Chapter 132
"I want to stay with Mommy and Godmother. Mommy, let me stay here, please?" By the end, Chloe's voice was choked with tears.
"You just want to stay here to see the handsome mister, don't you?" Evelyn directly called out her little scheme. "Even if you stay, I won't let you see him again."
"Why!" Chloe burst into tears. "I like him! He's so nice to me!"
Seeing her daughter's tear-streaked face, Evelyn's heart twisted like a knife.
Why? Why did it have to be him?
She opened her mouth but couldn't say anything, ultimately falling silent.
Seeing that crying didn't help, Chloe cried even harder.
Finally, Susan spoke up. "Before you leave, you can see him one last time to say goodbye."
"No!" Evelyn and Chloe shouted simultaneously.
"I don't want to go back to the island." Chloe emphasized again.
"Going back to the island is non-negotiable. You can choose to see him or not see him." Susan's tone became unusually stern.
Chloe's pleading gaze swept over Caleb, Monica, Pearl, and Logan.
But they all avoided her eyes.
Chloe didn't understand why they were all so united against her. She only felt more miserable.
After sobbing for who knows how long, she finally nodded.
Just after finishing a meeting, Matthew's phone displayed an unknown number.
Learning from past experience, he answered quickly this time.
"Handsome mister, it's me..." Chloe's tearful voice came through.
Matthew's heart clenched.
"Chloe, what's wrong?" He made his voice soft and gentle.
"Handsome mister, I'm leaving City A. I won't be able to see you anymore. I can't bear to leave you and the puppy..."
Matthew smiled gently. "I'll send you pictures of the puppy every day."
Beside her, Evelyn sighed quietly.
A puppy?
When did they develop secrets she didn't know about?
"But I won't be able to see you anymore, handsome mister. Are you free today? I want to see you and the puppy one more time."
At this point, Chloe's grievance could no longer be contained, and she burst into loud sobs.
Matthew felt helpless on the other end of the phone.
He'd never comforted a child before.
Remembering how happy Chloe had been at the children's amusement park last time, he tentatively asked, "Chloe, don't cry. How about I take you to the children's park? Would you like that?"
Chloe looked at Evelyn through tear-filled eyes.
Evelyn nodded gently.
Consider it... giving Chloe one last beautiful memory.
At the agreed time and place, Pearl carried Chloe out of the nanny van to find Matthew already waiting at the entrance.
"Handsome mister!" Chloe struggled to get him to hold her. Matthew smoothly took her from Pearl.
Every time Chloe and Matthew met, Pearl was present.
She'd secretly observed this gentleman multiple times.
He wasn't an approachable person, yet with Chloe he showed infinite patience and care.
Moreover, these two really seemed fated to meet.
Thinking of Susan and Evelyn's attitudes, a suspicion rose in her mind.
Evelyn sat far away in the nanny van, watching Matthew hold Chloe, inexplicably feeling her nose tingle.
Unable to rest easy that day, she quietly followed them the whole time.
She'd thought Matthew, never having been around children, would be a clumsy adult.
But following them, she saw instead someone meticulous and patient.
He'd check slides for splinters before Chloe played on them.
He'd position himself at sharp stair corners when Chloe chased bubbles.
When Chloe looked at the roller coaster with both anticipation and fear, he'd simply scoop her up, take her little hand and say "I'm with you"...
Over half the day, they'd played nearly every attraction.
Matthew had also bought Chloe bags full of plush toys.
"Chloe, did you have fun today?" At the park entrance, Matthew crouched down and asked with a smile.
"Yes!" Chloe's smile was genuine.
But she couldn't bear to part from the handsome mister.
"Handsome mister, can you take me to see the puppy?" Just let her stay with him a little longer.
"Of course."
Chloe looked pleadingly at Pearl.
Pearl reluctantly agreed and messaged Evelyn to report.
Evelyn quickly agreed as well.
Matthew carried Chloe to his car and opened the door.
A child safety seat had already been installed in the back—he'd had it put in after seeing Chloe's nanny van last time.
He placed Chloe in it, fastened her seatbelt, and sat beside her.
A puppy's bark came from the front seat.
Chloe looked forward in delight to find the little dog perched on the passenger seat, barking at them.
Matthew gently brought the puppy over and signaled the driver to head to a nearby park. "Don't worry, Chloe. He's much better now—he can even walk on his own. I'll take you to the park in a bit to play with the puppy, okay?"
"Okay! Thank you, handsome mister!"
Chloe happily played with the puppy while Matthew watched them, laughing from time to time.
The driver couldn't help glancing in the rearview mirror several times.
Having worked for Matthew all these years, this was the first time he'd seen him so gentle, so patient, smiling so much.
Especially after Evelyn's death three years ago—he'd never seen Matthew smile since.
What a sight to behold!
At the park, Chloe carefully set the puppy on the grass.
The puppy sniffed here and there, trotting around on its short legs.
Matthew patiently crouched beside her, constantly guiding Chloe around uneven ground.
An elderly woman passed by and smiled at Matthew. "It's rare to see such a patient father these days. You've raised your daughter to be very caring."
Matthew froze, instinctively not denying it.
He smiled and thanked her. "Chloe is a very kind child."
"Where's her mother? Why isn't she with you?" the old woman asked curiously.
Before Matthew could answer, Chloe spoke up. "Mommy's really amazing! She's working on a big project! That's why she couldn't come with me."
The old woman smiled and left.
But Chloe continued the conversation with Matthew. "Mommy's not just amazing—she's really beautiful too!"
"I'll definitely introduce you two!" She patted her little chest, promising Matthew.
After this day, her desire to get Mommy and the handsome mister together had only grown stronger!
Matthew chuckled helplessly. "Just introduce your mommy? Not your daddy? Won't your daddy be sad?"
"I don't have a daddy." Chloe answered quietly, her voice somewhat dejected.
Matthew paused.
He'd never expected that the reason Chloe never mentioned her father was this.
Tenderness welled up in his heart, though he didn't know what to say.
"Handsome mister, can I call you Daddy?" Chloe said tearfully, burying her face in Matthew's chest.
Seeing Chloe cry, Matthew's heart trembled.
He couldn't help thinking of the two children who never came into this world because of him.
"Of course you can." His voice also shook slightly.
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy..." Chloe called out many times.
Matthew instinctively held her tighter. "Chloe, I'll protect you like a father from now on. Whenever you need me, I'll be there. Okay?"
"Okay!" Chloe nodded vigorously.
In the distance, Pearl slowly walked over.
Chloe knew it was time. She looked at Matthew with tears in her eyes. "Handsome mister, I have to go..."