Chapter 21 Mommy, Save Me
Ava also noticed Mia and suddenly realized, her eyes involuntarily shifting to Joshua.
A trace of sadness unconsciously crossed her indifferent face.
Before she divorced Joshua, she had playfully asked him to go shopping with her, but he refused, saying he was busy with work. At that time, Ava was very understanding, thinking she had disturbed his work and blaming herself.
Now with Mia, he picks her up after work and goes shopping with her—suddenly he's not busy at all.
Maybe this is the difference between loving and not loving someone.
Ava gave a cold laugh, quickly pushing down this displeasure and returning to her usual calm expression. Her gaze landed on Mia for two seconds, then looked at the dress she was wearing.
She smiled mockingly, "Looks like we have the same taste."
Mia clenched her hands tightly, and the atmosphere around them subtly changed.
The same dress looked so different on different people.
Mia thought she looked pretty good, but this dress on her somehow seemed lacking. Compared to Ava, she actually felt outshone.
"Ava is so beautiful. The right clothes really do look best on the right person," Isabella said, crossing her arms and couldn't help asking, "Don't you all think so?"
The sales assistants had professional training and good expression management, but Mia could still see the agreement with Isabella's words in their eyes.
Mia bit her lip hard, a strong sense of humiliation making her angry. "Ms. Davis, you... you did this on purpose, didn't you?" Mia's soft voice carried a hint of grievance.
"On purpose what?" Ava just found it funny. What did she mean by "on purpose"—deliberately choosing the same dress, then outshining her and embarrassing her?
She wasn't that bored, and besides, she was here first.
How could Mia have the nerve to say that?
Ava turned in front of the mirror. "Pretty nice, I'll take this one."
Ava walked a few steps toward the register, then suddenly thought of something and turned back, a mocking smile on her lips and an eyebrow raised. "Don't doubt it—I did do it on purpose."
Mia was so angry she could explode. The dress on her body now felt like needles pricking her.
"Wait." Joshua's magnetic, cold voice stopped Ava in her tracks.
Joshua, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.
Ava and Isabella became very nervous, standing in place and exchanging glances.
Isabella nervously moved closer to Ava. "What does he mean?"
Ava pressed her lips together helplessly. "Probably wants to get revenge for Mia."
Mia's eyes flickered as she looked at Joshua expectantly. Was he going to teach these two women a lesson for her?
He must be.
Thinking this, Mia's expression showed a hint of barely noticeable smugness.
Joshua's gaze fell on Ava, his stunningly handsome face carrying a naturally cold sharpness, his unfathomable eyes sweeping from Ava to Isabella behind her.
His deep, cold voice rang out again.
"This young lady looks very familiar. We've met before."
Isabella was instantly stunned.
This wasn't a question—it was a statement!
Isabella didn't react right away.
Where had they met?
...The hospital! When she pretended to be Cleo's mother to rescue Ava.
Was Joshua about to recognize her?
Isabella gently tugged at Ava's dress, seeking help.
Ava's mind worked quickly, immediately understanding the reason behind Joshua's words, her heart tightening.
That day Isabella had pretended not to know her, and now the two of them were arm in arm...
Ava felt anxious for two seconds, then her beautiful face regained its usual calm. A faint smile crossed her lips, her eyes meeting Joshua's as she asked, "What? Does Mr. Thomas have some question about my friend?"
Joshua's eyes narrowed slightly, becoming even more profound, his brow furrowing imperceptibly.
In a flash, he suddenly understood something.
"Isabella, do you know Mr. Thomas?" Ava forcefully suppressed the trace of fear in her heart and asked Isabella calmly.
Seeing Ava's composed expression and calm tone, Isabella seemed to find her anchor, and her fear lessened somewhat. She shook her head. "No, I don't."
Ava smiled faintly at Joshua. "Then perhaps Mr. Thomas has mistaken her for someone else. If there's nothing else, we'll be going."
Ava took Isabella's hand, paid the bill, and left without lingering, unhurried.
Joshua's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't stop them.
After leaving the store, both their steps and speech unconsciously quickened.
Isabella clutched her chest, still somewhat shaken. "Ava, what do we do? Did he recognize me?"
"Yes." Ava nodded. Given Joshua's intelligence, he must have figured out the issue.
"Then what do we do?" Isabella asked anxiously.
Ava suddenly stopped, biting her lip. "Don't worry, it'll be fine."
Since Joshua had figured it out but said nothing, letting them leave safely, it meant he had no intention of exposing them for now.
As for why, Ava couldn't figure out what Joshua was up to.
After picking up the two children, after all that drama, they were in no mood to continue dining out. Everyone went home, and Ava personally cooked dinner.
After dinner, the two children were a bit tired from playing today. After washing up, Ava took them to bed.
A small night light was on in the room.
Ava sat between Finn and Cleo's small beds, holding a storybook and softly telling them a bedtime story.
Gradually, she heard the children's even breathing. Ava smiled tenderly—whenever she saw Finn and Cleo by her side, she felt especially content.
She had raised these two children herself. As a mother, she was selfish—she could never let the children leave her.
Ava carefully leaned down and kissed both children on the forehead, softly saying, "Good night, my babies."
At night, a warm lamp was on in the living room. Ava sat alone on the sofa, her hand supporting her head.
She had told Isabella not to worry, but it was actually more like trying to comfort herself.
But this couldn't calm her anxious heart.
The more she cared, the more she worried. She was really afraid that one day the children would leave her.
Perhaps because she thought about it during the day, she dreamed about it at night. Ava had a very long dream that night. In the dream, everything around her was pitch black, and she desperately searched for Finn and Cleo like a headless fly. In the distance, she saw a ray of light and rushed toward it desperately, only to see Joshua and Mia happily embracing each other.
Next to them was a small cage, and inside, children were crying their hearts out, "Mommy, Mommy save me, Mommy..."