Chapter 1350 Cold Treatment
Hearing Susan's words, Cecilia couldn't help but stare at her for a moment before finally understanding her intention.
"Are you saying Daryl and I don't trust each other enough?" Cecilia asked, her smile tinged with bitterness.
"The misunderstandings between you two are definitely due to a lack of communication, and Skylar's meddling didn't help. But at the end of the day, there's still some stubbornness on both sides, right?" Susan said, frowning.
Cecilia let out a cold laugh. "I've explained things to him calmly more than once, but he saw those photos of me with Elijah and just assumed there was something between us. Honestly, I got tired of clarifying things. If he wants to think that way, let him. There's nothing I can do. Anyway, it's pointless to talk about it now. We're over."
"Now that Thaddeus's grandmother has accepted you, isn't it a shame to give up now?" Susan asked regretfully, seeing Cecilia's disheartened expression.
Cecilia smiled faintly. "It's over between us, Susan. There's no going back. I know you care about me and want the best for me, but what I need now is your encouragement. I want to start over."
"Alright, let's leave it to time. What are your plans now?" Susan asked.
Cecilia stirred her coffee with a spoon, looking down. "I don't know. I'm feeling lost. I'll probably stay at the Fields Mansion for a while longer. I can't take Thaddeus away, but I can't bear to leave him either. With his grandmother still so weak, I don't want to upset her."
"Thaddeus is still nursing. As his mother, you should be with him at all times. Just stay at the Fields Mansion for now. If you feel cooped up, come find me. My place is a mess right now, and I could use the company to escape the chaos," Susan said with a smile, shrugging her shoulders.
Cecilia couldn't help but smile back.
Then Susan turned serious. "But I hope you'll consider Thaddeus's future. He's still young and doesn't understand much now, but he'll grow up. He'll start to question his identity. He needs a father. If Daryl refuses to acknowledge him, what will Thaddeus think? You can't let him mistakenly believe Elijah is his father. That would confuse him and be detrimental to his growth."
Cecilia looked up at Susan, realizing she was right. Maybe she had been too simplistic in her thinking. Thaddeus would eventually understand what it meant to have a father.
Noticing Cecilia's silence, Susan continued, "Whether you and Daryl get back together or not, Thaddeus deserves a proper identity. Even if you separate, he should still have a normal relationship with both parents. Don't you agree?"
"Susan, it's not that I don't want Thaddeus to know his father. It's that Daryl refuses to acknowledge him," Cecilia said, tears welling up.
Susan quickly handed her some tissues. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to share my thoughts."
"No, you're right. I'm just so confused right now. I don't know what to do," Cecilia said, wiping her tears.
Susan spoke softly, "Take your time to think it over. Don't act impulsively."
"Okay," Cecilia nodded.
Returning to the Fields Mansion, Cecilia felt suffocated.
But looking at Thaddeus in her arms, she couldn't bear to leave him, so she forced herself to stay for now.
Fortunately, Azalea's health was improving day by day, giving Cecilia a glimmer of hope. However, she knew it would be nearly impossible to get Azalea to agree to let her take Thaddeus away. She would have to wait for the right moment to bring it up.
One hot afternoon, Cecilia decided to take a lighter outfit downstairs to change Thaddeus into. He had always been chubbier than other kids and got hot easily. Azalea had specifically instructed the household not to use the air conditioning carelessly.
As Cecilia reached the middle of the stairs with Thaddeus's clothes, she saw him crawling around on the floor.
Cecilia saw this and smiled.
Thaddeus was almost a year old but still couldn't walk. However, he was an expert crawler, sometimes moving faster than adults could walk.
Just as Cecilia was about to call out to Thaddeus, she noticed someone sitting on the couch in the living room. She immediately recognized Daryl, even from behind.
Since their divorce, Cecilia hadn't seen him face-to-face. Her heart tightened at the sight of him.
Hesitating, Cecilia turned to go back upstairs, deciding not to change Thaddeus's clothes for now. She didn't want to see someone she had no desire to face.
But just as she was about to take a step, she couldn't help but glance back at Thaddeus on the floor.
To her surprise, Thaddeus had crawled quickly over to Daryl and was looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes, babbling.
Thaddeus had been living at the Fields Mansion for several months, but he and Daryl had never had any close contact. Daryl had never even held him. The closest they had been was about 3 feet apart.
At that moment, Cecilia turned back to see Daryl's reaction.
Daryl was facing away from her, so she couldn't see his expression. But she could guess that he hadn't acknowledged Thaddeus, as the boy soon lost interest and crawled away.
Cecilia understood that Daryl didn't like Thaddeus. He saw him as a disgrace, only keeping him because he was Azalea's lifeline and the only third-generation member of the Fields family.
Somehow, Thaddeus felt a deep sense of disappointment, and Cecilia shared this sentiment. Over the past few days, she had been contemplating Susan's words to her; Thaddeus needed an identity. This identity was not merely for societal recognition, but also for his own self-acceptance in the future. Without it, Thaddeus would remain under a perpetual shadow.
Seeing Thaddeus's disappointed little figure crawling away, Cecilia felt a pang of sorrow. She hurt for her son, for the cold treatment he received.
Tears welled up in Cecilia's eyes, and she quickly looked up at the ceiling.
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