Chapter 188 The Bond is Broken
Arabella immediately corrected her address, "Mary, I'm no longer Mrs. Sterling. Just call me Arabella."
"Oh no! you'll always be Mrs. Sterling to me!" Mary cheerfully refused, stepping out of the van and taking Isabella from the nanny who handed her over.
The moment Arabella saw her daughter, all the frustrations and grievances of recent days melted away instantly.
"My baby, my precious darling." She pressed her forehead against her daughter's, breathing in the sweet, milky scent that she adored down to her very core.
Henry was lifted out next, and upon seeing his mother, he eagerly reached for her.
When they were smaller, she could barely manage to hold one in each arm. But now that they were six months old, their little bodies squirming and fidgeting, Arabella simply couldn't handle both.
"Come on, let's go upstairs," she called to Mary and the nanny, while soothing her son who had begun to wail loudly. "Be patient, sweetheart. Mommy will spend lots of time with you once we get upstairs."
The group made their way inside in a bustling procession, no one noticed the stone-faced figure sitting in the passenger seat of the nanny van.
Gabriel had no idea why he'd followed them here.
Perhaps just to catch a glimpse of her.
Still unsure of how to handle this relationship, afraid that appearing before her would only lead to more uncontrollable behavior, he chose to remain hidden and invisible.
Arabella's entire attention was focused on the children—she never even glanced toward the passenger seat.
Watching the group disappear into the apartment building, Gabriel exhaled deeply, suddenly at a loss for how to spend the next few hours.
Go home? The house would be empty and depressing.
Go to the office? He couldn't concentrate on work anyway, just sitting there would be torture.
After deliberating, he decided to simply wait in the car.
It wasn't the first time he'd done something this foolish.
Staying as close as possible to her and the children gave him peace of mind.
————
When Ella saw the twins, her eyes lit up with pure joy. Regardless of whether the siblings were willing, she insisted on hugging the first one, and then the other.
Unfortunately, both children only wanted their mother's arms, and when she forcibly cuddled them, they wailed in protest.
Ella was both delighted and envious, exclaiming non-stop, "These children are absolutely gorgeous! My God, I've never seen such beautiful babies—those big eyes, long lashes, you can already see their double eyelids, and such perfect little noses. They're going to be absolutely stunning when they grow up!"
Arabella rolled her eyes. "You're being ridiculous, Aunt Ella."
"Sweethearts, let Auntie hold you just a little longer, okay? Auntie loves you both so much!" Ella genuinely adored children, and when playing with them, she became a completely different person from her usual professional self.
Arabella teased her jokingly, "If you love kids so much, then have another one! Give Emma a playmate."
Ella responded cheerfully, "If I could find a man with genes this exceptional, I'd have one in a heartbeat!"
Arabella fell silent.
While they happily entertained the adorable babies, Mary and the nanny stood awkwardly in the small space, looking around with expressions that clearly conveyed their bewilderment and distaste.
This tiny loft wasn't even as large as a single bedroom at Parkside Estate.
This cramped little space was divided into work and living areas—downstairs for the office, upstairs as a bedroom.
When Arabella turned around while holding her daughter to invite Mary and the nanny to sit, she caught their disapproving expressions, and her smile grew somewhat strained. "Mary, it's a bit small, but please make yourselves comfortable."
Mary spoke frankly, "Mrs. Sterling, this is more than just 'a bit small'!"
She shook her head, saying, "I really don't understand what you're thinking, leaving a mansion worth hundreds of millions to squeeze into this... studio apartment."
Hearing Mary's words, Ella's expression grew somewhat uncomfortable.
After all, she had bought this apartment, and having it dismissed as a "studio" was rather impolite.
Arabella, ever sensitive, quickly corrected Mary, "This place is wonderful—great location, convenient for everything, which is why it's quite expensive. Plus my boss is very kind, letting me live here rent-free. Not only do I save on rent, but I don't have to endure the cold commute. It's perfect."
With that explanation, Mary couldn't say much more.
After playing with the children for a while, Arabella suddenly remembered the clothes she'd bought yesterday and brought them out for the twins to try on.
As Mary watched her dress the children, she remarked meaningfully, "Henry and Isabella don't lack clothes—they lack their mother's love."
Arabella couldn't respond to that, silently helping the little ones into her thoughtful gifts.
Two warm onesies—one in soft sky blue, the other in warm butter yellow. Once dressed, the siblings sat there looking round and chubby, utterly adorable and heart-melting.
Arabella pulled out her phone, snapping photos and recording videos.
During their separation, these pictures and videos on her phone had become her comfort and lifeline.
After playing with them for over an hour, Isabella began fussing—clearly hungry.
But strangely, she wasn't pulling at her mother's clothes demanding food as she used to.
When Arabella picked her up to nurse, the baby turned her little head toward Mary and the nanny instead.
Before Arabella could understand what was happening, Mary figured it out first, sighing, "She's probably forgotten how to nurse after being away from you so long."
Those words hit Arabella like a lightning bolt of pain.
The reason she'd continued pumping breast milk, painstakingly expressing it every day to store in the freezer and regularly sending it back to Parkside Estate, was to maintain this bond of maternal connection with her children.
Breast milk at 98.6 degrees—a mother's eternal love and the only compensation she could offer for not being there to watch them grow.
But now, her baby had forgotten how to nurse from her mother.
Seeing her distress, Ella quickly stepped forward to comfort her, "It's okay, try a few more times and she'll remember. When I was breastfeeding, I got sick for a while and couldn't nurse. When I recovered, my child wouldn't eat at first either, but with patient persistence, everything went back to normal."
Ella had indeed experienced something similar, so she taught Arabella what to do.
For instance, expressing some milk first—the baby would gradually try nursing again once she smelled the familiar scent.
Arabella was skeptical but didn't let Mary prepare formula. Instead, she carried Isabella upstairs to nurse.
Following Ella's method, she patiently tried multiple times until finally succeeding. Watching her daughter lying peacefully in her arms, nursing contentedly, Arabella's emotions were bittersweet.
Near noon, Mary and the nanny left early, agreeing to return in the evening to pick up the children.
Without outsiders present, Arabella felt much more relaxed and comfortable. Lying on the bed watching her sleeping twins beside her, all the pain she'd endured these past days began to slowly heal.
Ella ordered lunch for both of them and came upstairs to call her down. Finding Arabella gazing lovingly at the children, her eyes overflowing with maternal tenderness, Ella couldn't help but sigh.
"Honestly, I really admire you. If it were me, I probably couldn't be as resolute as you."
The main thing was that the children were still young and adorable—asking a mother to give up custody rights would be more painful than death itself!
At these words, Arabella's eyes immediately reddened. "The people I've wronged most in this lifetime are my two children..."