CHAPTER 72: CHAPTER 72: YOU GAVE HER UP FIRST, DIDN’T YOU?

Adrian Lockwood couldn’t remember the last time he saw Serena Sinclair smile so brightly and radiantly.

It seemed like...more than half a year?

When she got his medical report, her eyes welled up immediately.

Then she frantically started running around hospitals looking for a kidney donor.

Behind everyone’s back, she cried countless times.

Even the young nurse changing his bandages secretly told him that she saw Mrs. Lockwood crying in the washroom.

The young nurse even advised him: Mr. Lockwood, when you get better and are discharged, you should treat your wife better, much better! She really loves you and cares for you!

After that, she gave him one of her kidneys.

Even when she had to go into the operating room at the same time, she still wore a smile on her face.

The kind of gentle and reassuring smile that calms the heart.

But Adrian Lockwood knew it was just her pretending to be strong.

She was more afraid of surgery failure than anyone.

Fortunately, the surgery was successful.

But it was merely a fleeting illusion.

He got better day by day.

And she...

"Who told you I live here... Adrian Lockwood, are you stalking me?"

He snapped out of his thoughts at the sharpness in Serena Sinclair’s voice.

Adrian Lockwood spoke, "Serena, Miles misses you!"

Serena paused and looked down at Miles Lockwood.

Miles clung tightly to Adrian’s arm, his eyes red with grievance, yet he refused to lift his head.

During rush hour, the elevator dinged intermittently.

The people coming and going cast a glance in this direction.

Serena stepped aside, "Come in then..."

Adrian Lockwood’s eyes softened as he led Miles inside.

The apartment was bright and clean, not as spacious and luxurious as The Lockwood Villa, but much better than the little loft on Old Town Lane.

On the sofa was draped a light, soft blanket, and in the corner were a few architecture-related books.

The vase on the dining table had champagne-colored roses, turned orange-red by the sunset outside.

At a glance, a rich atmosphere of life.

Everywhere carried Serena Sinclair’s presence.

"Serena, Miles’s kindergarten gave him an assignment to take a family photo with a craft we made together..."

Adrian Lockwood explained why they were there.

Serena frowned, "Where’s Chloe Lynch?"

"Serena!"

There was a sternness in Adrian’s voice, "Even if we’re apart, you’re still Miles’s mother!"

As the words came out, fearing that Serena would get angry and chase them out and leave no chance of entering again,

Adrian softened, "Serena, about what happened last time, I didn’t think it through. Just because of that, Miles has been isolated by his friends at nursery school..."

Serena looked up to see Miles Lockwood looking more aggrieved.

He looked at her again and again.

As if he was about to burst into tears the next second.

Serena really wanted to firmly say, Isn’t this what you chose? Having chosen Chloe Lynch, don’t regret it.

But facing Miles Lockwood, who looked like a pitiful rabbit, Serena couldn’t bear it.

She changed her tone and asked, "What kind of assignment is it? How do we do it? Let’s hurry, I have a lot to do."

Adrian Lockwood breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed Miles Lockwood’s head, and said, "Didn’t you say you wanted to paint with Mommy?"

Miles took off his backpack, unzipped it slowly, and pulled out a drawing pad and colored pencils, placing them on the table.

The drawing was more than half done, with many colors already filled in.

A blue sky, white clouds, little birds.

On the grass, a father in red shirt and green pants held a kite string in one hand and a small-bodied boy with a big head in the other.

The boy’s other hand was holding his mother’s hand.

The mother wore a dress, but the dress was yet to be colored, only her wind-blown long hair was colored black.

"Should I color it in, or do you want to do it yourself?"

Serena asked Miles.

Miles glanced at Serena’s white shirt and black pants and softly said, "I’ll do it myself."

Serena turned the paper around to face him.

Miles picked a pink color and started to fill it in swiftly.

Beside them, Adrian Lockwood took out his phone and snapped a few photos of the mother and son.

Remembering that the kindergarten required a family photo, Adrian asked Serena, "Do you have a phone stand?"

Serena shook her head.

Standing up, she found a few books, set the angle, and placed the phone.

Adrian went over to sit behind Miles, handing him the crayons.

As the timed shutter clicked, Serena stood up and moved away.

Miles looked imploringly at Adrian.

Seeing Adrian shake his head, indicating it was okay, he continued drawing.

Just then, the doorbell chimed, and Serena went to open it.

"Ms. Sinclair..."

The driver stood there holding an airline crate in one hand and some miscellaneous items in the other, "I brought your cat!"

"Thank you, thank you! Is there more stuff?"

"There is, I’ll go get it!"

Serena took the crate, and inside, the cat that had lain listlessly sprung up and started mewing and purring.

Petting its head through the cage, Serena turned back to look at Adrian, who was checking his phone, "Are you done taking the photo?"

Adrian nodded.

Serena gestured towards the door, "Then you can leave now."

Looking incredulous, Miles glanced from Serena to Adrian.

Then his gaze fell on the cage, where the orange cat pawed at Serena’s pants leg.

At a glance, he recognized it as the kitten that would hide behind his mother at his grandmother’s villa and refuse to acknowledge him.

Miles’ eyes widened.

Dad said there’s no mother in the world who doesn’t love her child.

Dad also said that if he were more well-behaved, Mom would definitely paint with him and maybe even let him stay for dinner.

But nothing of the sort happened.

Mom would rather bring home that ugly kitten than have him.

Recollecting the kids at kindergarten who always teased him,

all the bottled-up grievances erupted.

"Waaah..."

Miles burst into tears and ran out.

Behind him, Adrian hurriedly packed up the backpack and chased after him.

As Adrian barely caught up by a few steps, he turned to Serena and said, "Serena, divorce is our adult business, don’t involve the child, okay? After all, he’s the flesh you carried in you for ten months!"

"Is that so?"

Serena countered, "I carried him when he didn’t understand, but once he did, he chose Chloe Lynch, didn’t he?"

Adrian was at a loss for words.

Serena closed the door behind her.

"Meow, meow..."

"Jujube missed Mommy too, right? Look, this is our new home."

The voices from inside came through.

It was unclear when Miles had returned.

Adrian turned to see Miles, tear-streaked, asking him: "Daddy, Mom doesn’t want me, right?"

The chaos at work.

The mess at home.

And the sunny expression that turned cold when Serena opened the door.

Everything morphed into the agitation in his heart.

Adrian looked down at Miles coldly and said, "You were the one who didn’t want her first, weren’t you?"

Miles’ eyes widened as if remembering something he had said.

And also as if he couldn’t believe his dad would say such a thing.

Miles burst into tears again.

As the elevator stopped on the first floor, Adrian led Miles out and saw the driver and a few others moving in cat food, toys, and a cat tree into the elevator.

The palm tree on the cat tree had a fuzzy texture from being clawed.

As if it had been clawed for a long time.

Thinking of the driver’s "Ms. Sinclair."

And recalling how the cat seemed somewhat familiar at first glance.

Adrian’s footsteps halted.

There were none of these things in the loft.

So where has this cat been living all this time?

Suddenly turning around, just as the elevator doors were about to close.

Adrian hurriedly chased after them.