CHAPTER 163: MEETING BIG SIS ARIELLE

For the next hours, they walked around the zoo, stopping at every animal. Claire was glowing with happiness—pointing at the zebras, clapping when the monkeys swung across the ropes, and squealing when a bright parrot suddenly copied her voice.

"Hi!" Claire shouted, her little hands waving.

"Hi! Hi!" the parrot squawked back.

Claire gasped, eyes wide. "Mommy. Daddy. The bird talks like me."

Cassidy laughed, quickly taking a video. Zeke chuckled too, shaking his head. "Looks like he really does," he said, patting Claire’s back.

Claire giggled, then turned back to the parrot. "Can you say Claire? My name is Claire."

The parrot tilted its head, then squawked something that almost sounded like "Claire."

Claire gasped in delight."Mommy, did you hear that?"

Cassidy smiled and nodded.

By the time they finished, Claire’s cheeks were rosy from all the excitement.

Zeke glanced at Cassidy and Claire. "You two must be hungry," he said.

"Yes, Daddy!" Claire shouted right away, bouncing on her toes. "I want food!"

Cassidy smiled, brushing hair off her daughter’s forehead. "Guess she answered for me too."

Zeke smirked. "Good. I already set up lunch here. Let’s eat before our little princess runs out of energy."

Lunch didn’t take too long. They sat under a shaded pavilion inside the zoo, eating simple dishes that Zeke had arranged. Claire, who had been running around all afternoon, devoured her food quickly, swinging her legs under the chair as she hummed a tune.

When they were done, Zeke wiped his hands with a napkin and turned to Cassidy. His tone softened, more serious. "Baby, after this... would you like to meet Nicole and Arielle?"

Cassidy paused, the fork still in her hand. "Meet Nicole and Arielle?" she asked carefully.

Zeke nodded. "Yes. I’ve wanted to introduce them to you and to Claire for a long time, but it never happened," he explained, remembering how Nicole once said she wanted to meet Cassidy.

Then he turned to Claire with a gentle smile. "Princess, would you like to meet your cousin?"

Claire’s eyes grew round. "My cousin? Like Freya and Jonah?"

"Yes, princess. But Arielle’s older than them. She’s twenty-one. You need to call her big sis Arielle."

Claire nodded quickly, her little face brightening. "Okay, Daddy."

Zeke chuckled at her eagerness and then looking at Cassidy, waiting for her response.

Cassidy looked at her daughter’s bright face, then back at Zeke. "Okay. We’ll meet them."

"Good," Zeke said, relief softening his features at Cassidy’s agreement. Then he turned to Claire with a tender smile. "Big sis Arielle will be so happy to know she has a younger sister like you, princess."

Claire clapped her hands, already impatient. "Can we go now, Daddy? Please?"

"We’ll head there soon, princess." Zeke glanced at Cassidy, then at Claire. "I’ll call Nicole first," he said. "But I’m sure she’s free, it’s her day off."

He excused himself for a moment, stepping a short distance away with his phone.

Nicole picked up quickly. The second Zeke explained why he was calling, her voice lit up with excitement. "Of course, we’d love to meet! But, Zeke, really? You didn’t even bother to tell me you and Cassidy are back together?" She scolded him, annoyed and delighted.

Zeke winced, running a hand through his hair. "I know, I know. I forgot. I’ll explain everything"

Nicole sighed softly. "Fine.’

"I’ll send my driver to pick you and Arielle up. We’ll meet at my old apartment with Cassidy. Not yours."

"Okay," Nicole agreed then hang up.

Zeke slid his phone back into his pocket and returned to the table, where Cassidy and Claire were waiting. "We’ll meet Nicole and Arielle at the apartment."

Cassidy blinked at him. "Apartment?"

"Yeah," Zeke said, his tone casual, like it was the most natural thing. "The one we used to live in."

Cassidy tilted her head. "You didn’t sell it?"

Zeke shook his head. "No. That apartment holds too many memories of us. There’s no way I’d sell it."

Cassidy’s lips parted slightly before she nodded in quiet understanding.

Not long after, they drove to the apartment.

The moment Cassidy stepped inside, the air felt heavy with memories. Her gaze swept over the familiar walls and furniture, nothing had changed much. This was the place where she and Zeke had once lived, yet it never truly felt like home.

