Chapter 369 The Child Was Missing
Adalia was already pretty sensitive and insecure from past emotional scars.
Her biggest fear? Being abandoned.
Maggie hugged Adalia tight, her nose tingling with emotion. "No way, sweetheart. I'll always love you and never leave you."
Arya, fuming, said, "Olivia shouldn't have said that to her."
But Arya was too embarrassed to confront Olivia, her sister.
Fiorello held Adalia's small hand. "You are now Grace Adalia Fiores. You're my daughter. No one can change that. Hold your head high and be confident, okay? You're our pride."
Adalia nodded, beginning to comprehend, and her tears dried up. "Daddy, I promise I won't cry anymore," she said resolutely. She was the pride of her parents, and she knew she needed to be strong and confident.
"Alright then, let's eat. Everyone must be hungry," Arya said, gesturing towards the dining table. Adalia followed without hesitation, her former timidness gone.
After the meal, Eleanor and Joseph took their leave, while Maggie, feeling drowsy, retreated to take a nap. With Maggie safely at home, Fiorello felt more relaxed and headed to the office.
Arya, meanwhile, took Adalia for a stroll around the apartment complex. As they approached the playground, they spotted Mark approaching with a bag of nutritional supplements. He smiled warmly and made his way over to them.
"Arya, there you are," Mark said, smiling. "I came to see Maggie. I was in London for business and just got back. I heard Maggie's pregnant. That's wonderful, our daughter is amazing."
Arya frowned. "She's not your daughter, she's mine. Mark, you need to leave."
"Arya, we were fine before. Why are you angry now?" Mark tried to placate her. "Do you know why I went to London? To finalize my divorce with Ashley. Look at this."
Mark showed her a divorce certificate.
Arya was shocked. She glanced at the certificate and then at Mark. "You really divorced Ashley?"
"Of course. Arya, my heart's always been with you. Marrying her was out of necessity," Mark said, sounding sincere. "I know I hurt you before, but I promise to change and treat you well from now on."
Mark was lying; the certificate was fake. Ashley would never divorce him so easily.
But the fake was convincing enough that Arya believed him.
Arya had never expected Mark to actually divorce Ashley.
She looked at the certificate again and then at Mark's sincere smile. "If our daughter hadn't married into the Flores family, would you have come looking for us? Would you have divorced?"
Mark sighed. "Arya, I'll be honest. The White family has been suffocating me. I've always wanted to escape Ashley, but I had to be loyal to the Jackson family. I was weak before, but I've always loved you. Maggie's good marriage gave me the courage to stand up to the White family."
There was some truth in his words, and Arya felt conflicted. "Mark, I don't care about you and Ashley, but don't think you can use our daughter for your own gain. I'm very disappointed in you. I believed you once, but I won't again. You must have planned this with Ashley to use Maggie's bone marrow."
"Arya, I swear, not this time. Melissa already had her bone marrow transplant. Timothy donated to her," Mark promised, genuinely having given up on Melissa and Timothy.
Timothy had saved Melissa, but after donating his bone marrow, Timothy would never be the same. Now, Mark needed to secure his connection with Maggie and the Flores family.
Arya knew about Timothy and Melissa's bone marrow match, so she didn't doubt Mark's words.
Just as Arya was about to say something, she saw a group of police officers heading inside.
Curious, Arya asked a woman walking nearby, "Ma'am, why are there so many police officers here?"
"You didn't hear? A child is missing," the woman replied. "The youngest son of the Barlow family in building three, Tommy, is missing."
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