Best Thing

Naomi didn’t know how to respond. She wasn’t even sure what exactly she’d forgotten. The people who mattered—she remembered them just fine.

Her parents. Atlas. Her older brother.

Was there anyone else she’d forgotten? She genuinely couldn’t recall.

“Daddy, I don’t know… I remember my brother, you and Mom, and Atty. Isn’t that enough? Everyone else doesn’t really matter anyway.”

Maldric almost blurted out, ‘What about Kael Rhodes?’

But he stopped himself. It was obvious—his daughter had forgotten all about Kael. His thoughts were spinning. He couldn’t quite piece it together.

“Naomi… so aside from your parents and brother, the only other person you remember is Atlas?”

“No, of course not! I still remember Uncle Kay, and Uncle Valir who’s always with you. Auntie Winnie who cooks for us, Driver Tom…”

Naomi rattled off a whole list of names, and finally, Maldric realized—she’d completely erased Kael and everyone connected to him from her memory.

His eyes narrowed slightly. Looked like he’d have to get more details from Atlas.

As for his daughter forgetting Kael?

That was the best thing that could’ve happened.

When Maldric brought his daughter home, Mrs. Madelyn Swift was in the living room trimming flowers in an elegant blouse.

Time seemed to have favored this woman—there was hardly a trace of age on her face.

Madelyn turned her head, just about to tell her husband she had bought a stunning bouquet of roses, when she suddenly saw the daughter she hadn’t laid eyes on in nearly two years.

"Naomi..."

Madelyn’s eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Seeing his wife’s reaction, Maldric felt a pang in his heart. Though his wife had always pretended not to mind these past two years, he knew how deeply she missed Naomi.

But this stubborn girl had insisted on being mad at them all this time. The thought made him want to knock on her head and ask what on earth she was thinking.

Then again, recalling that she'd just been in a car accident, he felt another wave of heartache.

The moment Naomi saw her mother, a lump rose in her throat. “Mommy!”

The two embraced tightly, both tearing up.

Watching them, Maldric felt like crying too. But he finally spoke up, “Alright, my two beauties. If you keep crying like this, both your eyes are going to swell up.”

Naomi glanced at her gentle mother. She hadn’t meant to cry—it was just that in that moment, an overwhelming wave of grievance and sadness washed over her.

“Sweetheart, did those people bully you? Tell Mommy, and I’ll make it right.”

Madelyn looked at her daughter with concern. Her first assumption was that something terrible must have happened to make Naomi finally come home.

Naomi was dumbfounded. Why did everyone keep saying she’d been wronged?

"Those people"?

Were they talking about Atty’s family?

But she’d grown up right under Uncle Adrian’s watch—how could she have been bullied?

Was this still about the time Atlas went on that business trip? No way, right? She couldn’t be that petty... could she?

Just as she was about to explain, a servant walked in and said, “Sir, Ma’am, Mr. Atlas Knox is here.”

Madelyn froze and instinctively looked at her daughter. Ever since Atlas went abroad, her daughter had refused to mention him. So why had he suddenly shown up?

That one glance from her mother only confirmed for Naomi that she really had been mad at Atlas before.

She sighed helplessly. “Daddy, Mommy, I’m really not mad at Atlas anymore.”

Madelyn wanted to say something, but her husband gently squeezed her hand. “Let Atlas come in first.”

The servant bowed and left.

Moments later, a man walked into the house, hands full of gifts. He greeted them politely, “Uncle, Auntie, long time no see!”

Madelyn had been close friends with Atlas’s mother, so the two families used to be very close.

But Naomi had eyes only for Atlas. She completely ignored the formal way he addressed her parents, walked right up to him, wrapped her arms around his, and on tiptoe, kissed him on the cheek.

“Atty, you didn’t have to bring so many gifts. We’re family—you don’t need to be so formal.”

As she spoke, she began placing the gifts down one by one.

Madelyn: “…”

Maldric: “…”

“Honey, did I just hallucinate?” Madelyn felt like she was losing her mind. Had she really just seen her daughter kiss Atlas?

Maldric's eyes were wide as saucers, and his mouth hung open. “Honey, I think I need to get my eyes checked too.”

Even Atlas hadn’t expected Naomi to do that. He froze for a second, stunned, until he noticed the weight leave his hands—only then did he realize what had just happened.

Glancing at the stunned Uncle and Auntie, a flicker of light passed through his eyes. It seemed they still didn’t know the full story.

***