Stanley and Lillian still had the lights on.
With a creak, Matthew pushed the door open. Lillian heard the noise and snapped open her eyes. When she saw Matthew, she couldn''t help but grumble, "Why did youe back sote?"
Matthew felt a pang of guilt. "It''s reallyte. You shouldn''t wait for me next time."
Lillian acted like she didn''t hear Matthew and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
Matthew chuckled and replied, "I''ve already eaten, Mom. Go rest now."
Lillian nced at the clock on the wall. Seeing that it was already 1:30 a.m., she got to her feet. "At this hour, you''re probably hungry even after eating. I''ll whip up something for you."
After saying that, Lillian made her way into the kitchen.
Matthew''s eyes welled up as he watched Lillian''s back. Conversations with her always felt like they were talking past each other. He used to get annoyed, wondering why she never really listened to him.
During his time in prison, sometimes he''d wake up hungry in the middle of the night, thinking about thete-night snacks Lillian used to make. That was when he finally realized that was Lillian''s way of caring for him.
In no time, Lillian had prepared a te of ravioli and brought it over. "Eat up and go to bed soon. I''m off to bed now."
With that, Lillian turned and headed inside.
"Okay," Matthew responded. Sitting by himself under the light, he picked up the steaming te of ravioli and savored it slowly. He finished the food but still craved more.
The following day, Matthew drove Lorraine to kindergarten. She pouted in the backseat. "You broke your promise, Dad. You didn''t pick me up yesterday."
Matthew was about to exin that he had called Stanley and Lillian to pick her up, but Lorraine beat her to it.
Lorraine put on a forgiving look and said sweetly, "I know you must''ve forgotten, Dad. I forgive you, but don''t forget to pick me up next time."
Matthew was taken aback for a moment. Lorraine was so considerate that it made him feel sorry. "Okay. I won''t forget again."
The car pulled over right at the kindergarten''s entrance. Matthew carried Lorraine
in his arms and walked to the entrance. Then, he crouched and gently lowered her down.
"Off you go now. Listen to your teacher at school."
Without warning, Lorraine stood on tiptoes and kissed Matthew on his cheek. "A little reward for you."
With that, she giggled and turned to run away.
With his hand on the spot where he was kissed, Matthew stood there for a long time without budging. Only when Lorraine''s small figure disappeared into the hallway did he finally turn and leave.
As the morning sun was rising, a gentle breeze blew softly.
Matthew beamed as everything seemed perfect to him. The sky was clear, the sunlight was brilliant, and the breeze was soothing.
Just as Matthew walked back to his car, he spotted someoneing his way, and his smile instantly frozen. It was Jennifer-his former Jenn
mother-inw and the mother of his ex-wife, Tessa. en
Jennifer appeared to be heading straight for Matthew, picking up her pace as she approached. However, Matthew wasn''t in the mood anymore and swiftly entered his car.
Jennifer hurried over to the car and grabbed the door. "Hold on, my dear son-in-w."
Seeing the door being held and unable to close it, Matthew''s expression quickly turned cold. "You''ve got the wrong person. I''m not your son-inw."
Jennifer sported an awkward smile. "No. I didn''t. Even though you and Tessa are divorced, you''ll always be my son-inw. I''ll only ever acknowledge you as one."
Matthew found itughable. "I recall you pushing me to get a divorce, making me sign the papers. You even threatened me with Lorraine."
Jennifer looked even more awkward, but she forced a smile. "I wasn''t thinking straight at that time. It was my mistake. Later, I regretted it and pped Tessa twice for that asking her to reconcile with you."
Matthew kept his nk expression. "Spit it out already. What do you want from me?"