Sean was only six years old but held a mysterious attachment to the word "Dad".
Even though Nadine repeatedly told him not to call Brad "Dad" anymore, he refused to listen. To him, Brad was Dad. Otherwise, why would Brad have been his dad for the past six years?
Just because Nadine said Brad wasn't his dad, did that make it true?
As such, Sean's eyes sparkled with excitement the moment Brad appeared today. Once Brad sat down, Sean clung to his arm and whispered to him for a long time. Nadine couldn't even make out what they were saying.
Brad, who was typically reserved around others, softened when he was with Sean. Every now and then, he would tease Sean. They genuinely looked like a loving father and son duo. If it hadn't been for the teacher announcing the start of the games, they probably wouldn't have parted.
After observing how the previous three groups of families played, Brad formed strategies of his own. Seeing Brad's confident expression, Sean looked at Nadine and said, "Mommy, let's go next."
Nadine didn't want to participate, especially not with Brad. She shook her head at Sean and said, "Baby, let's play a different game, okay?" She felt uncomfortable being around Brad.
They said that two people who loved each other couldn't truly remain friends. Because even if they tried, the love in their eyes could never be hidden.
Although Nadine didn't love Brad anymore, she had once loved him deeply. Avoiding him was instinctive. She certainly didn't want any intentional close contact with him.
Nadine had seen how other families played the game and knew there would be unavoidable physical contact. Her refusal was firm and left no room for compromise.
Sean was puzzled when Nadine rejected him. "But don't other games require the whole family to work together as well?"
Who cared if it was Brad or anyone else—they were already on separate paths. Even if Brad appeared before Nadine again, her dead heart wouldn't feel a thing. She'd treat him as nothing more than a passerby.
But Sean wasn't having it. "Why can other families play these games but we can't? Besides, a lot of the games need three people. Do you really think we can play them with just the two of us?"
Since this was a family event, most games were designed for groups of three. With just Nadine and Sean, they couldn't play many of the games at all.
Nadine was exasperated. She looked at Sean's disappointed face but couldn't come up with an answer for a long moment.
Watching from the side, Brad sneered coldly. "How pretentious." He really shouldn't have come if Nadine was going to be that stubborn.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Please Give Me Another Chance, Mrs. Hamilton
This book is dragging 😩...