Chapter 21 A Gift for You
Emily's eyes sparkled with tears as she sniffled and gazed into his deep eyes.
Emily: "Come on, give me a smile."
William looked away. "I don't like smiling."
Emily's young face fell, her bright eyes showing clear disappointment. She bit her lip and looked down.
Seeing Emily on the verge of tears again, William reluctantly forced a smile, though it was stiff and awkward.
Emily immediately beamed.
She turned to Sophia with a radiant grin and leaned in close.
"Mommy, can you wipe my face?"
Sophia looked at her helplessly, not understanding why her daughter wasn't afraid of William, despite his perpetually gloomy expression.
She used a tissue to wipe Emily's face.
As soon as she was clean, Emily turned back to William and shook her little face at him.
Emily: "All clean now."
She shook her head so vigorously that she lost her balance and started to fall to the side.
Both William and Sophia reached out at the same time.
William was quicker and pulled Emily back.
Sophia, worried, said, "Emily."
Emily giggled. "Mommy, I'm fine."
She turned and gave William a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."
Sophia, seeing that Emily was okay, sighed in relief.
Noticing William's dark expression, Sophia quickly reached out to Emily, "Come here, sweetie."
Unexpectedly, Emily pushed James and Michael towards her, her clear eyes twinkling mischievously as she snuggled into William's arms.
Emily: "Mommy, hold James and Michael."
She knew Sophia always wanted to hold James and Michael.
She loved Sophia, and she loved James and Michael. They all loved her, too.
The only one left...
Was this gloomy-faced man?
Emily, with her clever mind, was a bit troubled. Her mommy was also James and Michael's mommy, so was James and Michael's daddy her daddy too?
But this "daddy" wasn't likable. Her mommy only wanted James and Michael. What should she do?
She loved her mommy the most and definitely wanted to help her.
It seemed the best solution was "no, daddy, just James and Michael."
Noticing Emily's focused gaze, William looked down.
Emily gave him a sweet smile and hugged his arm, her pigtails bouncing.
William's heart softened, and he held her close.
In the end, William held Emily while Sophia held James and Michael, and they took many photos together.
Every so often, Emily would look up at William. Seeing him not smiling, her eyes would start to redden again.
William had no choice but to cooperate.
An indescribable emotion flowed slowly through his heart.
After the photos were taken, the three children divided them like they were sharing toys, each taking their share.
Emily picked out one from her share and handed it to William, her tear-stained eyes bright and joyful.
She looked up at him. "This is for you."
William silently accepted it, but his gaze froze when he saw the photo.
This photo...
It looked just like a family portrait of five.
Emily nestled in his arms, her smile pure and innocent, her little hand clutching his black shirt. In the photo, his mouth was slightly upturned, his gaze falling on Sophia beside him, who was holding James and Michael. The three of them had similar, captivating smiles.
Sophia, standing next to William, was also taken aback by the photo.
Seeing Emily return to James's side, Sophia hesitated. "Sorry, Emily loves to share. Don't mind her. Just throw the photo away when she's not looking."
As soon as she finished speaking, William's face darkened.
William's height towered over her, and standing beside her, he was a head taller. After holding the children for a while, his perfectly ironed pants were slightly wrinkled, adding a touch of casualness to his appearance.
William's cold expression deepened. "Do you think I would casually throw away a child's belongings?"
Standing so close, Sophia could smell the scent of his body wash. It was familiar. It reminded her of the one she loved most during their marriage. She took two steps back, creating distance between them.
William's eyes narrowed, his refined and reserved demeanor turning icy cold, his powerful presence leaving no room for retreat.
Sophia glanced at the time and spoke softly. "Emily, James, and Michael need to go home now. Say goodbye."
James and Michael looked reluctant to leave.
James directly asked William, "Dad, can we stay here tonight?"
William stood in the light, his voice firm. "No."
Michael also wanted to stay, but hearing William's response, he lowered his head in disappointment.
James comforted him. "Michael, we can come back tomorrow."
Emily didn't want them to leave either. She looked to her mommy for help.
Sophia sighed and knelt to hug the three children.
"James, Michael, Mommy will pick you up from school tomorrow, okay?" She hesitated when saying Michael's name, still unsure how to face him.
"Emily, be good. James and Michael need to go to school. Tomorrow, Mommy will take you to pick them up."
The three children nodded obediently.
William leaned against the door, his hair falling over his forehead, silently watching them.
Emily helped James and Michael pack their little backpacks.
William's emotionless voice sounded from behind her. "Do you think doing this will help you get custody?"
Sophia turned to look at him, her tone calm. "I just want to spend more time with James and Michael."
William's deep, icy eyes seemed to pierce her soul.
His gaze shifted to Emily, complex and unreadable. "Since you've had a daughter with another man, why bother with my children?"
William's tone turned sharp. "Sophia, you can't be too greedy."
Sophia's chest heaved with anger at his words.
She glanced at the children in the room, arranged for someone to watch them, then pulled William into the study.
"William, besides providing sperm, what have you done? I carried them for nine months, I fed them, I took them to the hospital when they were sick, I cared for them for four years."
"You've been a father for two years, but have you forgotten the four years you ignored them? Who was on business trips during their birthdays? Who has never attended their preschool parent meetings?"
"It was you!"
Sophia's teeth clenched, her eyes filled with suppressed anger.
"William, who exactly is being greedy?"
William was speechless at her barrage of words. Sophia's cheeks were flushed with emotion, and she turned her face away as his gaze fell on her.
William's voice was hoarse. "If you cared so much about the children, why did you give up custody and insist on a divorce?"
Sophia's tone was mocking. "Do you think I wanted to? Back then, I was an orphan. How could I compete with the heir of the Smith family?"
William instinctively replied, "Then you shouldn't have divorced..."
The study fell silent.
Both of them were reminded of the unpleasant divorce.
Back then, Sophia had initiated the divorce, but William hadn't agreed. He had issued a harsh ultimatum: if she wanted a divorce, she had to give up custody of the children, or the divorce would never happen.
At the time, she was pregnant with their daughter, and after what William had done, she was heartbroken and couldn't live with him anymore.
As a doctor herself, she knew that her emotional turmoil was bad for the baby's development.
Before being a mother, she had to be herself.
No matter what, the divorce had to happen.
Sophia stared at the study floor, slowly calming her emotions, not wanting past anger to affect her present life.
After a long silence, she spoke slowly.
"I divorced you, not because I didn't want them, but because I didn't want you."
"I don't want you, William Smith."