Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 458

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Dennis Williams listened, genuinely amused.

But instead of shutting Lillian down, he gently explained, “Well, sweetie, keeping a shark might not be the best idea. The ocean has its own food chain, you know…”

He patiently told Lillian why some fish just can’t live together. Big fish eat little fish, and if you put a shark in the tank, all those little fish would just turn into shark snacks.

As soon as Lillian heard that, she shook her head fiercely. “No, no! I don’t want the little fish to get eaten! No sharks, please!”

Camila Davis watched Dennis, a little amazed at how easily he could steer Lillian’s thinking. He really was something special.

Just as the conversation wound down, Susan poked her head in and called them for dinner.

She took Lillian to wash her hands, and when Camila Davis and Dennis sat down, they both, almost in sync, noticed the grilled salmon in the center of the table.

Their eyes met. Silence.

Why did they suddenly feel… overwhelmingly guilty?

They’d just finished teaching Lillian about keeping fish safe, and here they were about to eat one. Not exactly the best parenting moment.

Camila, worried Lillian might get upset, quickly tried to hide the fish while her daughter was still in the bathroom.

Her sneaky antics made Dennis chuckle. She really was adorable when she got like this.

Camila, of course, didn’t notice.

After dinner, Dennis didn’t linger long—he had to head out for work.

Lillian was getting used to the fact that Daddy needed to work some evenings, but she always felt a little sad when he left.

Before he could go, she wrapped her arms around his legs, snuggling her head against him.

With her sweet, childish voice, she insisted, “I don’t want Daddy to leave. I want a hug! And Daddy, you have to hug Mommy too, or else Mommy will start overthinking again…”

Camila’s eyes widened in panic.

Was this still going on? It’d been days!

Dennis caught her expression, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

He gave Camila an expectant look.

Camila finally understood what it meant to dig your own grave.

Desperate, she tried to reassure her daughter: “Don’t worry, honey. Mommy won’t get upset anymore. Besides, Daddy brought flowers the other day, remember? I promise, I’m not mad anymore!”

“Okay!” Lillian nodded seriously, but added, “Even when you’re not mad, you can still hug! My teacher says we should show love to our family, especially Mommy and Daddy. Hugs and kisses are good!”