CHAPTER 261: CHAPTER 261: SHE BELIEVES SHE WILL BE OKAY

The clouds in the sky move swiftly.

Time flows slowly.

Serena is getting better day by day.

The day of the concert is drawing nearer and nearer.

These past few days, every night, Silas has been staying with Serena, and the two of them sleep embraced.

At first, Serena was still stiff, but gradually, she seemed to get used to having him by her side.

The number of times she woke up in the night decreased significantly.

Although the knot in her heart hasn’t been untied, it all feels like the wounds on her body, slowly scabbing over, waiting for new flesh to grow, filling the scars, until they finally disappear.

This morning, Serena was dressed early, accompanying Seraphina for breakfast.

Silas sat beside her, watching her.

"I’ll take Seraphina to kindergarten today." Serena said while wiping Seraphina’s hands.

She had stayed at home for many days and had to face the concert and many people later, she couldn’t hide at home forever.

Taking Seraphina to kindergarten was her first step forward.

Silas looked at her, his eyes filled with concern but no objection.

"Alright," he said, "I’ll go with you."

Serena raised her eyes, this was what she liked most about Silas.

He always understood what she was thinking, knew her concerns, and understood her standpoint.

He never used "for your own good" as a reason but respected her thoughts and tried his best to help her.

Serena slightly lowered her eyes and looked down at Seraphina’s big, curious eyes staring up at them.

Serena smiled and playfully poked Seraphina’s chubby cheek.

Seraphina grinned widely.

She looked very cute.

The sunlight slanted in, warmly shining on them, casting the shadow of the three of them on the wall.

It looked very intimate.

Soon, they finished their breakfast. Silas picked up Seraphina’s small backpack, held Serena’s hand, and they walked out of the house and got into the car together.

They arrived at the kindergarten.

The car stopped.

"Serena, are you ready?" Silas gently asked, looking at her.

It was a busy time, with many people outside the car, and various noisy sounds vaguely heard through the window.

Serena took a deep breath and then nodded.

Since the decision had been made, she would go forward and face it.

Escaping could never solve any problem.

"Alright, we’ll do it together." Silas held her hand.

Serena looked up and saw the tenderness and admiration in his eyes.

"Mm," Serena responded softly.

The two of them, holding Seraphina, got out of the car and walked toward the kindergarten.

There were people everywhere, and Serena took step by step forward.

They walked along the aisle, step by step, approaching the crossroads where she had been kidnapped by Julian Lawson.

At that moment, a wheelchair was pushed out from a corner far away where Serena couldn’t see.

In the wheelchair sat Julian Lawson.

He looked distantly toward the three heading to the kindergarten.

These past few days, he had been wanting to see her.

But Silas Hawthorne had been guarding her closely, not allowing him to get near her in any way.

Even if he got close to the Hawthorne Manor, there would be people to drive him away.

So, these days, he had been waiting near the kindergarten.

He missed her very much.

Wanted to see her, to know how she was doing now.

Only by seeing her with his own eyes that she was alright could he be at peace.

Now, he finally saw her, even if it was from afar.

Yet he found no peace.

Because she didn’t look well.

In the midsummer weather, she was wearing long sleeves, with a scarf wrapped around her neck.

She seemed thinner.

The bit of weight she had gained recently had disappeared again.

She looked light, with a touch of unhealthy paleness.

Julian parted his lips, wanting to call her, to go over and talk to her.

But in the end, he closed his mouth.

He just looked at her from afar.

On the other side, Serena was already near the crossroads.

The events of that day flashed in her mind again, and she began to feel nervous.

She felt a force on her hand, and when she looked up, she saw Silas’ dark eyes.

This strangely reassured her.

Seraphina was hopping and skipping, pulling Serena’s other hand, and bouncing into the kindergarten.

In an instant, she pulled Serena past the crossroads.

It was like crossing a mountain.

Serena looked down at Seraphina and saw her smiling up at her.

Seraphina didn’t understand what had happened among the adults.

But these days, Seraphina had been worried about her and now was helping her in her own way to walk out of it.

Serena’s eyes felt warm. She squatted down, cupping Seraphina’s face.

Her nose ached, and Serena couldn’t say a word, just looked at Seraphina through her tear-filled eyes.

"Aunt Winters,"

Seraphina wiped away Serena’s tears from the corner of her eyes, then with a soft little smack, kissed her on the cheek, and spread her small arms to hug Serena.

Serena hugged Seraphina back.

Neither spoke much, but the mutual understanding between mother and daughter surpassed everything.

After hugging for a while, Serena held Seraphina’s hand and sent her to her class.

After standing there for a while, Serena turned back to look at Silas Hawthorne, who was quietly staying by her side.

She smiled.

For the first time in days, it was a truly heartfelt smile.

Although the hurdle in her heart was still there, and the knot hadn’t been untied, she believed she would be fine one day.

Silas’ eyes were slightly red. He reached out to touch her hair and slightly bent down, kissing her forehead.

"I’ve increased security around the kindergarten." he said, "The previous incident won’t happen again."

Whether it was her or Seraphina, they were both people he would do everything to protect.

He wouldn’t allow the same thing to happen again.

The wind lightly blew through, and a strand of hair fell at her forehead.

He reached out to fix it for her.

"Let’s head back." He said.

"Alright." Serena nodded.

And so, she followed him, walking toward where the car was parked.

As they passed by the crossroads, she hesitated for a moment but walked past.

The hand holding hers was warm and dry, giving her a sense of security.

Serena slightly lowered her eyes; she had many things to do and couldn’t continue this way.

She decided to move forward, regardless of everything.

Only by continually moving forward, only by forging ahead fearlessly, could life have new breakthroughs.

Even though, at this moment, her heart knot wasn’t unraveled, however...

She believed she would be okay.

Serena and Silas walked back to the Bentley together. He helped her sit inside the car.

The car turned around and drove away from there, while Julian Lawson remained in the same spot.

The wind blew gently.

His gaze lingered for a long time.

She seemed to have a better relationship with Silas.

Even though Silas told him last time at the hospital that nothing happened between them.

But the kind of natural intimacy between couples could only be understood by those who experienced it.

Julian’s hand gripping the wheelchair armrest tensed until veins popped, yet he said nothing.

Jude Chaucer, standing behind Julian Lawson’s wheelchair, quietly observed everything.

He glanced at Julian, then looked in the direction where Serena and Silas had just left, sighed softly, and shook his head.