Jessica didn’t beat around the bush and spoke from her heart, “I don’t know what’s happening between you and Dolores. But if you two can’t be together, then I want to raise the children with her…”
Jessica had pondered over this matter extensively.
If Dolores could build a home with Matthew, it would be wonderful. But if not, she hoped Matthew wouldn’t fight for custody of the children.
If he insisted on winning, Jessica and Dolores would never stand a chance.
So, she expressed her feelings upfront.
“We haven’t filed for divorce,” Matthew explained, though it wasn’t an excuse. “Legally, we are still husband and wife. I care about your daughter, not just because she’s the mother of my children, but because I genuinely like her for who she is.”
Jessica sighed with relief. This was good news, of course.
However, she didn’t know how to respond to his straightforwardness.
“I have to go on a business trip to Country A, and she will be accompanying me. We might be away for a couple of days, so I’ll entrust Samuel and Simona to you. I’ve arranged for someone outside the villa, so if you need to go out, take them along,” Matthew explained.
He still hadn’t found Dolores. He worried that Jessica would become anxious, and the children would also look for their mother.
Thus, he deliberately informed Jessica that Dolores would be joining him on a business trip.
“Okay, I’ll take care of them,” Jessica agreed.
After their conversation, Jessica felt much better.
“Simona…”
“She’s in my room,” Jessica quickly replied, seeming to anticipate his question. “She woke up last night, calling for Dolores. I couldn’t do anything except bring her to my room to sleep. It took me a while to soothe her before she finally fell asleep. She should still be sleeping now.”
Before Jessica finished speaking, they heard a soft voice say, “Mommy… Daddy.”
Simona, dressed in pajamas adorned with small yellow ducks, her fair and soft skin, and messy hair, threw herself at Matthew, affectionately calling, “Daddy…”
Matthew embraced her.
Simona wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, as if compensating for Samuel not allowing her to get close to her father. “I missed you.”
In reality, she feared that Matthew would be angry with her and no longer want her.
Her desire to please him was evident in her voice.
Matthew gently brushed her hair away from her forehead, revealing her entire face. With her broad forehead, big watery eyes, and innocent expression, Simona looked incredibly adorable.
He lightly ran his thumb across her cheek. “Missed me? Where?”
Simona playfully rolled her eyes and held her chest, pointing to her heart. “Missed you right here, in my heart.”
“Didn’t Mommy come back with you?”
Unable to locate Dolores, her eyes scanned the surroundings.
Matthew’s throat tightened, but he maintained a calm demeanor. “Your Mommy had something to take care of, so she didn’t come back…”
At that moment, Matthew’s cellphone vibrated in his pocket.
He took it out and glanced at it. It was a call from Boyce. Instead of answering immediately, he set Simona down and patted her head. “Daddy needs to take this call.”
Simona obediently nodded, and Jessica approached, saying, “I’ll take her to freshen up and change her clothes.”
“That would be great,” Matthew nodded.
Seeing Jessica leading Simona into the room, Matthew walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window to answer the call.
Once the call connected, he heard the words, “We’ve found her.”
A surge of electricity seemed to course through Matthew’s body, awakening every cell within him.
Boyce had found her?
His pupils dilated, and though he believed he was composed, his voice betrayed his excitement as he asked, “Where are you now?”
“Just outside the city. I’ll send you the location.”
After ending the call, Matthew received the location details from Boyce.
He opened the location, and at that moment, Simona poked her head out from the room. “Daddy, are you going out?”
Matthew paused and turned to look back at her. “Yes, I need to go out.”
“When will you be back?” Simona inquired.
“I’ll return as soon as I finish my work.”
Matthew didn’t provide a specific time. He didn’t know how long it would take, and he didn’t want to disappoint her.
“Will you come back with Mommy?” Simona asked again.
Matthew’s voice, emanating from deep within his chest, sounded hoarse but resolute. “Yes.”
Simona beamed, revealing a row of small white teeth, her eyes crinkling into twinkling crescents. “Then I’ll wait for Daddy and Mommy to come back together.”
After contemplating for a moment, Matthew replied, “Okay.”
He walked over and squatted in front of her, examining her closely. Her nose, mouth, eyebrows, and eyes resembled Dolores, especially when she laughed and her eyes turned into crescents.
“You resemble both Mommy and me,” he said, running his hand through her messy hair.
Simona tilted her head and blinked cutely. “Are you admiring how pretty I am?”
His voice grew husky. “My daughter is the prettiest.”
“Do I look more like Mommy or Daddy?” Simona held onto his arm, hoping to spend more time with him.
As he examined her face, her nose, mouth, eyebrows, and eyes, all resembled Dolores. Particularly when she laughed, her eyes formed crescents.
“You resemble both Mommy and me.”
“Okay now,” Jessica said, understanding Simona’s desires as she lifted her up. “Your Daddy has something to do. Come with me and change your clothes.”
Simona’s face immediately fell, and she pouted her lips. “I just want to stay with Daddy for a little while.”
“He will be back soon,” Jessica reassured her, coaxing her gently.
Giving one last glance at the house, Matthew walked out of the villa and got into the car. He quickly started the car, turning on the Bluetooth on his phone and connecting the location to the car’s GPS.
Driving towards the destination, the sky gradually brightened. By the time he arrived, the sun had already risen, casting a reddish hue on the eastern clouds as if they were ablaze. The morning mist had dissipated, and life seemed to have returned to normal.
As the car reached the destination, Matthew noticed a burnt-out van parked in the wasteland on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by police tape.
He didn’t know why, but the closer he got, the more flustered his heart felt.
Maria didn’t harm her, right? Dolores wasn’t hurt, was she?
He had no idea.
His usually composed demeanor was slightly disheveled. Boyce lifted the police tape and emerged from underneath it. “Here you are!”
“Where is she?” Matthew inquired anxiously.
“In my car.” Boyce walked toward his vehicle and opened the door, revealing a thin figure curled up in the backseat. Her hair was messy, and her face was smudged with dirt, but she appeared unharmed. Matthew breathed a sigh of relief.
“Fortunately, she’s okay,” Boyce expressed his gratitude. “She must be exhausted; she fell asleep.”
He closed the car door, seemingly cautious not to wake the woman inside. “You can take my car; I’ll take yours later.”
Boyce handed over his car keys.
Matthew didn’t respond but instead asked, “What’s the situation now?”
“When we arrived, the van was already on fire. She had twisted her foot and fallen not far from it. She was conscious and mentioned that someone wanted to burn her alive and had tied her to the seat. She managed to free herself and escape just…” Boyce paused, his voice trailing off.
Matthew’s hands involuntarily clenched into fists. “Was there no one else here at that time?”
“No, whoever it was must have left after setting the van on fire. I’ve sent people to search for any potential witnesses nearby,” Boyce explained, knowing that it was highly unlikely to find anyone who saw the perpetrator leave. “Thankfully, she’s unharmed, and we have Maria in custody, so it’s not a major issue.”
A slight frown formed on Matthew’s face, doubts beginning to creep into his mind.
“Why don’t you take her to the hospital to have her foot injury checked?” Boyce handed him the car keys again. “At the time, she insisted she was fine, so I didn’t call an ambulance.”
This time, Matthew accepted the keys and got into the car. He drove Dolores to the hospital to have her injury examined.