WCMBI - Chapter 252: At The Happiest (Patreon)

"With your mother?"

"Mhm, but I'm not gonna tell you what it is!"

At this point, he felt suspicion creep in. From a certain day onward, the child frequently mentioned her mother. At first, he thought it was just a tale from a children's book, but something felt peculiar. Gazing deeply into the child's eyes, Ian hesitated before asking, almost as if he were possessed.

"Who is the mother you're talking about, Dia?"

"Mommy has big twinkling eyes! So pretty!"

"Mother, besides her eyes, is there anything else that's pretty?"

"Mhm, her hair looks like a colorful feather!"

As DS continued to speak, Ian couldn't utter a word. The child didn't know about Melissa's hair color. They had separated when the child was too young, and he had never mentioned it to them separately. He had only told them about the identical eye color, so how could DS know about that?

His mind spun uncontrollably with overwhelmingly positive thoughts. What if, perhaps, maybe, it really meant what it sounded like? Could it be that she missed them so much that she tried to fit herself into their lives? No, she was a sorceress now, she could have used teleportation to find them if she wanted.

With tension and excitement causing his heart to race, he jumped to his feet. He barely regained his composure, as his heart thumped so hard it felt like it might break his ribs.

He decided to hide behind the curtains, searching the child's room here and there. His anxiety stemmed from the fear that she might spot him first and disappear again with her sorcery.

He closed his eyes, completely suppressing any movement. Time seemed to crawl slowly, and before he knew it, the night had become profoundly deep. Soon, he sensed an unfamiliar draft inside the room, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

Upon hearing the sound of someone settling on the bed, he discreetly confirmed their presence through the curtains before covering his mouth with his hand and holding his breath.

It was truly Melissa, right there.

Seated beside the child's head, she cradled little Dia as if he were a precious treasure. Ian watched the scene with a mixture of delight and melancholy.

Oh, how wonderful it would have been if he had realized his love for her from the very beginning. If that had been the case, by now both the child and he would have led happy lives. Despite knowing that regrets were futile, he couldn't help but entertain thoughts of what might have been.

Observing her actions for a while, he became concerned that Melissa might suddenly vanish into thin air like a teleportation, so he revealed himself and called out softly.

"Mel."

Startled, Melissa tried to get away, but Ian reached out his hand, keeping a certain distance, and spoke hastily.

"Just a moment, just a brief conversation."

"I won't approach any further. I'll stay right here, so please don't go away."

Gazing intently at him for a moment, Melissa nodded lightly, granting her permission. At her consent, Ian felt an exhilarating rush of happiness.

"Thank you, Mel. Truly, thank you."