Mated to My Intended's Enemy novel Chapter 175

Chapter 175: Chapter 175 Miss Mother

Isabella

Mom was coming back tonight? I couldn’t stop my eyebrows from scrunching together as Dad confirmed she’d be joining us at Great-Grandmother’s dinner. The knot in my stomach tightened, my feelings all tangled up like the time I tried to brush my own hair.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see Mom. I actually missed her—a lot. Mom had never gone this long without calling me before. Every night since she’d been gone, I’d stare at my phone before bed, wondering if tonight would be the night she’d remember to call. But she never did.

Nova whimpered inside me, confused by my mixed emotions. *Why sad about Mother returning?* she asked in my head.

I stroked my fork against my breakfast plate, making little patterns in the syrup. The truth was complicated. When Dad had told me Mom was away on a business trip the morning after we’d gotten back from visiting the northern territories, I’d been... happy. Relieved, even. No Mom meant more freedom. No lectures about my medication schedule, no forcing me to rest when I wanted to play, no endless questions about how I was feeling.

Most importantly, no Mom meant more time with Aunt Aurora.

"Dad?" I looked up at him, watching as he checked his phone again. He always did that when Mom was mentioned—like he was expecting something from her that never came.

"What is it, pup?" His voice was gentle, his eyes soft when they landed on me. Dad always looked at me like I was the most precious thing in his world.

I pushed my breakfast around my plate, trying to find the right words. "If Mom’s back, does that mean... I can’t spend time with Aunt Aurora anymore?"

Dad’s expression tightened for just a second before he covered it with a smile. "Your mother doesn’t dislike Aurora, Isabella. She’s just protective of you."

That wasn’t true. I might only be five, but I wasn’t stupid. Mom and Aunt Aurora hated each other. Whenever they were in the same room, the air got thick and heavy, like right before a thunderstorm. The grown-ups thought I didn’t notice, but I always did.

"But Aunt Aurora promised to take me to school tomorrow," I said, my voice getting smaller. "And her race is tomorrow night. You said I could go!"

Dad reached across the table and squeezed my hand. "I promised you could go to the race, didn’t I? And I keep my promises."

Hope fluttered in my chest. "But Mom won’t let me. She’ll say it’s too dangerous or that I need to be in bed early or something."

A smile played at the corner of Dad’s mouth. "Leave your mother to me."

I bit my lip, thinking. Then an idea hit me. "What if... what if we don’t tell Mom? About the race?" I leaned forward, excitement building. "She doesn’t need to know, right? It can be our secret!"

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