They resembled each other a little?
Both Joel and Tanya subconsciously looked at Mia. She had completely inherited her looks from Joel. Be it her face shape, her eyes, or her mouth, they looked exactly the same as Joel’s.
Only her small and pert nose resembled Tanya’s. But when one thought about it carefully, her nose was also very similar to Hillary’s—after all, Tanya and Hillary were half-sisters who shared the same mother!
Joel and Tanya both raised their heads again and subconsciously glanced at each other’s faces. Tanya hurriedly looked away when their eyes met.
Joel turned to the doctor and asked, "When will Mia wake up?"
"She’ll wake up soon." The doctor said, "She didn’t eat that much mango, so she can be discharged after she’s done with the IV drip."
After the doctor left, the room fell into total silence again.
After some time, Joel suddenly said, "The sandwich is turning cold."
So, Hillary could skip the pickles just because she didn’t like them, but if she were the one who didn’t like pickles, she had to either stay hungry or eat it anyway?
That man’s personality hadn’t changed one bit even after so many years had passed.
He was very protective of people and things he considered his own but was always cold and indifferent to outsiders.
In the past, she had been part of whom he considered his own.
But now, she was an outsider.
Tanya sighed. It was a pity to toss the sandwich anyway, and she was indeed hungry. Besides, the doctor had once encouraged her to eat more pickles because they were good for gut health, especially since she was prone to digestive problems.
Therefore, Tanya put up with the pungent taste of the pickles and ate the whole sandwich.
Joel was seated on the sofa. Although his eyes were on his laptop while he worked, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Tanya and saw that she hadn’t tossed the sandwich but ate it instead. For some reason, he was actually relieved to see that.
Joel stared at his laptop.
Time had never passed so quickly during all these years. With a computer, a cup of coffee, Mia, and... her, it felt just like that was how life should be.
At five o’clock in the afternoon, classes ended at the kindergarten.
The principal and the school doctor hurried over to the hospital and also brought... the five-year-old Pete along the way?
Tanya was astonished to see him. She asked, "Why are you here?"
Pete, who was pulling a long face, asked, "Were you supposed to pick me up from school this evening?"
Tanya suddenly smacked her forehead and exclaimed, "Ah, yes, you’re right!"
No wonder he didn’t see Mommy coming over even after he waited for a long time after school was out. As it turned out, it was because God-mom hadn’t informed Mommy at all?
The school doctor said, "No one came to pick him up, so the boy said that he would come to the hospital and go home together with you instead."
Tanya smiled guiltily at Pete. She was about to speak when Joel suddenly asked, "Is this your son?"
Tanya glanced at him. When she thought of how that guy had forced her to eat the sandwich with the pickles today and excluded her from the group of people he considered his own, she felt rather glum and she rebutted, "What’s it to do with you?"
His attractive fox-like eyes narrowed and he looked Pete up and down hostilely a few times. At last, he let out a snort and said no more.
At this point, Mia finally woke up. She had held on to Tanya’s sleeve tightly with one hand the whole time. While she rubbed her sleepy eyes with the other, she called out hesitantly, "Daddy? Mom... Ms. Turner?"
Joel strode over to her. He looked at her and asked, "Do you feel unwell anywhere, Mia?"
Mia shook her head and replied softly, "No..."
Joel heaved a sigh of relief and stroked her cheek gently. His voice was sincere and tender as he said, "That’s good."
On the other side, Tanya, whose sleeve had been finally released, took a step back. As she watched the interaction between father and daughter, a tinge of envy suddenly arose in her.
It was at this moment that someone suddenly held her hand.
She lowered her head to see Mia looking at her. She said, "Thank you, Ms. Turner..."
Tanya subconsciously smiled at her and replied, "No problem."
"Ms. Turner, can you fill me in on what happened to Mia today?"
The principal of the kindergarten suddenly came over and spoke to Tanya.
Tanya nodded, followed the principal to one side, and reported to him what had happened earlier that day.
Joel turned his head and looked at her, his expression unreadable.
He didn’t notice Pete suddenly walking up to the hospital bed. He looked at Mia, pursed his lips, and said, "Your body is too weak. You need exercise."
The tiny little Mia lying on the hospital bed felt just like a thin sheet of paper after she was covered with the quilt. She nodded and said, "Okay. You feel very different today, Cherry~"
Pete, who had a stern look on his face, asked, "How so?"
"Why aren’t you saying ’yeah’ anymore?"
He fell silent for a moment. Then, he said, "I am... yeah."
Mia blinked. She looked at him and asked, "What did you guys learn in school today?"
Pete replied, "We learned how to roller-skate, the ukulele, and dancing. If you fall behind, I can teach you tomorrow... yeah."
Mia broke into a smile. "Okie!"
Next to them, Joel who had retracted his gaze: "??"
He looked at Pete again. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that the child was a little strange. He was clearly wearing the kindergarten dress, yet he didn’t feel like a girl.
... Especially when he was even Tanya’s child.
He cast his eyes down. His joy at meeting her again was totally gone. Boundless anger and a sense of powerlessness were the only things left in his heart.
She had remarried and even had a child with someone else.
Hah. It made it seem like he had only been flattering himself all this time during the past five years.
Tanya walked toward him and said, "Mr. Smith, the kindergarten will take care of the hospitalization fees and also provide some compensation. Is that okay with you?"
However, the expression of Joel, who had been pretty nice the whole afternoon, darkened and he replied, "That’s not necessary. But if this happens again, I won’t let the kindergarten off so easily!"
Then, he said, "We’re going home, Mia."
Tanya was still stunned to the spot when the two of them left the ward. Why did that guy suddenly lose his temper? He was too much!
On the way home, Joel suddenly said to Mia, "Stay away from that classmate of yours in the future."
"Why? He’s Cheryl Smith! You know, Cherry! Daddy, you don’t like him?"
Mia hesitated for a moment. Then, she asked hesitantly, "Is it because he’s better than you?"
He let out a cold laugh and scoffed, "Which part of him is better than Daddy?"
Mia replied softly, "He’s a girl, but he can also become a boy~ Daddy, can you become a girl?"
After they got home and he settled Mia’s affairs, he finally looked at the time and went out.
As soon as he went out, the secretary said, "Mr. Smith, you’re late for the meeting with Mr. Hunt."
Joel, however, was distracted. "Yeah."
Thoughts of the little girl... no, boy, occupied his mind while he was in the car. He didn’t know who Tanya had married. She used to say that she wanted a daughter, but unexpectedly, she had given birth to a son instead.
The look in his eyes grew even colder. Soon, he arrived at the meeting room.
He neatened his clothes and adjusted his emotions before entering the meeting room. He said, "My apologies for being late, Mr. Hunt."
Justin had a cool look on his face. He said expressionlessly, "It’s fine. I brought my son here, though. You don’t mind, right, Mr. Smith?"
Upon hearing that, Joel looked at the child in his arms...