Emily pressed the timer button. The flash lit up, capturing the moment of happiness in the photo booth.
Grace immediately shouted, “Look, Mom! Our picture!” She pointed to their photo, which already printed and emerging from the machine.
Grace tilted her head, her forehead creased with curiosity. “Uncle, why is your face so stiff and not smiling at all in these pictures?” she asked in a sweet, innocent voice.
Emily couldn’t help but laugh. Daniel’s face, captured in the photos, was frozen in a flat expression.
“Sorry,” Emily whispered, her voice barely audible as her eyes accidentally met Daniel’s piercing gaze.
After finishing the arcade game, they entered the toy store to buy some toys for Grace. Grace’s eyes lit up when she saw some toys there.
When they reached the cashier, Daniel automatically reached for his wallet.
“No, I can’t let you pay for this,” Emily protested. “You’ve already spent so much money on food and games.”
Daniel didn’t answer Emily’s words. After paying the cashier, he simply turned and walked away, leaving Emily still silent there. “He didn’t answer me and just left. What a cold heartless man!” she hissed, gripping her bag tightly. She slammed her fist on the counter, making the cashier turn around in surprise. “Sorry,” she whispered.
Before heading home, the three of them went into a dress shop to buy a dress for Emily’s event tomorrow.
“Uncle, can you help Mom pick out a suitable dress for her?” asked Grace.
“No need. I can find it myself,” Emily replied, her voice a little cold.
Daniel’s gaze fell on one of the beautiful dresses. It was a simple but elegant red dress, and it looked very luxurious. “How about this one?”
“This dress is one of the latest releases from our shop,” the shopkeeper said, smiling kindly, her voice excited as she explained about the dress.
“You can try it on,” Daniel said.
Emily gulped as her eyes caught the price tag on the dress. The numbers stunned her.
“Come here ma’am,” said the shopkeeper, smiling kindly as she directed Emily towards the dressing room.
Not long after, Emily came out of the dressing room with the dress already draped beautifully on her body. The dress had a simple yet elegant cut, with a slightly low neckline and a slim silhouette. The bold red color made Emily look so charming and confident. Her eyes were full of alluring warmth, unobstructed by the glasses she had just taken off.
“Mom, you’re so beautiful,” Grace complimented, not expecting to see her mother’s beauty radiating from the dress.
“Do you think Mommy looks beautiful in this dress?” asked Grace, making Emily’s heart skip a beat. She fiddled nervously with the hem of her dress, her eyes searching for Daniel’s reaction.
Emily tucked her hair behind her ear. The look in Daniel’s eyes felt like he was admiring Emily’s beauty, but he tried to keep his demeanor and composure. When their eyes met, Daniel cleared his throat, as if trying to hide his racing heart. “Beautiful.”
Hearing Daniel’s compliment, Emily’s cheeks flushed red. She could feel the heat radiating throughout her body. She looked down and smiled faintly.
“This dress looks so beautiful on you, ma’am,” the shopkeeper complimented. “Would you like to try another one?”
Emily seemed to pause and think. This dress was indeed so beautiful and fit her perfectly. However, on the other hand, she thought about the very expensive price of the dress. She felt that it was a shame to spend too much money on this dress. But after thinking for a long time, she finally decided. “Okay, I want this one.”
After a while, Emily came out of the dressing room. She came back in her previous outfit. As she was about to go to the cashier to pay, her eyes caught Daniel who was already near the cashier. Daniel looked calm as he handed over his payment to the cashier.
“Thank you, sir,” the cashier said, smiling kindly.
“You don’t need to do this for the dress. I’ll pay you later,” Emily said.
Daniel gave her a cold stare. “No need,” he replied, his voice flat.
After exiting the store, Grace pulled Daniel’s hand excitedly. “Let’s get some ice cream, Uncle!” she exclaimed.
Emily was silent, staring at their retreating backs. She felt like there was a chasm between them. Daniel was so attentive to Grace, but his attitude towards Emily felt cold and distant.
“Uncle, I want vanilla flavor,” Grace said excitedly, twinkling at the tantalizing array of ice cream.
“Please give me one vanilla flavored ice cream,” Daniel asked the ice cream seller.
Suddenly, Daniel remembered Emily’s fondness for vanilla ice cream, recalling moments when she looked happy while enjoying it.
“Just give me two,” Daniel said.
While Daniel bought ice cream, Emily rested her feet by sitting at one of the tables in the restaurant. She stared at the teddy bear that Grace had gotten, a faint smile was etched on her lips as she played with the doll.
Slowly, Daniel’s footsteps approached her. “Your ice cream,” Daniel said, handing Emily a cup of vanilla ice cream.
Emily accepted the ice cream hesitantly. “Thank you.”
‘Vanilla ice cream? Does he still remember the flavor of ice cream I like?’ Emily thought to herself but she quickly dismissed the stupid thought.
After finishing their ice cream, they finally walked towards the parking lot, the silence between them heavy with unspoken emotions.
“Thank you for today,” Emily said to Daniel who helped her load the groceries into Emily’s car.
“I want to go home with Uncle,” Grace whined, pulling on Daniel’s hand.
“Grace, our house and Uncle’s house are not aligned,” Emily said.
“It’s okay, I’ll take her home,” Daniel said firmly.
“But…” Emily began, but Daniel cut her off.
“It’s okay,” Daniel reassured her.
“I can go home with Uncle, right?” asked Grace, her eyes looking at Daniel expectantly.
“All right. Let’s go,” said Daniel as he took Grace in his arms. A warm smile was etched on his face, looking lovingly at Grace.
“Daniel, wait a minute,” said Emily as she took out a paper bag from inside her car.
“What’s this?” asked Daniel, staring at the paper bag in surprise.
“These are the clothes I borrowed at your house that day,” Emily replied.
Without answering, Daniel took the paper bag and went to his car. After putting Grace in the passenger seat, Daniel started the engine. They drove out of the shopping center parking lot, each in their own car, leaving a sense of distance and tension in the air.
Moments later, they finally arrived at Emily’s house. Daniel smiled when he saw Grace, who was fast asleep in the passenger seat. He gently stroked Grace’s hair, and as he was about to kiss her forehead, he noticed Emily walking towards his car. His smile faded, and he abandoned his intention.
Emily was surprised to see Grace already sleeping in the passenger seat. She carefully unbuckled the seat belt from Grace’s body, trying not to wake her, and lifted her up.
“Thank you for bringing Grace,” Emily said softly.
Daniel just nodded, his expression unreadable. Emily wanted to ask Daniel so many things, but the words seemed to be stuck in her throat.
“I’ll go in first,” Emily said.
Just as Emily was about to enter the house, she heard footsteps approaching them.
“Sean,” Emily said, her voice slightly nervous.
Sean’s gaze shifted to Daniel behind Emily. His smile faltered when he noticed Daniel’s presence.