abcnovels
Chapter 209
Chapter 209
Chapter 209
Chapter 209 What’s the Use of Having a Dad?
Later, in the kitchen of an apartment unit in Northern No. 1, Amanda was busy washing and preparing the ingredients for dinner.
It’d be too late if she waited for Selina to come back with groceries. So, she got to making dinner after finding some simple ingredients in the fridge.
Just then, the main door was pushed open, and Selina returned with groceries, accompanied by the little one’s voice. “Mommy, I want to eat shrimp tonight! I want shrimp! Miss Selina said she would make shrimp for me.”
Amanda, who was busy in the kitchen, replied without turning her head, “Alright, I’ll make shrimp for tonight.”
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“Aiden, you go and play for a bit while I help your mommy make dinner, okay?” Selina said while taking off her jacket, and Aiden nodded obediently.
With that, Selina entered the kitchen with the groceries she had bought, only to find that Amanda had already started washing and preparing the ingredients.
“Why did you start without me?”
“I got bored waiting alone,” Amanda replied. “So, I looked through the fridge for some ingredients and decided to start ahead with one dish. By the way, have you gotten shrimp? Aiden wants to eat shrimp.”
“Of course. Have you told Mr. Winters? Is he coming over for dinner?”
Selina assumed that was the case, or Amanda’s mood wouldn’t have shifted so quickly. She was still frowning earlier, but now she was beaming.
“Um…” Even Amanda herself didn’t realize how sweet her smile was.
I knew it!
A chuckle escaped Selina as she continued, “You’re feeling much better now, aren’t you? No more overthinking?”
“Yeah, I do,” Amanda answered subconsciously while washing the vegetables, taking a second to realize what she had just replied to.
She looked up and frowned upon meeting Selina’s enigmatic smile. “What do you mean by that?”
“Is it not evident? Don’t you think your mood is being influenced by Mr. Winters? Only when you deeply. love someone can they affect your emotions.”
At that, Amanda retorted at once. “No way! Who said I still love him? That’s all in the past. I stopped loving him after our divorce! It’s not because of him that I’m in a bad mood. It’s… it’s…”
“It’s?” Selina asked with a playful smile.
Alas, Amanda couldn’t find the words to argue. It seemed that the reason for her bad mood was Elias’ indifferent attitude.
“Enough of that. Let’s start cooking: it’s getting late. Aiden’s hungry.”
Selina smiled but said nothing. It’s so obvious you have nothing to base your argument on.
An hour later, dinner was ready-a sumptuous feast laid out on the table.
Little Aiden climbed onto the dining chair and looked at the array of delicious dishes in front of him. His big, round eyes widened as he gushed, “Wow! This is amazing, Mommy! We’re having a feast tonight!”
Alas, little would the little fella know he would soon face the person he least wanted to see-Elias Winters. Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang, and Amanda quickly got up to answer the door.
Her response was so sudden that even Selina was startled. She shook her head with a helpless smile and muttered under her breath. “Sure, you don’t love him. But you rush to the door immediately after hearing. the doorbell.”
In the entryway. Amanda looked at the man standing outside the door through the peephole, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
She composed herself and cleared her throat before finally opening the door.
Elias stood outside, dressed in a black suit, a pristine white shirt, and a black tie. He exuded an air of a business elite. He seemed to have just gotten off work.
“You’re here. Come in. Dinner is just ready.
“Sure,” Elias said with a smile.
Elias and Amanda entered the dining room and saw Aiden happily biting into a shrimp. Despite the fact that his little face was covered in grease, he still looked absolutely adorable.
“Aiden, look who’s here. It’s Daddy.” Amanda deliberately guided the child.
But Aiden was engrossed in his meal. When he looked up and saw the man, his little face instantly stiffened, and the shrimp in his mouth fell onto the table.
Elias would be lying if he said Aiden’s reaction hadn’t hurt him.
I might as well remain as Uncle Elias. At least Aiden used to smile cheerfully when he saw him. But now, the little guy behaved as though he had encountered a bitter enemy, feeling awkward, stiff, and even wanting to stay away from him.
Amanda, too, felt somewhat awkward, and she stepped in to defuse the situation.\Come, Elias, sit down. Hurry up and eat. The food will get cold soon.”
Though Elias’ countenance turned somewhat sour, he still sat down next to Aiden. Aiden, noticing Eliast sitting beside him, instinctively tried to move away, but the man noticed his intention.
“Do you really not want to see me that much, Aiden? Weren’t you happy when I was Uncle Elias before? Why is it like this now?” He wanted to understand why his son was behaving this way toward him.
Aiden let out a soft hum, turned his head, and continued to eat his shrimp, ignoring him.
Feeling awkward, Selina stood up and suggested that she check on the soup, which was still cooking. With that, the family of three was left in the dining room.
“Can you
tell me the reason?” Elias, however, asked with great patience. “Did I do something wrong? I can correct it until you’re pleased.”
Aiden stared at ‘Uncle Elias’ for a long time before saying, “Mommy said you didn’t want us anymore, that you hated us. So why do you want to be my daddy now? If you hate us, I don’t want to call you ‘Daddy’ either. You don’t want us anymore, so I don’t want you either.”
Aiden’s words rendered both Amanda and Elias speechless.
Amanda’s silence stemmed from a sense of shame. These were the thoughts she instilled in her child since he was little because she never thought she would re-encounter Elias, let alone have him recognized as the father.
Elias, too, fell into silence out of shame. He felt inadequate, realizing that if he had trusted Amanda a bit more from the beginning, this delayed fatherly love wouldn’t have arrived four years later.
Delayed affection is worth nothing.
Elias remained silent for a long time before speaking to Aiden with utmost sincerity. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault But I didn’t hate you, nor did I not want you. I just didn’t know about your existence. Everything is
Tm my fault. Daddy will never not want you or Mommy. You two will always be the dearest to Daddy, hmm?”
One had to admit that no one could resist Elias’ affectionate gaze.
Even three-year-old Aiden was starting to believe him. Pouting his little mouth, he said with a sense of grievance, “When I started kindergarten, the other kids laughed at me for not having a dad. They called me a b*stard. Why didn’t you appear then? What’s the use of having a dad? It’s completely useless.”
Amanda was taken aback by his words.
It now dawned on her that even a three-year-old had their own self-esteem, and a three-year-old child couldn’t be easily appeased. It wasn’t as simple as giving them two pieces of candy to successfully acknowledge the title of ‘father.
She was grateful that she had given birth to Aiden back then and had been raising him by her side all this time.
In actuality, she had considered giving him to the Winterses and completely starting anew herself, but in the end, she couldn’t bear to part with her little bundle of joy.
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