Matthew’s face was bathed in a halo of shifting brightness and darkness, fueling his growing desire instead of diminishing it.
“I understand,” Dolores blurted out, deliberately diverting the conversation.
“What do you mean?” Matthew frowned.
“Sampson Hebert knows too; she sent me a message to trap me,” Dolores said, intentionally distracting Matthew’s attention.
Of course, Sampson knew that everything back then was fabricated by her.
Sampson’s face grew serious as he pondered this woman.
Dolores remained motionless, attempting to free herself from beneath him, but Matthew pressed down on her shoulder, realizing that she was doing it on purpose.
The lust in his eyes threatened to overflow like a rushing river, as he uttered, “I’m not young anymore. How long are you going to keep me waiting?”
“I’ve heard that sex is the ultimate expression of love,” he whispered, his body leaning closer, flirting with her ear.
Boom!
Dolores’s mind went blank for a moment. She couldn’t believe he was saying such things.
How could he be so shameless?
“You’re not attractive, but why do I crave you so much?” Matthew pinched her face, examining it from side to side. A faint smile played on his lips as his eyes glimmered with intensity. “You say you’re not attractive, but why do I want you so badly?”
“If I’m not attractive, do you still want to…?” Dolores quickly closed her mouth, nearly blurting out “sleep with me.”
She blushed, feeling extremely shy and unable to meet his gaze.
It was beyond embarrassing.
Especially in front of him.
Matthew grinned knowingly and asked, “What else do I want to do?”
“Get up, I’m starving,” Dolores tried to escape.
“I’ll feed you. Isn’t that good?” Matthew’s expression turned serious as he bent his head and kissed her lips.
“…” Dolores was speechless.
Knock, knock!
Dolores’s eyes widened as she heard a tapping sound on the door. This interruption came at the perfect time, as she was seeking an excuse to escape.
“Open the door quickly,” Dolores urged, pressing against him.
Matthew didn’t move, and his demeanor was no longer as cheerful as before.
Who could arrive at such an inconvenient moment?
“Dad,” came a voice following the knock.
A small voice accompanied the knocking on the door.
“It’s Simona,” Dolores’s voice trembled. It was her daughter.
She turned to look at the man above her, feeling irritated that her daughter had called him instead of her.
“Are you there, Daddy?” she called again.
Matthew had no choice but to get up reluctantly, as his daughter was waiting outside.
He reached for Dolores’s clothes, but she slapped his hand away. She seemed annoyed that her daughter didn’t call for her, the one who gave birth to her and raised her for six years, and instead had become so attached to this man.
Matthew noticed her dissatisfaction and playfully rubbed his nose. “Are you jealous of your daughter?”
Dolores didn’t say anything, lowering her head to fasten the laces on her clothing.
“We’re father and daughter, blood is thicker than water,” he said, explaining their close relationship as they were biologically related.
Dolores didn’t want to engage with him and hurriedly went to open the door. Simona had no idea that Dolores had returned, and as soon as the door opened, she called out for her father.
“Mommy, where have you been all this time? Daddy and I have been looking for you for so long. I missed you so much,” she said, her eyes red and filled with tears as she saw Dolores.
“Mommy!” she exclaimed, throwing herself into Dolores’s arms and wrapping her little arms around her waist. She buried herself in her mother’s embrace.
Simona worried that her mother would disappear again if she couldn’t see her.
Boyce Shawn stood at the door. Matthew had been with Dolores all day, and they should have finished whatever they needed to discuss.
So Boyce took it upon himself to bring the two children over, without informing them that he had found Dolores and planned this surprise.
Samuel needed to use the bathroom when Simona knocked on the door, and he hadn’t returned yet.
Dolores crouched down and held her daughter’s face. It seemed like Simona had gained weight, her face becoming rounder.
“Mommy, where were you all this time? Why couldn’t I find you?” the little girl pouted her pretty pink lips.
Dolores pulled her daughter into her arms. She didn’t know how to respond to her daughter’s question. Only then did she notice Samuel standing at the door, his thin body upright, his fists clenched at his sides.
“Samuel,” Dolores looked at her son, who had lost weight and had the same angular face as Matthew.
She reached out to him.
