Chapter 296

Serena went back to her room, closed the door, and stood leaning against it for quite a while.

Her mind was flooded with thoughts, all tangled up together.

Serena shook her head, forcing herself to sit down at the desk and open her laptop.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Serena put down her cup and walked over, thinking it was Lisa.

When she opened the door, Serena froze.

Standing at the door was Clayton.

He was wearing a dark gray coat, apparently just coming from outside, his nose tip a bit red from the cold, holding a paper bag in his hand.

Serena paused for a moment, "Didn't you go back to the office? Why are you here again?"

Clayton didn't rush to come in.

He just stood in the hallway, looking at Serena, his lips moving slightly.

"You didn't answer my calls all day."

Serena didn't say anything.

She really hadn't answered.

She'd turned off her phone in the morning and hadn't turned it back on until now.

Clayton didn't seem inclined to press the issue.

He asked, "Have you eaten?"

"I have."

"Every time you say you've eaten, you basically haven't."

Serena opened her mouth, then swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

The two of them just stood there facing each other, separated by a doorframe, neither speaking first.

A room service cart passed by in the hallway, its wheels making muffled sounds on the carpet.

Finally, Clayton broke the silence first.

"Serena, I'm not going to make excuses."

His tone was gentle, without deliberately lowering his posture.

"Hiding Silas's accident from you was my decision. At the time, I thought you had just taken Aria away and finally settled down. Telling you would only add to your worries."

Serena's grip on her cup tightened.

"I oversimplified things." Clayton lowered his head, his gaze falling on his shoe tips. "I only thought about not making you worry. I didn't think about how you'd feel when you found out the truth."

He looked up, looking at her seriously.

"You have every right to be angry. I won't make excuses. I just came to apologize to you in person."

Serena looked at him.

Honestly, she was indeed angry.

Silas had almost died.

When he was lying in the ICU, she knew nothing about it.

Everyone knew except her.

But now Clayton was standing in front of her, not saying a single unnecessary word, not beating around the bush, not making excuses, just admitting his mistake directly.

What could Serena do?

"I understand, Clayton."

Serena nodded, her voice softening a bit. "Let me process this on my own. I'll contact you when I've thought things through."

Clayton nodded, not pushing the conversation further.

He was never the type to force someone to talk when they didn't want to.

He stepped back, then suddenly leaned toward the end of the hallway and waved his hand.

"I know you're in a bad mood right now, and being alone isn't helping."

He turned to the side.

At the corner of the hallway, a small figure peeked out half a head.

Aria had two little pigtails, wearing a pink backpack, with round eyes that lit up the moment she saw Serena.

"Mommy!"

Aria took off running, her backpack bouncing on her back.

By the time Serena crouched down, Aria had already buried herself in her arms, her little arms locked tight around her neck.

"Mommy! I missed you so much!"

A string of "Mommy"s came out like rapid fire, with a whiny nasal tone.

Serena's nose tingled, and she hugged Aria tight.

"Baby, I missed you too."

Aria buried her face in Serena's shoulder, nuzzling back and forth for a while before lifting her head, holding Serena's face with both hands and looking left and right.

"Mommy, have you lost weight? Have you been eating properly?"

Serena was amused by her. "How come you're looking after me now?"

"I have to look after you!" Aria declared righteously, patting Serena's face. "Clayton said you're working hard here all by yourself and told me to supervise you."

Serena glanced up at Clayton.

Clayton stood nearby with a slight smile, saying nothing more.

"I'll head out now." He stepped back. "Call me if you need anything."

Then he looked at Aria. "Take good care of Mommy."

"I know!" Aria waved her little hand at him.

Clayton turned and left, his footsteps gradually fading down the hallway.

Serena carried Aria into the room and helped her take off her backpack. Aria walked around the room in a circle, then went to the window to look outside.

"Mommy, I'm hungry."

"Come on, let's go downstairs to eat."

Serena changed Aria's shoes and took her hand to go downstairs.

The hotel's first-floor restaurant wasn't too crowded during dinner time. Serena had just walked into the lobby with Aria when her steps suddenly stopped.

Silas was coming from the elevator area.

He had changed clothes and looked better than he had in the afternoon, though the dark circles under his eyes were still heavy.

Aria saw him first.

Aria's steps clearly paused.

Silas saw them too.

His pace immediately slowed, and he stood frozen in place, his eyes fixed on Aria without blinking.

The lobby was bustling with people—guests dragging suitcases, uniformed front desk staff.

But his attention was entirely on that small person.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

His hand hung at his side, fingertips curling slightly.

Serena patted Aria's head.

Aria looked up at Serena, then back at Silas.

"Silas."

Aria spoke up, her voice crisp and clear, especially distinct in the spacious lobby.

"Do you remember me yet?"

This one sentence made Silas's Adam's apple bob hard.

Serena tilted her head slightly, looking at Aria.

"You know he lost his memory?"

Aria nodded, her expression surprisingly calm, not like a typical seven-year-old's reaction.

"Last time we ran into him at the mall, he didn't recognize me."

She said it very matter-of-factly, but Serena's heart skipped a beat.

Aria had already known since last time, but she hadn't mentioned it at all.

Serena bent down, lowering her voice. "You should call him Dad."

Aria pouted, a reluctant expression appearing on her little face.

"I don't want to."

"Aria!"

"I barely called him that before anyway."

Coming from a seven-year-old, these words carried no hint of spite—they were just stating a fact.

But this fact was more piercing than any accusation.

Serena was about to say something more when Silas spoke first.

"She doesn't have to."

His voice was very low as he looked at Aria, then quickly looked away.

"Just call me by my name."

He looked at Aria and said somewhat hesitantly, "Where are you going?"

Serena looked at Silas's face, knowing he wanted to make amends. After all, Silas was ultimately Aria's father.

She said, "We're going to eat. Do you want to come with us?"

Silas's eyes lit up, and he asked softly, "Is that okay?"

Seeing Aria nod as well, he walked over and said in a hoarse voice, "Okay."

Aria looked at Silas, then suddenly reached out her hands toward him. "Carry me!"