Tamagoyaki-Rolled omelet. Beef teriyaki. Miso soup. via is preparing ingredients and seasonings to make the three dishes her mother desires. Simultaneously, Abigail enters with an order note in her hand.


    They cook dishes with most of the main ingredients already avable, so it doesn’t take long for them to finish and serve. Abigail ces some of the cooked food on a tray and takes it out of the kitchen. Shortly afterward, she returns and ces more food on the tray. This time, via follows her with a tray containing food in her hands.


    She pauses when she sees the figure at the table with her family. via swallows, trying to steady her heartbeat before continuing her steps.


    “Mom’s order!” via hears her stepmother p her hands and cheer as via ces the steaming dishes in front of her.


    “Finish it, Ma. Don’t leave anything.” via instructs politely. Without being asked, her mother eagerly nods and starts reaching for the spoon.


    ire sips her soup and happily murmurs, “Mmm… Delicious.” She takes another sip. Ignazio looks at his mother and is about to use his spoon to try the soup in front of him, but ire quickly taps her spoon against Ignazio’s. “No, dear. This is especially for Mama. Don’t ask.” Shemands. Ignazio pouts, looking at his mom. via, Abigail, and Antonyugh together. dwin just stares at via.


    “Mama, just a tiny taste, pleeeaaase.” Ignazio pleads with a cute, pleading face.


    “No, dear. Just ask your sister if you want.” ire replies, once again sipping her soup yfully to tease Ignazio.


    “Mama, ugh, Mama doesn’t love me.” Ignazio pouts again. “Just be careful, if I have delicious food, I won’t share it with you.” He then spoons arge tempura into his mouth.


    “Zio, just ask your sister to make it for you.” His father suggests subtly.


    “I don’t want a new one, Papa. I want to taste Mama’s.” His younger brother insists. This scene is something they’re used to seeing. For some reason, Ignazio always wants to try the food his mother is eating and always refuses to order the same dish. Strangely, ire also always refuses to share her food unless Ignazio does something for her first.


    “Do you want some?” ire asks. Ignazio nods. “Give Mama a kiss first.” ire taps her index finger on her right cheek. Ignazio stopped kissing his mom when he entered elementary school. His reason was that he had grown up and felt it was no longer appropriate to kiss his mom.


    “Mama, ugh…” he whines.


    “Kiss me, or else don’t want it.” ire sips her soup again, ncing at Ignazio. Ignazio gives in. He finally rises from his seat and quickly kisses his mom’s cheek. “What’s that? It tastes like nothing.” ire looks at Ignazio. Ignazio pouts. His chubby fingers hold ire’s jaw, and his red lips peck her right cheek.


    “Enough.” He says sarcastically.


    “Why is Mama so biased?” ire continues. She turns her head to the right and taps her left cheek with her left index finger. Ignazio pouts. He adjusts his sses before kissing his mom’s left cheek. “Good.” ire praises happily, ignoring Ignazio’s sulking face. She slides her bowl, giving permission for Ignazio to try her food.


    Meanwhile, Francisca seems unaware of the war between her mother and her older brother. She is engrossed in her meal. After enjoying the drama between the mother and son, they resume their meal.


    A few hourster, via sits quietly on the balcony of her house. Her private residence, not her parents’. After having a meal together at the cafe, she finally decided to go home, and Abigail agreed to drive her. Considering that via’s house is located far from the city center and on a high teau, Abigail is afraid that via might opt for an online taxi if she goes home alone.


    “If people passing by see you like this, sitting alone under the shady tree. It feels a bit spooky, you know?” Abigailments as she enters via’s room, carrying two mugs of hot chocte.


    via smiles at her, understanding the reason behind her friend’sment. Because right now, she is wearing a white knee-length short-sleeved nightdress, with her long ck hair cascading down to her waist.


    In her own home, via feels free to wear anything. She has on a knee-length short-sleeved nightdress with a square neckline, revealing a bit of her graceful neck. Her freshly washed hair is left to air-dry, and her skin looks fair and healthy.


    Abigail ces via’s mug on the round rattan table with a clear ss top. Afterward, she chooses to sit on the egg-shaped rattan swing, adorned with soft square red pillows, her favorite spot in via’s room. Meanwhile, via sits on a long rattan chair, also painted white, with soft cushions that provide support for her seat and back. via sits with her knees hugged, allowing them to sink into the nightdress she’s wearing.


    “If only I knew it would turn out like this, I would probably have negotiated to split thend in half. We could be neighbors,” she says while sipping her drink. They both gaze at the expanse of the city settlements in the distance. The twinkling lights resemble starbursts in their eyes. Only asionally, the noisy sounds of passing vehicles disturb the peace around via’s residence. The distance between via’s house and the neighbor’s is nearly thirty meters.


    “You wouldn’t fit living in a ce like this,” via responds. “Too far from the city. Less flexible. If Mama says so, this area is more suitable for retirees.” via reaches for her mug and inhales the scent of the chocte she likes.


    “Auntie is right. But once in a while, it’s nice too. Comfortable, serene, no one bothering you,” Abigail replies again. Abigail suddenly sighs. “I see the way he looks at you, Via.” Abigail’s words make via grip her mug tightly. “Are you sure you want to give up?”N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    via remains silent for a moment before turning to Abigail. She pulls up her nightdress, revealing her calf and left thigh to Abigail without saying much, and Abigail understands the intention of her friend’s action. However, Abigail doesn’t give up easily.


    “He’s a doctor. He will understand your condition. You can fight together. Especially what happened to you, it’s because you want to be with him.” Abigail looks at her friend with a mncholic gaze. She knows this is a topic via avoids. But she also wants her friend and uncle to fight together.


    “He’s not at fault, he doesn’t know anything. This is all fate that I have to ept. And not being with him, that’s my choice. I don’t want him to be with me out of guilt because it’s not his fault. And even if Uncle has the same feelings as what I feel for him, what about Grandma?” via chooses to stand. She leans her back against the balcony railing, folds her arms across her chest, and smiles at Abigail. “I don’t care about people’s opinions, Abby. Seriously, I don’t. But what about Grandma? She really wants grandchildren, and she knows my condition.”


    Abigail also stands. She ces both hands on the balcony railing and gazes into the distance. “Don’t be too pessimistic, Via. Doctors are only human. They can only guess.”