Upstairs, Jasmine’s excited voice carried through the entire house.
“Mommy, look! Daddy bought me this teddy bear. This one is the daddy I made myself. This dress was a gift from Mommy Melissa. And this-this is a souvenir from Daddy Lionel when he flew back! Did you know? Daddy Lionel can fly planes! Whoosh! He takes off just like that! So cool!”
“But he is not as cool as my daddy! Don’t look at him!”
“This is a stethoscope from Daddy George! He loves playing doctor with me-I’m the doctor!”
“And this-this is the nail polish I picked out for Daddy Hogan! He really likes purple with red. These are all my birthday presents!”
Her little mouth never stopped moving, introducing each and every item with enthusiasm.
Lillian took it all in, greedily scanning the room. It felt warm and lived-in, filled with traces of Jasmine’s daily life.
“Look, these are trophies and certificates that Daddy Gordon won in competitions-he gave them all to me!”
“This one’s from the New Era Cup. This one’s from the U. S. This one’s from R Country. And this one’s from D Country… Daddy Gordon is so amazing!” She proudly showed off each and every medal, as if presenting priceless treasures.
“Mommy, what do you do?” Jasmine asked curiously, her bright eyes fixed on Lillian.
Lillian smiled. “Why don’t you guess?”
Jasmine’s eyes darted around as she thought for a moment. “Mommy’s an angel!”
Lillian lowered her gaze and chuckled. “Who taught you to be such a sweet talker?”
“No one! My mouth is sweet because Mommy is honey! Since Mommy gave birth to me, my mouth became sweet too! Mommy is an angel, and that’s why you brought me into this world! I’m a little honey angel baby!”
As she spoke, she ran off to grab her glowing butterfly wings. “Mommy, look! I can fly! I can fly so high!”
She stood on her tiptoes, trying to reach Lillian’s height.
Realizing she still had quite a ways to go, she gave up and waved a hand dismissively. “Forget it, that’s okay! Mommy, hurry, come to my bathroom! Let’s take a bath together! Afterward, I still have sooo many things I want to show you!”
Conrad stood outside the door, listening to the giggles and laughter inside. That sweet, affectionate tone-something only a mother and daughter could share-instantly melted away the restlessness raging inside him.
“Mommy, look at my hair!”
Lillian glanced at the crown of Jasmine’s head and ran her fingers through the strands.
The little girl’s head was covered in bubbles, and she had twisted her wet hair into two little buns on top.
“Does Jasmine’s hair look like Mommy’s?”
“It looks like your daddy’s,” Lillian said. “Your daddy’s hair is just like this.”
It was slightly rough to the touch-thick and stiff, just like Conrad’s.
“Wow, I just realized today that my hair looks like Daddy’s-how great is that! Jasmine inherited everything from you both, so now I’ll always be with Mommy and Daddy.” She said it with a gleam of mischief.
Lillian felt an overwhelming softness in her heart. She wanted to hug her and cry freely, but she was afraid of scaring her.
As she thought about how she’d spent so many years by Quincy’s side while her own biological daughter had never experienced a mother’s love from her, the guilt was impossible to ignore.
“Does Jasmine like it when Mommy helps you take a bath?”
“Yeah, I like it when Mommy does anything!”
“Then who used to give Jasmine a bath?”
“I forgot. I remember the older sisters and aunties helped me. Daddy always said he was a man, so when I was little, he could give me a bath, but when I grew up, he couldn’t anymore.”
“I’ve always wanted a mommy to bathe with me. My best friends at kindergarten always tell me that they bathe and swim with their mommies. Not like me, I always go swimming with Daddy, but if Mommy Melissa isn’t there, only the nanny helps me dress. I don’t like when they take my clothes off.”
At this age, kids are beginning to develop a sense of modesty and gender differences, and for Jasmine, the longing for her mom reached its peak, especially when she was around strangers.
“But Daddy already takes such good care of me, so I don’t want to bother him. Mommy Melissa said when I was little, I was always sick. I couldn’t sleep for even an hour without waking up. I’d catch a cold just from a breeze, and when I got sick, I’d have to stay in the hospital for days. Daddy would stay up all night holding me, walking with me in the hospital hallway to help me fall asleep.”
“So, I love Daddy the most, and Daddy loves me the most. But I know, Daddy loves me because he loves Mommy, too.”
Lillian froze for a moment as Jasmine’s face pressed into her palm. “Mommy, you can feel it, right? Jasmine is proof that Daddy loves you.”
Conrad stood at the door, his phone vibrating in his hand.
He picked it up and looked at the screen.
[Princess Jasmine’s Knight Brigade]
George: [@Conrad, are you home? My mom says it’s her birthday tonight, and she wants to have Jasmine stay over.]
Conrad: [Lillian is giving Jasmine a bath, I’m afraid we won’t be able to make it.]
“…”
There was a moment of silence in the group chat.
Then Lionel sent a message: [@George, hasn’t anyone prescribed him medicine recently?]
Hogan:[Conrad, you should take your medicine on time. This delay isn’t good.]
Gordon: [Conrad, you’re starting to hallucinate. If it gets worse, maybe find a more reliable doctor.]
Conrad: […]
What kind of people were these?
He then recorded a voice message and sent it.
The group fell silent again.
A moment later, George sent a thumbs-up emoji.
George: [“Emotional Intelligence 101: How to Manage Marriage” (I haven’t finished it either, maybe you can take a look?)]
Gordon: [“If You Need to Explain, Do It Immediately”, “The Essence Is: I Love You, Don’t Leave Me”, “I’ll Change Whatever You Want.”]
Lionel: [“Tonight, I’ll Turn Over a New Leaf And Become A Reformed Man.” “Rebirth: I’m Now A Love-struck Fool.”]
Hogan: [… What are you all doing, stealing the show? I have nothing to say! Keep your mouth shut, there are only a few five-year periods in life!!!]
Only Melissa, a bit slow to react, finally popped in: [Wait, who’s back?!]
Gordon: [How did she end up in the group?]
Lionel: [Could she have been here the whole time?]
Melissa didn’t wait for an answer. She immediately put down her fork and was about to leave.
Mrs. Miller shouted, “You’re not even finishing your meal, where do you think you’re going?!”