CHAPTER 382: CHAPTER 382: MANAGING EMOTIONS

Honey threw herself into Ruby Sullivan’s arms, her big eyes squinted from her wide smile, "Mom, did you come to surprise me? Who told you about it? Was it Dad? Don’t you have a lot of work today?"

Faced with her daughter’s barrage of questions, Ruby Sullivan slowly squatted down and responded calmly, one by one, "Mom has work, but I could spare some time. I heard from Mama Bennett during breakfast, but I think you should have told mom earlier." She finished by pinching Honey’s nose, leaving her fingers covered in powder.

She really wanted to redo her daughter’s makeup, but she didn’t have enough cosmetics with her and lacked makeup remover.

Honey stuck out her tongue, slightly embarrassed, "Brother and I knew you were very tired lately, and we didn’t want to trouble you. Plus, Dad had time, so it’s the same if he came."

"Silly girl, you and your brother are never a trouble, remember that?"

"I remember." Honey nodded sincerely, her heart warmed, "Mom, have you been to see Brother at his school?"

"Not yet, I came to see you first, then I’ll go to Brother’s." Seeing a hint of disappointment on her daughter’s face, she explained, "Honey has Dad with her, so Mom needs to check on Brother."

Ethan Sterling, who had been silently watching from the side, suddenly spoke, "Honey’s in the opening dance. After her performance, we can make it in time to see Seth’s play."

Ruby Sullivan fell silent.

She was not only worried about her son being alone at school affecting his mood, but also didn’t want to pretend to be a carefree couple with Ethan Sterling here.

She despised such acting!

"Mom, can’t you?" Honey asked softly, with a bit of hope and a bit of disappointment, as if worried Mom would refuse.

Honey didn’t know why Mom wasn’t answering, but she’d worked hard for this opening dance. Even if Mom hadn’t known, now that she was here, she really wanted her to watch.

Seeing her daughter’s expression, Ruby Sullivan’s heart softened immediately, and she smiled, "Of course, Mom will watch you finish the opening dance, and then we’ll go find Brother together."

"Okay." Honey beamed again upon hearing this.

At this moment, the teacher called the kids to gather. Honey pulled her to sit with Dad and quickly went to join the teacher.

Sitting beside Ethan Sterling made Ruby Sullivan a bit uneasy. As she looked towards the stage, after a moment of silence, she whispered in complaint, "You should have told me."

Ethan Sterling, with an equally calm gaze, continued looking forward, "You don’t even have time to spend with them on Christmas Eve, so what difference would it make if I told you?"

Recalling last night’s events, Ruby turned to him, frustrated and frowning slightly but unable to say anything. A thousand words swirled in her mind to scold him, yet she couldn’t find a single one to refute him.

In the end, she merely shot him a fierce glare, turned her head, and looked towards the stage without saying anything.

Ethan Sterling leisurely reminded her, "You shouldn’t keep giving me those strange looks; this place is full of parents. It’s not good to let others misunderstand."

"Oh, since when did Mr. Sterling care about others’ opinions?"

Ethan Sterling tilted his head to look at her, "Are you still not sober?" When had he ever cared about others’ opinions? What he cared about was his daughter’s school experience.

Ruby Sullivan, annoyed by his ’foolish’ look, couldn’t help but question, "Is the factory incident your doing?"

She was merely speculating based on Damian Quinn’s reaction and words; she thought he might at least try to cover it up. Unexpectedly, he calmly nodded after hearing, "Yes."

In an instant, Ruby felt a huge stone slam into her chest, leaving her dazed.

At this moment, another parent sat down next to Ethan Sterling. Having met this couple at a Thanksgiving event before, she came over seeing the empty seats.

"Hi, Honey’s parents," Zack’s Mom greeted with a beaming smile. Only after speaking did she notice Ruby’s frosty gaze, leaving her frozen in surprise.

Ruby gave a start and forced a stiff smile, "Hello."

Since entering the kindergarten, Ethan Sterling had toned down his aura, appearing very pleasant. Hearing this, he turned and gave a polite smile, brushing it off.

Seeing this, Zack’s Mom pretended to spot other familiar parents and moved to sit elsewhere.

Ruby Sullivan calmed herself, working to digest what she’d just heard, at least holding it in until Honey’s performance ended.

Most of the audience was grandparents here to support, with moms being a minority and dads even rarer. Adding to the fact that Sterling and Sullivan had high attractiveness, people soon filled the seats around them.

The Christmas show began quickly, with parents snacking on the sunflower seeds prepared by the school while chatting about their kids with nearby parents, all quite engaged.

Ruby Sullivan found herself sitting next to Ria’s Mom, who glanced at Ethan Sterling several times and couldn’t help but compliment, "Honey’s mom, you’re truly lucky; Honey’s dad looks like a family-oriented good man."

Ruby Sullivan squinted her eyes, smiling without knowing how to respond.

Ria’s Mom went on, "Unlike me, in a ’widowhood-like’ marriage, I truly envy you."

Ruby Sullivan almost wanted to tell her, being a divorced woman wasn’t enviable at all.

Ethan Sterling, ever untimely, turned and smiled, "You’re too kind."

"Oh, I’m just being honest," Ria’s Mom, flustered by his smile, was unexpectedly embarrassed like a young girl.

Ruby intentionally turned to look at the stage, hoping she would take the hint, only to hear another compliment from her after her giggle, "Honey’s dad is such a gentleman, you can tell he’s a good-tempered man."

Fortunately, once the principal’s speech concluded and the host took the stage, Ria’s Mom stopped her conversation with Ruby and turned to watch the stage.

Ruby Sullivan breathed a sigh of relief, seeing her daughter stepping onto the stage, she quickly took out her phone to start recording the video.

The opening dance was an informal ballet. Among the children on stage, Honey was the smallest, but her every move showed her effort in trying to perform perfectly, making her the most dazzling little dancer in her mother’s eyes.

Most of the parents of the children on stage were doing the same as Ruby Sullivan, except Ethan Sterling, who was intently watching the performance. After the dance ended, he quietly informed Ruby, "Send me a copy of the video."

Ruby Sullivan rolled her eyes at him, but didn’t have the heart to refuse.

Ethan Sterling glanced around and reminded, "It’s time to go."

"Okay." Ruby Sullivan put away her phone and stood up, watching Ethan Sterling bend over, saying "Excuse me" as he moved past. The hand he placed behind him continued to beckon inward. In the past, he would do this to signal her to reach out.

Ruby glanced, assuming it was a habitual gesture, averted her gaze, and pretended not to notice, tightly gripping the strap of her handbag.

Soon after, Ethan Sterling looked back at her, noticing her free hand, and clasped it.