Chapter 167
I blushed at Aura's teasing: "Can't even eating keep you quiet? Just eat."
Aura stuck out her tongue and lowered her head to drink her porridge.
James served me food while taking care of Aura with her porridge, picking out some mild dishes she could eat.
After the meal, Aura got sleepy again.
James stayed with her for her afternoon nap, and I went back to the room to rest, too.
I'd been worn out these past few days, so now that I finally had time to rest, of course, I wanted to rest properly.
In the afternoon, I was woken up by laughter.
I sat up and opened my eyes to see James sitting on the carpet, playing with building blocks with Aura.
He was clumsy, and the house he built was crooked, but Aura was laughing happily.
"Daddy's so silly!" she pointed at the collapsed blocks.
"Yes, Daddy's silly," James smiled good-naturedly. "Should we try again?"
"Okay!"
I watched them play.
In that moment, something hard inside my heart quietly melted.
In the evening, Aura's energy was completely back.
After dinner, she pulled both mine and James's hands: "Daddy, Mommy, can we watch a movie together?"
We watched an animated movie with her in the media room.
Halfway through, Aura fell asleep, holding my hand with one of hers and James's with the other.
James and I looked at each other and both smiled.
After carrying Aura back to her room, we stood in the hallway.
"Thank you," I said. "Without you, I probably would have been completely overwhelmed on my own."
"This is what I should do," James looked at me, his eyes serious. "She's my daughter too, isn't she? If I could, I really wish I could stay by your side like this forever."
My heart skipped a beat.
"I... I'm going to check on Grandma." I made an excuse and turned to go downstairs.
Doctor Marc Murray was examining Indigo.
After Amelia's death, James had hired a new medical team and had Indigo thoroughly examined.
The doctors found a slow-acting poison in Indigo's body. This kind of drug, once consumed, would make someone look like they were suffering from organ failure, with no detectable cause and no way to treat it, slowly dragging them to death.
Fortunately, Marc was quite skilled in poison research. After examining Indigo, he knew what was wrong with her.
"Ms. Brown," Marc greeted me. "Indigo's condition has improved quite a bit these past few days."
I was very grateful: "Thank you. If we hadn't met you, my grandmother... I'm really grateful."
"No need to thank me, this is what I should do as a doctor."
Marc told me to chat with Indigo for a while, but not too long, and to let her rest more.
I nodded and sat by Indigo's bed for a while.
Indigo was in good spirits today and could say a few words.
"Sophia... James..." she held my hand, her voice weak but clear. "You two... must be good to each other..."
"Don't worry, Grandma. James and I will be fine," I said softly.
Coming out of Indigo's room, I stood at the staircase, looking toward Aura's room upstairs.
Thinking about how Aura and James had been getting along these past few days.
Wondering if I'd really been too selfish, only thinking about myself and not considering Aura at all.
Aura was still young. Even if she said she didn't need Daddy around, deep down she still longed for a father's love.
Maybe I really should reconsider my relationship with James.
I talked to James about it.
"James, I think I've been too selfish. I used to think that a child only needed their mother."
"But these past few days, I've realized that children can't do without their father."
I hesitated, but still said it: "How about we remarry?"
He didn't answer right away. He looked at me and asked, "Sophia, is this what you really want?"
I picked at the back of my hand.
These past few days have changed my view of James, but I still can't forget what happened before.
But for Aura's sake, there was nothing I couldn't endure.
"Don't you want to remarry me?"
James shook his head: "It's not that I don't want to. On the contrary, I want it very much."
"But Sophia, this isn't what you truly want."
"I know you want to give Aura a complete family, but what about you? Have you thought about yourself?"
"I don't want you to compromise yourself for Aura's sake." He sighed. "That way, you won't be happy being with me, and I don't want you to be unhappy."
I was stunned. Suddenly, I seemed to hear the sound of my own heartbeat, each beat louder than the last.
"Think it over carefully. If you really want to remarry me, and it's truly what you want, I'm ready anytime."
After saying this, he left.
I kept thinking about what he said.
Maybe someday, I would truly want to?
But right now, I really didn't.
Anyway, there was still a long future ahead, and I had plenty of time to think about this.
After figuring this out, the weight on my heart lifted.
I felt much lighter.
In the following days, every day was happy. James and I played with Aura and kept Indigo company.
These happy days were broken by an uninvited guest.
I came back from Shadow Circuit Studio and had just entered when I heard unfamiliar laughter from the living room.
"James, you've been outstanding since childhood, and now you're even more remarkable, running the company so well," a shrill female voice said. "If you ask me, you should think about your love life too."
"You're divorced. You can't stay single forever, right?"
I frowned and walked into the living room.
Besides Indigo, two other people were sitting on the sofa.
One was a woman in her sixties, dressed very elegantly, with sharp eyes.
I knew this person. She was Indigo's cousin—Hestia Sharp. I'd met her once at my wedding.
The other was a young woman in her twenties, sweet-looking and well-dressed, looking at James with shy affection.
I'd never seen this girl before and had no memory of her at all.
James sat on the single sofa opposite them, his expression neutral, showing no emotion.
"You're right," the girl said softly. "Mr. Smith is so outstanding, he really should find someone caring to look after him."
James didn't respond, just picked up his cup and took a sip.
When Hestia saw me, she frowned deeply: "What are you doing here?"
The girl looked curious: "Who is this?"
"She's..." Hestia paused, as if choosing her words carefully.
"James's ex-wife," I finished for her, smiling as I sat down next to Indigo. "Hestia, long time no see. And this is?"
"My name is Cecilia Thorne."
I nodded slightly: "Ms. Thorne."
After learning my identity, Cecilia's expression wasn't as natural as before, and her eyes were evasive: "Ms. Brown, hello."
I sneered inwardly but kept my face calm: "What brings you here today, Hestia?"
"Well, I heard Indigo was discharged from the hospital, so I came specially to visit," Hestia held Indigo's hand. "Indigo, you must get better quickly. The family still needs you in charge."
Indigo smiled but said nothing.
Hestia turned to James again: "James, Cecilia is a top student. She works at an investment bank now—young and accomplished. You young people should get to know each other better."
I saw through Hestia's intentions and found it amusing. She didn't usually visit much, but today she suddenly came with Cecilia—turns out she was here to set James up with a girlfriend.