Chapter 50 Mom Starts Settling Scores
The next morning, Madison got up early, intending to use the time while the children were still asleep to check what they had at home and prepare breakfast. She walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door, stopping dead in her tracks.
The once-empty refrigerator was now fully stocked with a vast and complete variety of items. Madison knew that Matthew must have prepared this, but when had he found the time? He had been busy working in the study after dinner last night until they fell asleep without the sound of a door opening. Admittedly impressed by his thoughtfulness, Madison couldn't help but feel comforted, knowing that if Quentin and Hannah really ended up staying with him, at least he would treat them with genuine care.
Madison made breakfast, then went back to the rooms to wake up the kids, dress them, and help them with their morning routine before heading downstairs.
As the three of them sat down in the dining room for breakfast, the affectionate little Hannah noticed Matthew's absence.
"Mom, where's Dad? Isn't he having breakfast with us?"
Madison wasn't sure if Matthew was even home. She hadn't heard any noise coming from the master bedroom and couldn't just barge in. Considering the provisions prepared in the refrigerator, she guessed, “He must have woken up very early and possibly gone to work at the company,” She knew his busy schedule often kept him away from home.
"Okay..."Hannah felt a tinge of disappointment upon hearing the response. She had been looking eagerly forward to the mall outing Dad had promised for today. Though Quentin remained silent, quietly eating his breakfast, the anticipation in his eyes had dimmed instantly at the news.
Madison, seeing that the children seemed a bit let down by Matthew's apparent forgetfulness, quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Dad is really busy with work. He must have had something urgent come up to forget about your mall trip. Can we go another time?"
"Okay."
Hannah's mood was as quick to rebound as it was to deflate. She promptly stuffed a bite of fried eggs into her mouth.
As Madison watched the behaved children eating breakfast, she suddenly remembered a serious matter she had yet to ask them about.
"Hannah, why did you know he was Dad the first time you met him?" Madison put down her fork and looked intently at Hannah.
"Mom...It was... It was my brother who told me." Hannah hadn't anticipated her Mom started to settle scores so soon. Weren't they happily telling stories and going to sleep just last night? Why would Mom suddenly bring that up today? Whimpering, Hannah had no choice but to betray her brother's confidence because Mom looked so stern, even somewhat scary, and she felt a bit frightened.
Madison then turned to Quentin with a stern gaze.
"Quentin, spill the beans. Based on how you both acted at the airport, you must have met him before, right?"
Quentin had truly thought their absent-minded Mom had forgotten about the incident. He even felt relieved the night before, thinking they had dodged a bullet, only to find this interrogation waiting for them now.
Facing his mom's angry demeanor, Quentin confessed everything about how he took Hannah to Dad's company to find him, how they planned outings to the zoo and meals together, and how his younger sister even added Dad’s contact and chatted regularly.
"Mom, it was all my idea, nothing to do with her," Quentin confessed, attempting as a good brother to shoulder all the blame.
"It's not Quentin's fault I asked him to take me to find Dad," Hannah also spoke up, eagerly trying to assume responsibility.
"But how did you just know he was Dad?" Madison was still puzzled, as the children had never shown any disbelief in her story that their Dad had gone to work on the Moon, nor had they ever mentioned knowing his identity before coming to Horizon.
"I accidentally found the divorce certificate and an expired marriage license in your cabinet, and I saw Dad's picture, then I looked him up on Mom's computer," Quentin said, looking down, bracing for criticism. Hannah also bowed her head upon seeing this.
After hearing what her son said, Madison was beyond shocked. She always knew her son was intelligent, but she could never have imagined her preschooler surfing the internet, let alone finding information about Matthew and tracking down their dad.
"So, did you guys come with me this time to find your Dad?" Madison's voice was choked with emotion. So, her two precious children, born out of hardship, all wanted to go with Matthew, huh?
"No, Mom, we just wanted to see Dad and find out what kind of person he is. If you want to go back to Frostpine, we'll definitely go back with you," Quentin said, not intending to upset his mother.
"Yeah, we'll definitely go with Mom," Hannah nodded vigorously in agreement.
Madison thought back to leaving the airport with her children only after they refused to go with Matthew and gave their approval to return home with her. Relieved her kids were still on her side, she recognized that if Matthew insisted on taking them, she stood little chance. This thought weighed heavily on her.
Quentin and Hannah could see their mom seemed more upset now and clamored down from their chairs to hug her knees, pleadingly saying, "Mom, we'll never leave you."
Madison wrapped her arms around both children.
"All right, let's go back to eating breakfast. Mom's not mad or sad, just don't keep things from me in the future. If something happens, Mom will worry a lot, okay?"
Madison didn't want her kids burdened with adult issues. Coming to terms with the situation, since their existence had already been revealed to Matthew and they had recognized each other, she decided to let it be. If Matthew really intended to fight for custody, she resolved to stay in the city, close to them.
"Okay, Mom, we won't do it again," the children said and returned to their breakfast seats to continue with their meal.
Just as the two kids returned to their seats, they heard the door open. They saw Matthew descend the stairs, dressed neatly in black homewear. The light fabric hung soft and supple, and his usually icy visage seemed much more peaceful today, exuding a gentle warmth.
Madison hadn't expected him to be at home. Seeing him suddenly appear, she was unsure of his thoughts, and living under the same roof always felt a bit awkward.
Matthew walked straight to the dining room and sat down next to Hannah. Without ceremony, he started eating breakfast.
Quentin's eyes brightened at the sight of their dad coming downstairs, but he deliberately bowed his head to eat, concealing his reaction. Hannah was visibly excited by her dad's appearance. However, she and her brother had just angered their mom by trying to see their dad without permission, so the young girl restrained her enthusiasm and quietly asked Matthew, "Dad, aren't you going to work? Are we still going to the mall today?"
Matthew, noticing his daughter speaking in a hushed tone, found it odd. Usually, the little one, Hannah, was loud and boisterous. He looked up at his son, who was also keeping his head down, and then at Madison without sensing anything unusual. Perhaps he was overthinking it?
"Of course, we're going. We'll head out after breakfast."
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