Chapter 2

"Mom!" Little Anthony leaped into her arms and passed her his bouquet. "What did you tell the delivery man?"

Andrea glanced at the courier who had just disappeared from the doorway before softly brushing him off. "Nothing."

Gabriel came over as well, gently kissing her cheek before handing her his bouquet. His voice had a hint of apology. "Sorry, Andrea, something came up today. That's why I got home a bit late. Don't be mad at me, okay?"

'Something came up? Didn't you just take our son to the seaside villa to spend time with Hannah? It's understandable. They're bound to be busy when they have two homes to juggle,' Andrea pondered as she smiled self-mockingly.

She looked down at the flowers in her hands for a long while before faintly replying, "Work is important. There's nothing for me to be mad about. Come inside first."

The moment they stepped through the door, both Gabriel and Anthony were taken aback by the sight that greeted them. The villa was empty, and everything missing seemed to be the things Gabriel and Anthony had given her.

A flicker of panic crossed Gabriel's handsome face. "Andrea, what happened to all the things we gave you?"

Anthony was also so shocked that he tugged on the hem of her clothes. "Yeah, Mom. Did you throw them all away?"

Andrea gently pried Anthony's hand, then sat down on the couch and indifferently answered, "No, I just had the delivery man send them to someone who needs them."

Her heart had grown soft since having Anthony. Every year, she would gather unused items at home to donate to orphanages.

Hearing this, Gabriel did not overthink things and assumed that she had donated the items to some orphanages again.

He breathed a sigh of relief, brought Anthony over, and each sat on either side of her. Gabriel looked at her dotingly. "It's good that you gave them away, Now I have an excuse to buy you new ones."

Anthony also threw himself into her arms with a smile and praised her with a cute voice, "Mom, you're so nice! You're the kindest mother in the world!"

Andrea thought, 'Kind? Perhaps. After all, I'm kind enough to give away my husband and child.'

At 6pm sharp, Gabriel emerged from the kitchen, carrying the final dish he had cooked and placing it on the dining table.

They had many housekeepers, but Gabriel always handled everything related to her personally, including cooking.

Anthony grabbed Andrea's hand and brought her to the dining table. He pulled out a chair for her before serving food onto her plate.

Gabriel sat down on her other side and also added food to her plate. "Andrea, eat more of this. It's good for your stomach."

Anthony also nodded. "Yeah, Mom, eat more of this. It'll make you healthy. I'm telling you. There's a kid at my kindergarten who's picky with food…"

The boy started blabbering, sharing amusing stories from school. However, Andrea found the food on her plate tasteless. She looked up at Gabriel, who sat across from her and was listening attentively to Anthony's stories, occasionally adding a comment.

She suddenly found it a little ironic. These scenes and stories surely had already been played out in front of Hannah before they came home. Andrea wondered if there was a point in replaying them for her.

Later that night, there was only a small night light on in the bedroom. The three of them snuggled with each other on the bed. Gabriel held Andrea in his arms, while little Anthony mimicked his father and clung to her arm. Both insisted on sleeping with her.

"Dad, aren't you too old to still be sleeping with Mom?" Anthony said, acting like a grown-up.

"What do you mean too old? Andrea is my wife. Why can't I sleep with her? You're already four years old. Why are you still clinging to your mom?" Gabriel retorted.

Gabriel and Anthony were at a stalemate and wanted Andrea to resolve it. However, they realized she had fallen asleep at one point.

Just then, Gabriel's phone left aside, buzzed suddenly, and lit up with a video call notification. When he saw Hannah's name, his expression froze before he glanced at Andrea, who had no reaction. He carefully picked up the phone and got out of the room.

Anthony also saw it, got out of bed, and sneaked out after Gabriel.

Separated by the door, Gabriel lowered the phone's volume to the minimum before answering the call.

Seconds later, Hannah's voice came through. "Gabriel, Anthony, what do I do? I already miss you both after you left earlier. It's so lonely staying in such a big villa all by myself. Could you come back and keep me company?"

Gabriel glanced at the closed bedroom door before patiently coaxing Hannah on the other end of the line. "Stop it. It's too late now. We'll spend time with you tomorrow."

However, Hannah refused as her eyes reddened. "I know Mrs. Fulton will always come first. I never asked for anything else. I just hoped that you could spend some time with me and even give me just 10% of your love. Is that too much to ask?"

Hearing Hannah's choked voice, Anthony quickly tugged on the hem of Gabriel's clothes. "Dad, let's go. I want to see Ms. Jennings. Let's go, Dad! Come on, Dad…"

With the two pleading so plaintively, Gabriel began to waver. After a moment, he bent over and put a finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture. "We'll go quietly. Don't wake your mom."

On the other side of the door, Andrea's eyes were wide open. Tears streamed silently down her face and then her pillow, but she neither wiped them nor made a sound. She silently listened as their footsteps were heard further and further away.