Chapter 358

Chapter 358
Mateo’s POV
I sat with Hattie in the garden pavilion. The weather was pleasant, but my thoughts were elsewhere, drifting like clouds across the blue sky above us.
"I never imagined Serena's life would be filled with so much tragedy," Hattie sighed beside me. "Her mother passed away, then her husband too. Now she's raising Milo and Stella all by herself."
I made a small sound of acknowledgment, unsure how to respond. Serena's circumstances were indeed worthy of sympathy.
"Such a beautiful woman," Hattie continued, her voice tinged with genuine compassion. "How could she encounter so much hardship?"
I pressed my lips together, feeling an indistinct ripple of emotion that I wasn't ready to acknowledge. Despite my reluctance to admit it, Serena's situation had touched something within me.
My eyes shifted slightly, gaze unconsciously drifting toward the distance. There, I spotted Serena walking through the back garden with Milo and Stella. Their silhouettes appeared unusually soft in the sunlight.
Just then, Hattie's brother approached us. "Hattie, Grandmother is asking for you. Could you come inside for a moment?"
"Oh, alright," Hattie stood up from her chair and turned to me. "Mateo, wait for me. I'll be back shortly."
"Don't worry about it. Go ahead," I replied, my expression calm while my mind had already made a decision.
After Hattie left, I hesitated briefly before summoning the courage to walk toward Serena and her children. I noticed Serena's brow furrow, clearly confused by my approach.
Sensing her thoughts, I explained, "Mrs. Kennedy asked for Hattie."
"Oh." Serena looked at me, her eyes full of caution and questions. I could read her mind: Why are you here? What do you want? Am I bothering you?
"Um..." I began, then found myself at a loss for words. This kind of uncertainty was unusual for me.
Serena's frown deepened, her impatience with my attitude evident.
"Mommy," Stella suddenly spoke up, "I want to go back to my room to look at my tablet for a while." With that, she pulled Milo along with her.
I silently thanked Stella for giving me an opportunity to speak with Serena alone, though Serena clearly didn't appreciate it. I could tell she had no desire to be alone with me.
Before Serena could say anything, Stella had quickly disappeared.
Visibly displeased but restraining herself, Serena said to me, "Mr. García, if you have something to say, just say it. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about our previous... disagreements. We're relatives now, after all, and I don't want to affect the relationship between our families."
Looking at her, I thought she probably assumed I was here to threaten her again about keeping quiet. But in truth, despite our limited interactions, I somehow understood her character well enough to know she wouldn't break her word. There was no need for repeated, pointless warnings.
I took a deep breath and revealed my true purpose: "I misjudged you before."
"What?" Serena looked bewildered.
"When I called you... promiscuous." My voice unconsciously lowered, and I felt my ears warming slightly. This kind of apology was extraordinarily rare for me.
Serena gave a small laugh, a smile that made me feel both embarrassed and relieved.
"Why didn't you explain yourself?!" I suddenly asked with unexpected heat. This question had been bothering me for some time.
"Would explanations have helped? Would you have believed me?" she countered.
"..." I was rendered speechless. She was right—I wasn't easily persuaded, and once I'd made up my mind about something, I rarely changed it. That was the stubborn part of my character.
"It doesn't matter anyway," Serena said dismissively.
Her attitude stung me slightly. She genuinely didn't care what image she had in my eyes, nor did she seem to care about me as a person at all.
"Your girlfriend is coming back. You should probably avoid any association with me to prevent misunderstandings," Serena said before walking past me.
Her eagerness to distance herself from me left me feeling strangely unsettled. It was like having a stone pressing against my chest, making it difficult to breathe. And this feeling only intensified with her indifference.
I stood watching her retreating figure, so cold and distant. She neither needed my apology nor cared about my opinion of her. This made my emotions even more complicated.
Hattie returned to my side and seemed to notice something was off. "What's wrong?" she asked.
I snapped back to reality. In that moment of awareness, my heart trembled slightly. I had to admit that Serena's effect on me was clearly... excessive.
I rarely paid special attention to people. Even with Hattie, our relationship had developed by chance. We'd met during the lowest points in each other's lives, found mutual understanding, and naturally became a couple.
And yet Serena, whom I'd barely met, evoked indescribable feelings in me. Perhaps it was simply guilt over having misjudged her. Nothing to dwell on.