Take Sonny there to play. I have things to do and don’t have the time to deal with you or my work. If you stay here, you will only affect my mood negatively. If her son hadn’t been present, cradled in Hank’s arms—clearly demonstrating their close bond—Liberty would have wanted to chase her ex-husband away with a broom. She had thought that after the divorce, they would be walking separate paths, and their relationship would come to an end, with no further contact. However, unexpectedly, after the divorce, her ex-husband’s family began to find her impressive and would reach out to her intermittently, disrupting her life. Yet, because of Sonny, she couldn’t respond too harshly.
“Go to the park? Dad, I want to go to the park.” Sonny heard his parents talking and sensed his mother was unhappy, even if he didn’t fully understand the conversation. If Mom wanted Dad to take him out to play, he would convince Dad to take him to the park. Dad had never taken him to a park before.
“Okay, okay. Dad will take Sonny to the park.” Hank also wanted to avoid revisiting the past with Liberty. Every time they did, he felt ashamed. Who could blame him for being the wrongdoer? Although he loved Jessica and had no intention of reconciling with Liberty, he had to admit that Liberty was better than Jessica in many respects. Did he regret it? Even if he did, Hank would rather die than admit it.
Hank picked up Sonny and said, “When you make dinner later, please cook extra. I’ll eat here before I leave.”
“My shop hasn’t officially opened yet, so we’re not in business at the moment.”
“Liberty…”
“If you want to eat here in the future, place an order and pay for it. I’ll make it for you then.”
Hank Brown was left speechless.
Reluctantly, he took his son to the nearby park to play and strengthen their father-son bond.
Now, Hank was grateful that he had listened to Jessica and granted custody of Sonny to Liberty. This arrangement allowed them to see Sonny frequently at Liberty’s place.
However, every time he visited Liberty, he felt a deep sense of unhappiness.
Since the divorce, Hank had been struggling, while Liberty seemed to be thriving. She had opened a shop and was even losing weight. After shedding over twenty pounds, she looked significantly different—almost half as attractive as she had been before their marriage. If she lost another twenty pounds, she would fully regain the slim figure she had prior to their wedding.
Hank was hesitant to admit that once Liberty slimmed down, she would be just as beautiful as Jessica.