Buried and Forgotten

Naomi watched as Celeste entered the kindergarten. Then, she turned and headed to the law firm.She took out the divorce settlement agreement James had drafted and asked if it was legally valid. When James married her back then, it was under the condition that he could ask for a divorce at any time, and she wasn't allowed to refuse.The agreement had been prepared before the marriage. It was undated, with only James' signature.Once its validity was confirmed, Naomi signed it and asked the lawyer, Arthur Langford, to handle the divorce procedures."Please mail the divorce decree here," Naomi said, leaving the address of the villa before getting up to leave.Her nose stung as she tilted her head back. She tried not to let the tears fall.She had loved James. After they got married, she had tried her best to make it work. She had dreamed of a life with him. But after she was ignored and neglected again and again, her once-passionate heart had grown cold.Now that Sophia was back,

By the time Naomi arrived at the hospital, Celeste had already lost consciousness. The doctor scolded Naomi, saying that she was a terrible mother for letting her child end up in such a state.Naomi didn't defend herself. She blamed herself for what happened to Celeste, too. She had known that James didn't love Celeste, yet she had still let him take her.So, this was all her fault."Dad… I want Dad…" Celeste called out for James as her fever worsened. "Mom, I want Dad to hold me, too. I'll be good."She kept crying. Her face and hair became sticky with her tears, causing Naomi's heart to ache terribly. Even in that moment, Celeste was still thinking about James.Naomi clutched her phone and reluctantly called James. Of course, he didn't answer.She sent him a message. "Celeste is running a high fever. Please come to the hospital to see her."But even as dawn broke, there was still no reply from James.Meanwhile, Sophia updated her social media with photos of herself, James, an

After that day, James never came home again. It was like Naomi and Celeste had somehow reached a tacit agreement. Neither of them brought him up in their conversation.As Celeste's birthday drew closer, Naomi helped her prepare invitation cards to hand out at the kindergarten. Celeste happily told her that all the classmates she invited had agreed to come.Two days before the birthday party, Naomi ran into James and Sophia at the kindergarten.Liam stood between them, crying with his head down. James and Sophia were comforting him. It turned out that Liam had gotten into trouble, and James had been called in as the parent.Naomi found the scene ironic. James had never once taken responsibility for Celeste. Yet, he was doing his best to play the role of a good father to someone else's child. It seemed that when one loved another person, they would also love their children unconditionally.Naomi looked away and turned toward the classroom door just as Celeste walked out.As she pas

When James received the message, his heart sank. A wave of inexplicable panic and unease spread through him. He called Naomi back, but her phone was turned off.He tried sending her a message, but only a single check mark appeared.Had Naomi blocked him? Was this because he hadn't attended Celeste's birthday party? Was this the reason for her throwing a tantrum?James tugged at his tie, feeling irritated."Mr. Hudson, Mr. Lowery from Sheridan Group is downstairs." Oliver knocked on the door and reminded him.James got up, got hold of his emotions, and walked out. This partnership was important for his company. He went down to the lobby personally to greet Eric Lowery, the CEO of Sheridan Group.As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he heard a commotion. Upon looking over, he saw Liam sitting on the floor, glaring defiantly at someone in front of him."My dad is the boss here. You broke my ball. You had better apologize!" Liam shouted rudely."You were the one in the wrong,

"I'm not Liam's dad," James instinctively denied it. "I'm here to pick up Celeste."Mindy looked at him in disbelief. From what she remembered, Celeste didn't have a father. She'd only ever seen Naomi drop off and pick up Celeste at the kindergarten."You must be joking. Celeste doesn't have a dad," Mindy commented drily.James' expression darkened, and his voice grew colder. "I am Celeste's father. Where is she?"Mindy was taken aback and couldn't help but respond sarcastically. "Sorry, but everyone thought you were Liam's dad. Celeste has already withdrawn from this kindergarten. Didn't her mother tell you?""Do you know where they went?" James pressed.Mindy shook her head, feeling bad for Celeste and Naomi for having to deal with a husband and father like James.She looked at him with disdain and replied mockingly, "You're her dad. If even you don't know where she went, how would I know?""I know! I know!" a young boy exclaimed as he ran over. "Celeste's mom is a homewrecke