Samuel burst out, his eyes red and his voice strained, “Where have you been for so long? Do you know how worried I was about you?”
“Please forgive me…” Dolores was at a loss for words, stretching out her arms to pull her son into an embrace.
Samuel raised his hand and wiped away his tears with the back of his palm. Choking back sobs, he said, “Mommy, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s my fault. I didn’t take care of you. I’m the man of the family, but I lost you. It’s my fault.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Dolores pressed her son’s head against her chest. He was still young, but he felt responsible for her.
She couldn’t find words to describe how she felt; all she sensed was the bitterness creeping into her nostrils and the growing ache in her eyes.
Matthew approached and reached out to stroke his son’s hair.
Dolores had taken good care of them. They were smart and considerate, especially her son, who was so thoughtful that she felt guilty for him.
“Did Daddy find Mommy?” Simona leaned out of Dolores’s arms and turned her head to look at Matthew.
Matthew nodded gently.
“I’m grateful,” Samuel said, despite his past resentment toward his father’s actions. This time, he was the one who helped search for his mother.
He wanted to express his gratitude.
“How about we go out for a meal?” Boyce stood by the doorway. This intense scene was overwhelming for him.
He had never been a father and couldn’t comprehend their emotions.
“I’ve booked a room downstairs to celebrate Miss Flores’s safe return,” Boyce suggested.
Dolores wiped her son’s face before standing up and bowing to Boyce, holding her son’s and daughter’s hands. “Thank you for taking care of them while I was away.”
Boyce was taken aback, stepping back. He didn’t feel deserving of this.
“Matthew and I are friends, so it’s what I should do. There’s no need to thank me,” Boyce said, directing his gaze toward Matthew.
Surprisingly, Matthew didn’t even look at him. His attention was entirely focused on the two children and Dolores. He didn’t have the leisure to spare a glance.
Boyce awkwardly glanced down and touched his nose.
Why did he feel so unneeded?
Simona grabbed Dolores’s hand and said, “Mommy, I’m hungry.”
Dolores looked down at her daughter, wondering why she had become so chubby.
“Okay, let’s go,” Boyce said with a smile.
“Thank you very much,” Dolores said as she led the two children out of the room. Simona, who was used to being carried by Matthew, pouted and said, “Mommy, can you carry me?”
Dolores couldn’t refuse her daughter, so despite her tired feet, she leaned down and scooped her up.
Samuel sighed as he watched this.
“She’s so childish.”
“You’re just a child too,” Dolores ruffled her son’s hair.
Samuel snorted, determined not to be as immature as his sister.
Why did she need to be carried when she could walk on her own?
They all stepped into the elevator. Matthew frowned, wondering why he suddenly felt unnecessary.
Dolores also seemed to have ‘forgotten’ about him, and his daughter wasn’t clinging to him.
Since they were on the third floor, the elevator quickly descended. It stopped with a ‘ding’ sound, and Boyce intended to step out first but was stopped by Matthew. “Wait a minute.”
Boyce turned around to ask what was happening, but when he met Matthew’s eyes, he couldn’t say anything.
He silently retreated and stepped back into the elevator.
Dolores wondered if something was wrong after she had left. Wasn’t it a good thing that she had been found? Why was Matthew wearing such a serious expression, as if someone had insulted him?
Boyce searched his soul but couldn’t recall doing anything wrong.
What was he going to say? He better not leave him hanging.
“I…”
“I’m not divorcing her,” Matthew finally spoke, just as Boyce was about to say something.
What did this mean? Boyce blinked in confusion.
Could it be that he had mispronounced Miss Flores’s name?
“From now on, I’ll refer to her as Mrs. Nelson,” Boyce tried to clarify.
Matthew, being the eldest of the three, confirmed it.
Armand Bernie was the youngest of the group.
“Yes,” Matthew replied.
“…” Boyce was speechless.
“Okay then, I’ll go along with it,” Boyce asked if they should go or if the elevator should go back up.
Matthew paused for a moment before asking, “In your opinion, how do you maintain a relationship?”
Boyce nearly lost his balance.
What was this about?
The topic shifted too abruptly, and he couldn’t keep up.
How to maintain a relationship?
This kind of conversation didn’t match his style.