulling out a tissue to wipe the corner of his mouth.
Matty beamed back at her, his face lighting up with adoration.
There was something in the way he looked at her-full of trust, reliance, and something close to worship. It was the kind of look a child might give his mother.
The sight landed hard in Theo’s chest.
Once, she used to smile at him like that. Once, she would wipe his mouth and laugh softly at his crumbs.
Now, she didn’t even come home. She didn’t ask about him at all.
“Dad…” Theo tugged at Carter’s sleeve. “Now that she has that bad kid, does it mean… she doesn’t want me anymore?”
Before Carter could say a word, Kelly spoke up quickly, “Of course not. Sharon’s just been misled by that boy for a while. You’re her real son. She’d never give you up.”
“But just now, she was on that bad kid’s side!”
Theo’s voice rose with anger, his small fists clenching in frustration. The more he thought about it, the more upset he became. ” If she doesn’t want me, fine! I don’t want her either!”
Kelly reached out and gently took his hand. “It’s okay. Even if your mom doesn’t want you, I will always be here for you.”
Theo looked at her, moved. “You’re the best, Kelly…”
His voice trailed off. Something darkened in his eyes. His lip trembled. “But… but Kelly, you can only stay with me for six more months. After that… you won’t be here anymore.” 1
Kelly froze. She had forgotten about that part.
But she recovered quickly, blinking rapidly as her eyes grew wet.
“I don’t want to leave you either. If I go… who would stay by your side?”
Theo threw his arms around her suddenly, clinging to her like she was his only anchor. “I don’t want you to die! Kelly, don’t die, okay?”
Carter watched the pair silently, a shadow in his eyes.
ལྷ་ཟླ་ཊ་ཇཙོ་ཅ་ ཋན་ ༤ ཇ ཕང།
Then he said, “Nate mentioned someone-a friend of his knows an old alternative medicine specialist, surnamed Malcolm. Supposedly, his skills are exceptional. If we can find him, he might be able to slow your illness down.”
Kelly’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
He nodded. “But he’s not easy to locate. Nate’s already put people on it. We’ll let you know as soon as there’s word.”
Kelly sighed, her voice soft. “I just… I just hope heaven will give me a little more time. Just enough to stay by Theo a while longer. If I could watch him grow up… I’d have no regrets, even if I died.”
1/2
Carter was quiet for a few seconds. “Don’t talk like that. You’ll be fine.”
They settled into their seats.
Theo ordered a kids’ meal for himself.
Then, catching sight of Sharon across the room, he muttered, “Kelly, I want a milkshake too.”
Kelly smiled. “Alright. Whatever you want, we’ll order it.”
But Carter’s face darkened. “No. You’re lactose intolerant. You can’t have that.”
Theo’s lips pushed into a pout. “Mom never lets me eat this, or that, says it’s bad for kids. But then she turns around and drinks
milkshakes with some other kid…”
His voice dropped to a grumble. “She lied to me. She just didn’t want me to have it.”
Kelly’s eyes flicked to Carter, then softened. “Carter, I want one too. Let’s order a milkshake. Theo can just have a little sip. It
won’t hurt him.”
Then, as if something occurred to her, she turned toward Sharon’s table.
“And besides…”
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