Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Nothing Is More Important Than Mommy
"Stop talking—" Ann Vaughn croaked, interrupting Mark Joyce, tightly covering her eyes with her palms, yet unable to stop a flood of tears from sliding down.
The fine and dense sting seemed to pierce her heart into a gaping hole, making her want to curl up, resisting the suffocating pain that was about to choke her deliberately.
It was as if something instantly collapsed, drowning all of Ann Vaughn’s grievances and resentment within it.
The emotions she had suppressed for who knows how long suddenly washed away like a tide, leaving nothing behind.
Only the sour, swollen pain remained.
Mark Joyce sighed softly, raising the partition, "Miss Vaughn, I’m sorry, I overstepped tonight, but my intention was only to wish both you and President Hawthorne well."
But even he knew very well that the greatest obstacle between President Hawthorne and Miss Vaughn wasn’t these misunderstandings, but the child that couldn’t be born...
Ann Vaughn didn’t answer him, she forcefully closed her aching eyes, allowing herself to sink into her thoughts.
Inside Azure Gardens Apartments.
With a soft click, the door to the children’s room opened, and a dumpling wearing a little raccoon pajama came out, rubbing its eyes and habitually heading toward Ann Vaughn’s bedroom.
"Mommy hasn’t come back yet..." the Little Dumpling murmured, feeling somewhat dejected, as it hung its head and went to the living room to get water.
As soon as the light was turned on, Kenny saw Ann Vaughn sitting on the sofa with a dazed look, and his beautiful big eyes instantly brightened.
"Mommy!"
Kenny ran towards Ann Vaughn with small steps and hugged her arm tightly, asking earnestly in a soft voice, "Mommy, do you know you were wrong!"
Ann Vaughn came to her senses, feeling a soft touch glued to her arm, feeling like the icy, frozen blood in her whole body was flushed with warmth.
She hugged Kenny’s sweet-smelling little body back, feeling her heart, previously emptied, was filled full.
Only, it seemed she hadn’t done anything wrong.
Seeing Ann Vaughn looking bewildered, Kenny pouted his little mouth, "Mommy, your period is coming soon, right? It’s bad for you to get wet in the rain!"
Ann Vaughn then realized she was feeling a bit damp, probably due to getting caught in the rain while getting out of the car.
"Mommy, quickly take a hot shower to drive away the cold!" Kenny jumped off the sofa, used his little chubby hands to push Ann Vaughn to the bathroom, and ran into Ann Vaughn’s room to find clothes for her.
"Darling, Mommy can do it herself..."
"Don’t talk! Do it before Kenny gets angry!"
"..." Ann Vaughn timidly touched her nose, immediately not daring to speak again, shrinking into the bathroom.
Kenny found Ann Vaughn’s pajamas to give to her and then went to the kitchen to make her milk.
During this time, Sherry woke up once hearing the noise, but Kenny sent her back to sleep.
This small task, Kenny the Great can do it all by himself.
After preparing the milk, Kenny walked to the bathroom door, speaking in a child’s voice, "Mommy, don’t soak too long, you’ll get dizzy."
"Alright, darling, relax!" Ann Vaughn replied from inside.
When Ann Vaughn finished her bath and came out, she saw Kenny still guarding the bathroom door, afraid she’d faint in there, and her heart melted completely.
There had been a time when she fainted inside due to the airtight bathroom, and after a long while, Sherry discovered her, broke the door, and rescued her.
Since then, every time she went in for a shower, Kenny was especially worried and would wait by the door, checking immediately if anything seemed amiss.
Ann Vaughn’s brows softened, she picked up Kenny single-handedly and walked towards the bedroom, "Good baby, let’s go to sleep!"
"Mommy, Mommy, milk!" Kenny quickly reminded Ann Vaughn, lest she forget to drink it.
Inside the room.
Ann Vaughn placed the Little Dumpling onto the bed, drank the warm milk from the cup, and lifted the quilt to lie down.
She hugged the Little Dumpling’s soft little body, thought for a while, and said, "Tonight, Mommy will tell you a different story..."
Her voice was soft and gentle, possessing a unique charm that was alluring.
As Kenny listened, he felt something wasn’t quite right.
Wasn’t Mommy talking about... what she had experienced? But from a third person’s perspective?
"Would Kenny, if he were the child that couldn’t be born, be very, very angry at that man?" Ann Vaughn softly asked Kenny after telling the main parts of the story.
"No." Kenny answered without hesitation.
Ann Vaughn’s eyes showed a hint of surprise, asking a bit perplexed, "Why?"
"Because if Kenny were that man, he would make exactly the same choice." Kenny raised his little face, its youthful features full of sincerity, "Nothing is more important than Mommy."
Even if it’s himself, it’s the same.
So, upon learning the whole truth, Kenny’s last bit of resentment towards Cyrus Hawthorne dissipated.
Though perhaps his approach was too domineering, his love for Mommy was not shallow.
Ann Vaughn’s lips parted, looking at Kenny speechlessly for a moment. Then she said, "But what he did was very unfair to that woman."
"Just like Mommy loves and cherishes Kenny, the woman in Mommy’s story really cares for her child; if the man told her the truth, she would have chosen to give birth to the child, even if it meant she would die."
Actually, neither the man nor the woman in the story was wrong, it’s just that what they valued was different, Kenny was right, wasn’t he?
The man valued the woman, so he chose to abandon the child.
The woman valued the child, preferring to sacrifice herself.
And neither was wrong.
Ann Vaughn only felt like the mist before her had been cleared, gradually allowing her to see the true appearance behind the fog.
Even those initially tangled feelings became much easier.
"Yes! Mommy is so silly, needing her darling to help think through things." Ann Vaughn kissed Kenny’s forehead, her tone relaxed, "Let’s sleep, Mommy will get up early to make breakfast for you tomorrow!"
"Goodnight Mommy." Kenny’s eyes glinted with a mischievous gleam, then he rubbed Ann Vaughn’s cheek, speaking softly.
This time, Ann Vaughn didn’t overthink and soon sank into slumber.
The next day.
After Kenny finished his breakfast, Ann Vaughn drove him to kindergarten herself before returning to the apartment to pack her luggage.
Sherry was staying to take care of Kenny, so this time she was heading to the appointment alone.
Fortunately, Marinia isn’t too far from The Imperial Capital, making the round trip not too exhausting.
When Ann Vaughn carried her suitcase downstairs and saw Sutton Jennings’ car already parked there, she quickly walked over.
"Brother Shane, have you had breakfast?"
Ann Vaughn had heard Sherry mention before that recently the Yan Sect was under some inexplicable targeting, and Sutton Jennings hadn’t shown up for a long time because of this matter.