Nathan seemed to have endless energy. Even I, a married woman, found it a bit overwhelming.

    But I had to admit, his breathing and little grunts sounded kind of nice.

    After a night had passed, I started thinking about work tomorrow, knowing I wouldn’t get to sleep in. I spent a bit of time lost in thought.

    But not long after, I heard Nathan interacting with Goldie downstairs, so I got dressed and headed down.

    I could smell the delicious aroma of fried eggs.

    Nathan was in the yard ying with Goldie, tossing him little bones to catch, and Goldie would leap up, catch them, and spin around happily.

    When Goldie noticed meing down, he proudly sat up and raised a front paw in my direction a few times.

    That’s when Nathan turned around and saw me. He praised Goldie and walked over, asking, “Did you sleep well? Are you getting used to this bed?”

    I nodded. “It’s fine. It’s really quiet here, no traffic noise at all, but the birds are quite chatty.”

    Nathanughed, “Those big trees outside are full of birds. They don’t stop chirping in the morning.”

    “You made breakfast?” I asked, a bit surprised.

    Nathan walked over to the dining table. “I made you a cup of multi–grain nut milk and some pasta, topped with a fried egg I made.”

    “You’re such a jack–of–all–trades, you can do everything,” I said, genuinely impressed.

    He shrugged, “A poor kid has to grow up fast. I’ve been doing this stuff alone for a long time.”

    “Being good with your hands is a talent in itself,” I smiled.

    “Go ahead and eat. I’ll make us a couple of cups bof /bcoffee,” Nathan said warmly.

    As I sipped my nut milk, Izily watched him at the coffee machine, grinding beans. At that moment, happiness felt tangible.

    I had always dreamed of being surrounded by kids,ughing and ying. But I realized that when a woman has many children, she often loses that peaceful enjoyment.

    Even if the kids are well–behaved, they’ll stiij be buzzing around you, calling “Mommy” nonstop, like little bees.

    So, not having kids allows me to enjoy this peace. I really need to think carofully about having kids in the future.

    Or maybe, I could not have any at all. I could transform Yvonne; she is, after all, my child, and I can’t just neglect herpletely.

    “Do you want milk and sugar?” Nathan asked.

    “Yes, both, especially milk. Make it a lot,” I replied.

    Nathan brought over the coffce just as his phone rang. He nced at it, and his expression changed slightly

    He didn’t answer, letting it ring

    I was curious. A sweet guy like Nathan actually had calls he didn’t want to take?

    When the call stopped, it rang again, and Mathan finally took his phone outside to answer

    He was out there for less than two minutes before returning After putting his phone down, he said, “That was my mom calling.”

    O

    08:57 Sat, 23 Aug Mi

    “Where is your mom?” Lasked.

    A 379%bH /b

    “She used to live in Naville after she got married, but then she followed her ex–husband to Shariport for a few years. She’s in Shariport now, taking care of two kids in school,” Nathan said.

    His mood was a bit agitated as he added, “She remarried and had a set of twins who are eight years younger than me, and they’re in college in Shariport.”

    I widened my eyes, Nathan’s mom definitely sounded like a strong woman.

    “Is your mom remarried now?” I asked, curious.