Chapter 7

Serena didn't look at the papers on the spot, only taking them and looking at Dawn.

"Tell Silas that my lawyer will contact him about the divorce."

After that, she turned to leave.

Dawn stood up. "Ms. Vale, Shawn's with you, right?"

Serena slowed down, turning back to look at her.

Dawn's voice was gentle, tinged with pleading. "I haven't seen him for days… Can I go and see him?"

Honestly, Serena didn't want Dawn setting a single foot inside of her studio.

However, Shawn was Dawn's son. After the divorce, Serena knew she wouldn't even be qualified as his adoptive mother.

Thinking of this, she was about to respond when a young voice chirped, "Mom!"

Serena turned towards the entrance, and Shawn ran towards her. She caught him gently, rubbing his head out of habit.

"Why did you come down here?"

"I came down here with Hannah! She went away once she saw me come in."

Shawn held Serena close, his tiny face rubbing against her again and again. "What's taking you so long, Mom? I miss you!"

Serena, despite everything, couldn't help but smile. Shawn had always been the best at acting cute.

Dawn was witness to this entire interaction, and her svelte figure stumbled slightly, her complexion paling.

"Shawn…"

Shawn looked up in surprise, meeting Dawn's hurt gaze, and he stiffened.

Serena paused as well, clearly feeling Shawn's discomfort at the current situation. She was just about to let go of him when footsteps came from behind her.

"Dawn."

Serena turned around, and there Silas was. He wore a long, black trench coat, tall and imposing. He walked over to Dawn and took the trench coat off, covering it over her head and pulling her into his arms protectively.

Serena just watched in a daze, pain spreading out from her chest and spiraling out of control.

With his head lowered, Silas whispered, "Someone's taking pictures."

Hearing this, Dawn grew frightened and she clutched onto the front of Silas' shirt tightly. She buried her beautiful face that had attracted so many fans into his chest.

Silas left while protecting Dawn. When they walked past Serena, he said, "Take Shawn home. I'll go get him later."

It was nothing more than a notification—he didn't even give Serena the option to respond.

Serena held Shawn in her arms as she watched Silas protect Dawn all the way to the car, the image of a true gentleman. Throughout the entire process, Dawn was protected so well that not even a single strand of hair was exposed from under the trench coat.

Then, the car drove away.

Serena looked down at the divorce agreement in her hand and pursed her lips tightly, suppressing the tears that were threatening to spill out.

"Mom, are you okay?"

Serena came back to her senses, meeting Shawn's concerned gaze. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile.

"Yes, I am."

Shawn carefully observed her expression and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that nothing was amiss.

Since Serena was fine now, Shawn couldn't help but think about how he had made Dawn sad just moments ago. Knowing that it was his fault made him feel incredibly guilty.

Serena checked the time and realized it was almost time for her appointment. Ruffling Shawn's hair, she said, "Mom's going to go out for some business, okay? Can you wait for me back at the studio?"

"Nuh uh!"

Shawn wanted to go see Dawn immediately, but he didn't want to let Serena know.

A thought came to his mind, and he said, "Mom, you haven't been home for days. Dad told you to send me home just now, so does he have something important to tell you?"

What else could it be about if not the divorce?

But how could Serena tell Shawn about this? All of these matters were for the adults to bear, not innocent children.

"Mom, just go home with me!" Shawn grabbed her hand and tugged, putting on a cute expression. "Come on! I haven't seen Dad in ages! I miss him!"

Serena sighed softly, resigned to her fate. "Fine, then let's get you home."

"Yippee!" Shawn was over the moon. "You're the best, Mom!"

Serena ruffled his hair gently, internally sighing at the cute face in front of her.

The only genuine thing left, after five years of marriage, was Shawn's reliance and affection.

Everything else was nothing more than delusions and lies.

-

After half an hour, Serena and Shawn arrived at Southbrook Manor.

Silas still hadn't returned, and Shawn got impatient after ten minutes.

"Mom, can you call Dad and ask him when he'll come back?"

Serena thought that Silas would have returned earlier as well. Her initial plan was to head to the hospital immediately the moment he got home.

She had called him three times in a row, to no avail. Her hands were tied, but she still didn't forget to comfort Shawn.

"He's probably busy," Serena said.

Shawn's forehead knitted together.

Did he make his mom cry? Was his dad too busy to accept a call because the man was comforting his mom?

At that thought, Shawn became even more anxious, to the point of regretting hugging Serena earlier. If he hadn't, maybe his mom wouldn't have gotten so upset!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Even his gaze towards Serena started to bear a hint of resentment.

However, Serena was too busy texting her best friend, so she didn't notice Shawn's shift in mood.

"Something came up. I'll have to change the appointment to tomorrow."

"I work the morning shift tomorrow, so just come on over."

"Alright."

"I'm assuming you haven't used the test kit yet, huh?"

Serena glanced at her bag, a little guilty, and replied, "I'll do it now."

In response, she got a cute sticker of her being smacked by a hammer.

After responding with a sticker saying that she was sorry, she grabbed her bag and stood up. "I'm going to the restroom, okay?"

Shawn didn't reply.

Thinking that the boy was just angry at his father for taking so long, Serena didn't think too much about it and headed upstairs.

After hearing the sound of the door upstairs, Shawn immediately dashed to his room and grabbed the smart watch that Dawn bought him.

The first person in his contacts was Dawn, and he called her immediately. After a few rings, someone picked up.

"Shawn?"

Silas' low voice came through, slightly hoarse, as if he was out of breath.

Silas blinked. "Dad? Why did you pick up? Where's Mom?"

"She got tired and fell asleep. Why?"

Shawn became even more anxious, hearing this. "Did she cry?"

Silas didn't deny it. "She's fine now."

"I'm worried about Mom! I'm already home now, so can you come get me? I wanna be with Mom!"

"Alright, I'll go get you."

Shawn hung up excitedly, carefully tucking the smart watch into the pocket of his jacket and going downstairs again. He switched on the television and happily watched his favorite shows while waiting for his dad to come and fetch him.

Meanwhile, Serena looked at the pregnancy test in her hands, gripping it so hard her fingertips went pale…