Chapter 124: Say Goodnight to Him
Magnus sat there, stunned for a moment. His heart was pounding intensely.
It wasn't until Jennifer grabbed his arm and shook it. "Dad, what are you thinking? Don't be sad. Even if I'm with Mom, I'll come home to see you often!"
He suddenly snapped back, staring at the little one to confirm. "You really saw Mom?"
Just a few seconds ago, he thought he was hearing things.
Jennifer nodded seriously. "Yes, I and Mom, along with Ophelia, spent the day shopping, buying a lot of things, had two big meals, oh, Dad, we even took photos together."
She pulled out her small phone from her pocket. It was a gift from Magnus. Opening the gallery, she handed it to Magnus. "We took a lot of photos."
In the photos, she and Jennifer were cheek to cheek, gentle and radiant. The sunlight from the French windows spilled on her, giving her a faint golden glow. Perhaps due to illness, she was thinner than before, fragile.
His heart twinged. Magnus looked at those photos for a long time, and remained silent.
Jennifer leaned over, her clear innocent eyes fixed on him. "Daddy, Mom is back. Do you want to see her?"
Before he could respond, a tweet popped up on Jennifer's phone.
Harper Beaumont: [Jennifer, are you home?]
Magnus naturally saw the tweet. He looked at the message and asked Jennifer, "Your mom is Harper Beaumont, right?"
"Yes! Daddy, you know Harper Beaumont? She sings so well online! My classmates have listened to her songs! Daddy, do you like listening to her songs too?"
Magnus didn't answer, then asked, "When did you start contacting Harper Beaumont?"
"Around New Year's. Mom said she was lonely abroad during that time and really missed me, so she added me on Twitter to chat."
So, she had been in contact with Jennifer for almost half a year. She missed Jennifer and came back to see Jennifer and Ophelia.
But not him. She avoided him.
He suddenly remembered that day at the Southern Cemetery. Ronald had no relatives buried there. The person who went to the Southern Cemetery that day to pay respects was Juniper. She went to see Lyra.
Because she didn't want to face him, she hid. Was it because Lyra's death was related to his mother, so she couldn't let go and didn't want to see him? His emotions were in turmoil. Mixed with joy and sorrow, his emotions were indiscernible.
Jennifer looked at him, blinking her big eyes. "Daddy, Mom is back. Aren't you happy?"
The man's Adam's apple rolled, his voice hoarse, "I am."
Was he really happy? Why did he look so sad?
"Daddy, don't be sad. I'll spend three days with Mom, three days with you, seven days a week, and one day, the three of us will be together, okay?"
Magnus smiled and reached out to ruffle Jennifer's hair. Some things would be so much simpler if they were as simple as children thought. Adults were adults because the adult world was complex, not just black and white. More things were in shades of gray.
Like his relationship with Juniper, it was hard to completely let go, and it was difficult to get back together without any psychological burden. He no longer resented her, but since Lyra's death, he seemed to have no right to entangle her again.
Magnus ushered Jennifer away. "It's getting late. Go take a shower."
"But I haven't replied to Mom yet."
"I'll reply for you. I need to talk to her about something."
"Okay, Daddy, be gentle when you talk to Mom. Girls don't like aloofness."
Magnus softly said, "I know."
Jennifer, with a furrowed brow, lectured him like a little adult. "Daddy, you're getting impatient again. How can you talk to girls?"
Jennifer climbed upstairs in her little duck slippers. Ah, it was normal for Daddy, who pursued directness, not to win Mom's heart. Even she thought Daddy wasn't cute.
Downstairs, Magnus sat on the couch with Jennifer's phone. He opened the tweet sent by Harper Beaumont. He replied on behalf of Jennifer: [Yes, we're home.]
When Juniper received the tweet, she replied: [You must be tired after playing all day. Go to bed early. Mom will take you out to play in a few days.]
I Don't Want to Go to School: [Not sleepy.]
Harper Beaumont: [Then let's chat a little longer? Baby, it's almost ten o'clock now. Not sleeping will stunt your growth.]
Seeing this message, Magnus furrowed his brow.
I Don't Want to Go to School: [I'm already tall enough.]
Juniper sent a crying laugh emoji, thinking Jennifer was being willful.
Harper Beaumont: [Yes, the tallest baby.]
After a while, there were no more messages coming from the other side. The man's pale fingers quickly typed a few words.
[How long do you plan to stay in Imperial Capital, or are you leaving?]
But he never sent it. He deleted the line and rephrased it. Magnus, for the first time, shamelessly disguised himself as a child to chat with Juniper.
He edited another message.
I Don't Want to Go to School: [I hope you can stay, I want to be with you, and with Daddy.]
His finger hovered over the send button. He hesitated and didn't send it. Editing too many times, the other side caught on.
Harper Beaumont; [Baby, why have you been typing for so long? Do you have something to ask me? If you do, go ahead, I'll try to answer you.] "
I Don't Want to Go to School: [Have you considered getting back together with Daddy?]
After a long time, Juniper replied.
Harper Beaumont: [I'm sorry, I don't want to lie to you. Since seven years ago, after I did something wrong to Daddy, she never thought about getting back together with him. Later, Grandma passed away. There are some things I don't know how to tell you, but adult matters are more complicated. Being together isn't as simple as it seems. Jennifer, whoever you want to be with, I will respect your choice. For now, I will stay in Imperial Capital to accompany you, okay?]
Magnus's typing finger paused. He didn't reply for a long time.
Harper Beaumont: [Baby, are you angry?]
For some reason, Magnus, perhaps out of surrender, replied with a single word.
I Don't Want to Go to School: [Yes.]
Harper Beaumont: [Wait a few days, Mom will take you to the amusement park to ride the carousel, okay?]
I Don't Want to Go to School: [Change the subject.]
Harper Beaumont: [You don't want to ride the carousel anymore?]
I Don't Want to Go to School: [Say goodnight to me.]
Harper Beaumont: [Baby, goodnight.]
Juniper was puzzled. What was wrong with Jennifer tonight? She seemed so insecure. They had a great time during the day. But Juniper always indulged Jennifer, so she naturally accommodated her in such matters.
She sent a voice message. It was five seconds long.
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