Chapter 388: Where's Daddy?
Jasper blinked, keeping the details to himself. He only said seriously, "I missed you."
Ethan was already craning his neck to look behind her. "Mommy, where's Daddy? Didn't he go to Seraphim with you? Why didn't he come back together? Is he working?"
Emma nodded along. "Yeah, yeah, where's Daddy? He said he'd buy me strawberry cake!"
The air stilled for a beat.
Emily's chest tightened. She forced the emotion down, smiling as she touched both their faces. "Daddy went straight to the office to handle some work. Later... we'll go find him when we get home."
"Oh," Ethan said, still a little puzzled. He wanted to ask more.
But Jasper suddenly reached out, taking Ethan's hand in one of his and Emma's in the other. His tone was casual. "Daddy's busy. Let's go home with Mommy first. Stop asking so many questions."
Ethan blinked, then nodded obediently. "Okay."
Emma nodded too, her voice soft and sweet. "Then let's go home, Mommy. I missed you so, so much."
Emily looked at Jasper, a wave of bittersweet warmth flooding her chest. This child was too perceptive. Perceptive enough to see she was troubled—and shield her from further interrogation.
Simon glanced at his daughter but didn't press. He simply said, "Let's go. Home."
The car door closed. The cabin was full, warm bodies pressed close—and for the first time in what felt like forever, Emily felt a flicker of solid ground beneath her.
Emma curled up in her lap and quickly fell asleep. Ethan leaned against the window, swinging his legs as he chattered about preschool. Jasper sat beside her, unnaturally quiet, sneaking glances at her every so often before lowering his gaze again.
Emily took Jasper's small hand and squeezed gently.
He squeezed back. His voice was barely audible. "Mommy, if you're not happy, you can come home. We'll protect you."
Emily's throat tightened. She smiled and nodded. "Okay."
When the car pulled through the gates of the Johnson Manor, the sunset was caught in the tops of the trees, the light warm as a net slowly pulling her out of that night in Seraphim—out of blood and fire.
But Emily knew—coming home was only the beginning.
If Charles was avoiding her, he was also avoiding something much larger.
And she wasn't backing down.
She would pull him out of that storm—whether he wanted her to or not.
It had been a long time since the Johnson Manor felt this lively.
The dining room was softly lit. The table was spread with dishes Simon had the kitchen prepare specially—her favorites, plus desserts for the kids.
Normally, Emily limited their sweets for the sake of their teeth. But tonight was special. Emily was home. The children were happy. So she let them indulge.
Their Samoyed, Snowball, lay near the dining table, tail sweeping the carpet with rhythmic swish-swish sounds. His eyes were locked onto the meat-shaped chew toy in the kids' hands, drool practically pooling on the floor.
"Snowball! Sit!" Ethan commanded with all the authority of a drill sergeant.
Snowball immediately planted his rear on the ground, mouth open in what looked suspiciously like a grin.
Emma doubled over the armrest of her chair, giggling. "He's so good! Better than Ethan!"
Ethan immediately protested. "I am good. No—I'm the best."
Jasper didn't argue. He quietly peeled a shrimp and placed it in Emma's bowl, then cut Ethan's steak into bite-sized pieces. His tone was calm, like a miniature adult. "Eat. Don't tease the dog too long or you'll choke."
Emily watched the scene unfold, the knot of tension that had been strangling her chest all day slowly beginning to loosen.
The children's laughter. The soft clink of silverware. Snowball's panting. It all pulled her out—out of those blood-soaked hospital corridors, out of that cold divorce agreement.
For a fleeting moment, she almost forgot.
Simon sat at the head of the table, watching his grandchildren with rare amusement. "Don't feed him too much. He'll get an upset stomach again."
Emma raised one tiny finger solemnly. "Just one bite. One teeny bite."
Emily laughed softly, mixing Emma's salad for her. "Eat yours first. He doesn't need your bite."
"Okay," Emma said sweetly—then sneakily extended her spoon toward Snowball's nose.
Snowball's eyes lit up. His tongue darted forward—
Jasper gave a small, pointed cough.
Emma immediately yanked the spoon back and sat up straight. "I didn't feed him."
Emily chuckled and ruffled Emma's hair, the exhaustion in her eyes finally beginning to fade.
After dinner, the three children sat in the living room building with LEGO bricks. Snowball lay nearby like a supervisor, occasionally nosing a piece away, which sent Ethan into a mock rage, chasing the dog in circles.
While Emily stepped away to take a call, Jasper called Ethan and Emma over to the corner of the sofa. He looked as serious as a CEO convening a board meeting.
"I have something to say," Jasper whispered.
Ethan immediately sat up straight. "Are we dividing candy?"
Emma perked up. "I wanna hear too."
Jasper furrowed his little brow, as if organizing his thoughts carefully. "Mommy's not happy today."
Ethan blinked. "Because Daddy didn't come home?"
Jasper quickly raised a hand and made a shushing gesture.
His voice dropped even lower. "Don't mention Daddy in front of Mommy. It'll make her sad."
Emma's lip trembled. "But I miss Daddy."
Jasper looked at her steadily. His tone wasn't harsh—but it was firm. "You can miss him. But don't ask about him. We're Mommy's knights. We stand with Mommy."
Ethan nodded immediately, as if something had clicked. "Did Daddy make Mommy mad?"
Jasper gave a serious nod. "Yes."
He didn't know about the divorce. He just sensed that the grown-ups had fought, that Daddy had done something wrong and upset Mommy. But that didn't stop him from making the most instinctive choice—to stand on Mommy's side.
Jasper pressed his lips together, as if making a monumental decision. "If Daddy doesn't come back, it's okay. We stay with Mommy."
Ethan nodded hard. "With Mommy!"
Emma nodded too, eyes shining. "With Mommy! We don't need Daddy!"
That last line came out too loud. Jasper immediately covered her mouth. "Quiet."
Emma made muffled "mm-mm" sounds, then nodded obediently.
Jasper finally released her, his tone still that of a little adult. "So, nothing from the Windsor family matters. We only have one goal—making Mommy happy."
Ethan blinked. Then added, "What about the strawberry cake?"
Jasper was silent for two seconds. "Grandpa can buy the cake."
Emma brightened instantly. "Yeah! And when we make money, we can buy it ourselves!"
The miniature war council had reached unanimous consensus.
Across the room, Emily finished her call and came out of the kitchen carrying a tray of fruit. She saw the three of them huddled together, whispering, and assumed they were scheming about sneaking Snowball more food. It made her smile.
She had no idea they were plotting her protection.
Late that night, after the children had gone to bed, Emily tucked Emma's blanket around her shoulders and quietly closed the door.
When she returned to the study, Simon had already brewed coffee.