Memories surfaced, but not the sweet kind. She remembered the long silences, the polite distance, the way they lived side by side without really touching each other’s lives. Their marriage back then had been built on respect and duty, not love. And this apartment had witnessed every bit of that quiet loneliness.

Claire’s curious eyes wandered around as she clutched Cassidy’s hand. "Whose house is this?" she asked with excitement.

Zeke’s lips curved faintly. "This is Daddy and Mommy’s place. We used to live here."

Hearing his own words stirred something inside him. For a moment, Zeke’s gaze lingered on the living room, and memories he had buried deep came rushing back. Not the times when he and Cassidy lived here in silence, but the darker days after she left.

He remembered sitting on that very couch night after night, the apartment dim and quiet, the air suffocating. He had moved like a shadow of himself, drifting through the days like a man without purpose. The divorce had left him hollow, and these walls had witnessed his lowest moments.

Arielle and Nicole arrived not long after.

Beforehand, Arielle had already heard from her mother that her uncle Zeke wanted to introduce them to his ex-wife. The word ex-wife alone had made her raise her brows in surprise. But what shocked her more was when Nicole mentioned that Zeke might have reconciled with that very woman.

Curiosity tugged at her chest. What kind of woman was this ex-wife of his? What made her so unforgettable that her uncle, who rarely let emotions rule him, couldn’t let her go?

Arielle exchanged a quick glance with her mother before pressing the apartment doorbell. Her heart beat a little faster, eager to finally see the woman who had unknowingly left such a mark on her uncle’s life.

Zeke opened the apartment door and greeted Nicole and Arielle warmly, exchanging cheek kisses as usual.

"Uncle, where’s my aunt?" Arielle asked right away, her eyes shining with impatience.

Zeke chuckled. "She’s inside."

Without another word, Nicole and Arielle hurried in, leaving Zeke shaking his head at their eagerness.

In the living room, Cassidy and Claire were sitting side by side. The moment Nicole and Arielle stepped in, the atmosphere shifted. Nicole’s gaze instantly landed on Claire, a sweet little girl who looked so at ease next to Cassidy.

Her brows furrowed slightly as her thoughts raced. Did Aunty Cassidy remarry after the divorce... and is this her child?

Meanwhile Nicole looked at Cassidy with a warm smile. "You must be Cassidy. Zeke has told me so much about you. Sorry it’s taken this long for us to meet, blame Zeke for keeping you hidden." Her tone was half playful, half scolding.

Cassidy smiled back politely. "And you must be Nicole. Zeke has told me a lot about you too." Then her eyes shifted to the young woman standing beside Nicole. "And this must be Arielle."

Arielle stepped forward with a shy but eager smile. "Hello."

Cassidy returned it with warmth, her lips curving softly. "You’re so beautiful," she said, then glanced at Nicole with genuine admiration. "Just like your mother."

The compliment, directed at both mother and daughter, softened the air instantly, leaving Nicole and Arielle with an even better impression of her.

Still curious, Arielle tilted her head, her eyes drifting toward the little girl standing close to Cassidy. "And who’s this pretty little one, aunty?" she asked, her voice full of interest.

Zeke, who had been watching the exchange in silence, finally moved. He walked over to Claire, resting his hand gently on the top of her head. "This is Claire. Your cousin."

Nicole and Arielle froze, their eyes widening in shock. The word hung in the air—cousin—leaving both mother and daughter stunned as they processed what Zeke had just revealed.

"What? My cousin?" Arielle repeated, jaw dropping as she looked from Claire to Zeke and then to Cassidy.

"Claire, say hello to your aunty and cousin," Zeke encouraged gently.

"Hi, aunty... Hi, big sis Arielle," Claire said shyly, pressing closer against Zeke’s side.

For a moment Nicoele couldn’t speak, her mind racing. But the more she looked at Claire, the more she saw Zeke in her features. Her heart softened.

"Hi, Claire..." Nicole greeted softly, giving her a little wave. "You’re so beautiful and adorable," she added, warmth filling her voice now that the shock had settled.

"Thank you, aunty," Claire replied happily, beaming at the praise.

Seeing her mother greet Claire, Arielle followed with a small smile. "Hello, Claire..." she said softly.

She couldn’t tell if Claire was truly her uncle’s daughter, or if he had simply embraced her as one.

***