Chapter281
"Angela, I noticed you've been feeling down these past couple of days, and you seem to dislike Owen. Can you tell me why?" Ivan asked, his voice low and soft as he held Angela in his arms.
The little girl's eyelashes fluttered as she looked down, her fists clenched tightly.
Ivan was especially patient with Angela.
"It's okay," he said gently. "No matter what's got you feeling blue, you can tell me."
Angela's clenched fists slowly relaxed, and she lifted her head to meet Ivan's gaze.
Todd, who was not too far off, approached but stopped in his tracks before getting too close.
Ivan's words from their conversation in the car echoed in his mind. Haley had never made any decisions for him, so maybe he should not make decisions for his sister either.
If his sister had accepted Ivan and was willing to talk to him and share what was on her mind, he shouldn't be the one to stop her.
Todd pursed his lips and turned back into the kitchen. His sister hadn't eaten anything since she was brought back from the Winston residence. He needed to cook her a bowl of spaghetti.
Ivan's eyes followed Todd to the kitchen with a flicker of appreciation in his gaze. Smart boy, indeed. Ivan didn't need to say much. With just a hint, Todd grasped the core of the matter. Haley must have done a fair job raising two kids mostly on her own, probably with a fair bit of credit due to Todd.
Ivan turned his attention back to the little girl in his arms. "Did Owen bully you? Tell me what he did, and I'll make it right."
The small girl shook her head.
She grabbed Ivan's hand, ready to write something. Ivan picked up a notebook from the coffee table, flipped to a blank page, and handed her a pen. "Take your time, no rush."
Angela leaned over the table and painstakingly wrote a line.
"I really like Owen, but he's Emily's son, so I don't like him anymore."
After writing, she was about to set down the pen but then added another sentence.
"Keith is also Emily's son. I don't like him anymore either."
Those two sentences sent a shock through Ivan.
He thought that Owen might have done something wrong, so he could punish him by giving him a timeout.
The reality was Owen hadn't done anything wrong. It was him.
He realized his mistake five years ago had caused Owen to bear the brunt of his past actions unjustly.
After Angela finished writing, she received no immediate response.
She bit her pink lip, tore off the sheet of paper with writing, and crumpled it into a ball. She was about to toss it into the trash can when Ivan caught her hand and took the paper ball from her.
"Angela, I know why you don't like Emily. I don't like her either."
Ivan settled the little girl onto his lap.
His voice was deep and soothing, like a downpour on a hot summer's day, rapidly descending yet easing the oppressive heat.
"Do you remember the day Owen shielded you from Emily's slap? When it came to you or Emily, Owen didn't hesitate to choose you. You can't push Owen away just because you dislike Emily. Do you know how heartbroken he's been these past few days? He's been questioning what he did wrong."
The girl's head drooped.
Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her dress, and her eyelashes fluttered even more intensely.
Todd had been cooking spaghetti in the kitchen and didn't want to get involved.
However, he was still a little boy at the end of the day. Even with restraint, he eventually couldn't hold back and stepped out.
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