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The moment Eloise''s feet touched the ground, she clutched two of Alistair''s
fingers with her chubby little hands, not because she didn''t want to hold more, but because her tiny hands could only
manage two.
Her grip was firm and urgent as she whispered, "Daddy, we need to hide! I''m not scared of him, I just don''t want him toe over and steal you again! Hurry, Daddy, find a hiding spot!"
Alistair couldn''t help smiling. The urgency in her eyes, the sweat on her brow... it was both funny and heartbreaking.
Is she really that scared of losing me?
Eloise was tugging him toward the crowd, whispering fiercely,
"Mommy''s not here, so I have to watch you. If some other kid
takes you, I won''t have a daddy anymore, and Mommy won''t have a husband either. That''s a huge problem. A really, really huge
problem!"
Alistair''s chest tightened.
God, I love this kid.
How could he make her understand that he wasn''t going anywhere? That she never had to worry about being reced?
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He must not have made her feel as safe as he thought.
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Seeing her scanning the crowd frantically for a hiding ce, Alistair gently stopped her and crouched down to her level. "Don''t be scared, Eloise," he said softly. "As long as I don''t want to leave, no one can take me away."
Just as he finished speaking, a voice called out behind them, "Alistair?"
Richard had just bought Daniel a robotic puppy from a toy store. When he noticed the boy staring fixedly in a certain direction, he followed his gaze and saw someone he never expected to run into. A familiar figure, one that made his stomach twist.
Turning to Reba, who still lookedpletely out of it, he
asked, "Danny, do you miss your old dad?"
Daniel clutched the toy in his arms, his expression tense. After a long pause, something like hatred crossed his face. "I don''t miss
him. He didn''t want me. Now he''s someone else''s daddy. I hate
him."
Richard grinned.
Good boy. Seems he has taken my lessons to heart.
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Then, for reasons even he couldn''t exin, Richard raised his voice and called out, "Alistair!"
Reba flinched like she''d been shocked. The second she heard
that name, her body jerked upright. She immediately scanned the
street and locked eyes on him.
There were plenty of people around, and Alistair wasn''t the tallest man in the
crowd. But something about him made him stand out
like a beacon. Reba''s eyes found him with ease.
There he was, Alistair, holding a little girl in his arms, looking back
in her direction.
The moment their eyes met, Reba was filled with a panicked sense of shame. She looked down at herself. No makeup, casual clothes, aplete mess. She looked awful.
He can''t see me like this.
Even though she knew Alistair despised her so much that he wouldn''t look twice
at her even if she were radiant, her pride still screamed in protest. She didn''t want to be seen like this. Not by
him.
Alistair spotted the trio across the way and felt a twinge of surprise. The city wasn''t exactly small, but running into familiar faces in a crowd was moremon than people liked to think.
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What surprised him more wasn''t that he saw Reba.
It was that she was walking with Richard.
Reba realized it too, and panic shed across her face. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, exin something... but nothing came out.
Who is he to me anymore?
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She had no right to exin herself. Alistair didn''t care. He wasn''t trapped in the past like she was. He wasn''t haunted by six years of marriage, wasn''t desperate for even a shred of what they once
had.
He had a wife, a daughter, and a life. And she? She''d only just realized that the future she''d dreamed of, one with redemption, hope, and second chances, was just a fantasy. A cruel illusion. She was still shackled by the past, drowning in regret and sleepless nights.
Reba stood frozen as Richard led Daniel toward Alistair. Her brain was spinning. She knew she looked like a wreck, but her feet moved forward anyway. Maybe... maybe I just wanted to see him. Just once.
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Alistair watched the three of them approach. He felt the little girl in
his arms tense up like a cornered animal.
Eloise clung to him, face set in a serious frown, like a tiny pink-eared warrior guarding her territory. Her eyes scanned Richard, Reba, and finallynded on Daniel.
Daniel scowled at her. The two children locked eyes, silent but clearly engaged in some invisible contest of wills. It didn''tst
long. Daniel''s expression cracked first.
His scowl faded. His eyes dropped. He looked up at Alistair, lips pressed together,
and for a moment, there was no hatred in his
face, only confusion and longing. The quiet, aching gaze of a child
still searching for warmth.
He didn''t understand what had happened. Why Alistair, his dad,
had suddenly be someone else''s dad. Why he didn''te
home anymore. Why he didn''t walk him to preschool or pick him up like he used
to.
After Alistair was gone, Richard started hitting him. Nathaniel was
mean. Cordelia barely looked at him. Even Reba had changed,
yelling and hitting, always angry.
Only Alistair had ever been kind. He didn''t want Reba
anymore. He didn''t want Richard either. He just wanted Alistair
back.
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But Alistair had a new family now.
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Daniel''s eyes welled up, but he held it in. If he cried, Richard would
hit him. Reba might, too.
Beside him, Reba fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, her
nerves fraying.
There was a part of her that was relieved Alistair hadn''t looked at
her. But another part, the foolish, broken part, felt crushed that he
hadn''t even spared her a nce.
I ruined his life! Why can''t he just scream at me? Demand
answers? Curse me for what I did? Anything would hurt less than this silent indifference... anything.
Richard watched Alistair with aplicated expression. He looked too good... too put together.
Just a dog bought for two million. That''s what you were. A ve for six years. So why the hell do you get to walk around with a
perfect little family now? That''s not fair.
With a thin smile, Richard sneered. "Who''s the kid? You really like raising other people''s children, huh?"
Before Alistair could respond, Eloise''s voice rang out, loud and clear. "I''m not other people''s kid! I''m Daddy''s little bunny!"