?<strong>Chapter 274:</strong>


    Aurora stood facing the wall, tears silently rolling down her cheeks. Adrian noticed her distress and, without saying a word, moved to stand beside her, mimicking her posture, both now staring at the wall.


    “What are you doing here? This is my spot!” she snapped.


    Adrian, never quite sure how to navigate conversations with children, responded in his usual measured tone, “I made a mistake too, so I guess I deserve to be punished.”


    Aurora shot him a perplexed look. “What mistake?”


    “I’m not really sure,” Adrian admitted, his eyes fixed on the nk wall in front of them. “But since you seem so upset with me, I must’ve done something wrong, right?”


    Deep down, Aurora knew Adrian hadn’t done anything. With Rafael gone and Joelle bringing home someone new, Aurora felt a growing need to defend her dad.


    “Do you like my mom?” she asked.


    Adrian, momentarily caught off guard, froze at the unexpected inquiry. With Joelle out of the room, he felt a rare freedom to answer honestly. “I don’t know.”


    Aurora squinted up at him. “I heard you’re my mom’s ex.”


    Adrian chuckled. “Is that why you don’t like me?”


    His eyes softened as he looked at her, warmth radiating through them. After all, this was his daughter.


    “If you’re going to take my mom away from me, then no, I won’t like you!”


    “Well, that’s fair enough,” Adrian said, extending his pinky towards her. “How about this—pinky promise. I won’t take your mom away from you.”


    ??T€$? ￠??t??я? ín galn?νεl?.???


    Aurora was hesitant, but slowly, she reached out and hooked her tiny finger around his.


    Just as their pinky promise sealed the deal, Joelle reappeared in the doorway. “No talking, Aurora! You’re supposed to be thinking about what you’ve done. And if you don’t, there will be no dessert tonight!”


    She cast a quick, confused nce at Adrian standing alongside Aurora but didn’t question it further. Once Joelle had left the room, Adrian turned back to Aurora. “I promised I wouldn’t take your mom away from you. Now, can you promise me something? You’ll apologize to herter.”


    “I didn’t do anything wrong!” Aurora pouted, her lip quivering as unshed tears shimmered in her eyes.


    “Do you think hitting someone is okay?” he asked. “Now, tell me; why do you think your mom punished you?” Aurora’s gaze fell to the floor. Time seemed to stretch, but eventually, Joelle returned. “Aurora, are you ready to talk to me now?”


    The little girl nodded, casting a shy nce in Adrian’s direction.


    “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I shouldn’t have hit you.”


    “It’s okay. It didn’t hurt.” Adrian looked down at her and gave her hands a reassuring squeeze.


    Joelle’s stern expression softened at the sight of their exchange. After making sure things were settled, she walked Adrian to the door. “Sorry about all that. She’s been acting up more than usualtely.”


    “She’s just like you when you were at that age.”


    Joelle blinked, her mind drifting back to their own childhood. Little girls could be tempestuous, and Adrian’s words stirred up memories that left her slightly flustered.


    “Well, you should head out before it gets toote,” Joelle said hurriedly, guiding him out the door. She stood in the driveway, watching as Adrian drove away.


    Just then, another car pulled into the driveway. Shawn stepped out, his eyes catching the tail end of Adrian’s car. “Was that Adrian’s car?” he asked.


    “It was.”


    “What was he doing here? Visiting you?”


    Joelle headed inside. “He came by to see the kid.”


    They both entered, and Shawn exhaled deeply. “I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but maybe it’s time for you both to move on. Don’t walk into the same trap again.”


    “I get it, Shawn. You’ve said it a hundred times already. I don’t see him like that anymore, and he only sees me as a friend.”


    Shawn didn’t press the matter. “Come with me for a minute.” He held a thick brown envelope, and as he pulled out the documents, Joelle’s eyes grew wide.


    “Gina? Shawn, why are you digging into Gina’s life?”


    “I didn’t want to suspect her, but I had to, Joelle. I had no choice.”


    Shawn’s expression was dead serious. “Once you’ve eliminated all the other possibilities, whatever remains, no matter how far-fetched, has to be considered the truth. We’ve looked at everyone else over the years. I trust Gina, but she’s not blood. I had to at least consider it.”


    Joelle felt ufortable. Over the years, she and Shawn had been so tangled up in their own lives, while Gina had shouldered the responsibility of taking care of their father.


    Gina had done everything they, as his children, should have done. To Joelle, Gina was already family, even if not by blood. The thought of suspecting her left a bitter taste in her mouth. “Shawn, you didn’t find anything, did you?”


    Shawn shook his head. “No, nothing. I just looked into her past, before she became part of our family. There’s nothing suspicious there. But just keep your eyes open.”


    Joelle let out a sigh of relief. There was nothing.


    A few dayster, Gina stopped by the house, and Joelle called her into the room. “Gina, could you help me sort through my mom’s stuff?”


    Gina didn’t seem taken aback. “Is everything here?”


    “Yeah. My brother brought it over from our old house. It’s mostly small keepsakes.”


    Among the items was arge framed photo, a family portrait of the Watson family and Gina.


    .


    .


    .