Chapter 347 She Had to Be Firm
Finley was sobbing uncontrollably, held in Riley's arms, her small hands tightly gripping Riley's clothes. Her voice was broken and intermittent. "I want you. I want you to be my mommy!" she cried, her voice cracking.
Riley was caught off guard, totally not expecting that. Finley kept going, "You're the best. Daddy likes you too..."
That snapped Riley back to reality, and she gave a little self-deprecating smile. Where did Finley get that idea? Maybe to Finley, just hanging out meant liking each other. Just like how she liked Landon and Winston. But no matter how she tried to explain, Finley probably wouldn't get that Donovan liked Hollis.
Her head was starting to hurt just thinking about it. She gently wiped Finley's tears and tried to let her down easy. "I... I can't stay here forever. I came back for work, and once it's done, I have to go back abroad. So, I can't be your mommy."
Riley thought she was being gentle, but she didn't expect Finley to be more upset about her leaving than not being her future mommy.
When Finley heard Riley was going abroad again, she realized it would be hard to see her in the future. Her crying paused for a few seconds, then got even louder.
Riley was startled and flustered. Landon and Winston heard Finley's cries and came running. "Mommy, what's wrong with Finley?" they asked, looking worriedly at the sobbing girl and then back at Riley.
Riley opened her mouth but didn't know how to explain.
"Auntie Riley, don't go..." Finley's tear-streaked face was wet, and her voice was terribly hoarse.
"Mommy, where are you going?" Landon and Winston asked, now more puzzled than ever. Riley's explanation to Finley had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, not something she had discussed with the boys.
She bit the inside of her lip, trying to hold back her own reluctance. "When my work here is done, I'll take you abroad to live. You're more familiar with the environment there since you grew up abroad."
Landon and Winston were taken aback. It felt sudden and unexpected. Wherever they lived didn't matter much to them. Their biggest wish had been to see and understand their father. Now they knew Donovan didn't want them.
The only things they would miss here were Finley and Harper. They could still contact Harper after moving abroad, but Finley…
Both boys looked at Finley with sadness and reluctance. If Donovan was marrying someone else, Riley wouldn't contact him after they left, which meant they wouldn't see Finley anymore. The thought of losing Finley hurt.
Riley could feel the weight of their stares, the trio looking at her with such undiluted resentment it made her heartache. But she had to be firm. Better to get it all out now than to make Finley cry all over again next time.
She forced a smile, looking at Finley. "I might not see you again in the future, but you should know I'll miss you a lot while I'm abroad. Be good for Daddy, talk to him more, and get better soon, okay?"
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