Chapter 13
Blair gently took Winnie’s hand and patiently reassured her, “It was my fault today. I won’t let it happen again.”
Despite his apology, Winnie was still down.
Everyone else had their mom there, but she had her dad. A lot of the activities seemed to favor dads simply because they were men.
She liked being first, but only if it felt fair.
Blair could tell Winnie was still upset, and he wanted to comfort her. But just then, his phone rang again–it was a call from Sandra.
He answered, and Sandra’s voice came through. “Tomorrow is your father’s birthday, and a few relatives are coming over for dinner. You and Winnie should come pick me up at Lakeside Mall.”
Blair paused, a bit confused, but then remembered it was indeed his father’s birthday the next day.
He replied, “Got it.”
After hanging up, Blair glanced at Winnie, still pouting. He reached. over and gently brushed her face, speaking to her with warmth and affection. “Tomorrow is Grandpa’s birthday. Mom couldn’t make it today because she’s busy preparing the family dinner at the old house. Don’t you remember? Every year she spends the whole day cooking a big meal for Grandpa.”
Winnie thought for a moment, and it seemed like she remembered.
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Chapter 13
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Her mood lightened a bit, and she lifted her chin proudly. “Well, that’s better. Otherwise, the other kids would’ve made fun of me, saying I’m the one without a mom to take care of me.”
Blair chuckled softly, then said, “Next time there’s an event, I’ll ask Diane to go with you.”
In an instant, all the clouds over Winnie’s head seemed to disappear. She beamed, clapping her hands, and shouted excitedly, “Yay! Dad, you’re the best!”
Blair ruffled her hair affectionately and said softly, “Shall we head to Grandpa’s house now?”
Winnie furrowed her brows again. “Will I see Mom?”
Bianca hadn’t shown up for the school–parent event today, and on top of that, she had slapped Diane last time.
Winnie still held a grudge against Bianca and wasn’t ready to see her yet.
When she did see her, Bianca would probably try to hug and kiss her, and she didn’t want that.
Bianca always smelled like oil and smoke, but Diane was different. She smelled sweet, and her hands were soft and smooth.
Blair watched Winnie’s conflicted expression and answered honestly, “You will.”
Winnie knew they had to go home tonight, so she looked up at Blair with wide eyes and asked, “When I see Mom, can I just ignore her? I haven’t forgiven her yet, and I don’t want to talk to her unless she apologizes to Diane.”
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Blair fastened Winnie’s seatbelt and then responded, “Yeah.”
After calming Winnie down, Blair drove toward Lakeside Mall.
At 5:30, he received a call from Sandra.
By 6:00, the car had pulled into the old house.
Throughout the drive, Sandra had been on the phone, inviting friends over for dinner.
When Blair and Winnie entered the living room, they were greeted by a strange silence. The lights were off, and the house felt empty.
There was no party table set up, no dishes laid out. The kitchen was completely bare–cold stoves, no signs of any preparation, and not a hint of cooking smells in the air.
Sandra was stunned. She rubbed her eyes several times to make sure she wasn’t imagining things.
Ever since Bianca married Blair, every year on this day, Bianca had always taken care of everything on her own, no prompting needed. She went all out, making sure the meal was extravagant. Even the most discerning guests, accustomed to fine dining, would always praise the spread.
Sandra often boasted about it to her friends, proud of how well things. were handled.
But now, the sight of the empty kitchen and dark living room made. Sandra lose her temper. “What’s going on with Bianca? Does she need me to remind her what day it is?”
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