2\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:15 Mon, Feb 2 DBB\u00a0<\/p>\n
We Want Mommy, Not You, Daddy!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 92\u00a0<\/p>\n
The guard shifted uncomfortably. She\u2019s done it before. Usually returns within thirty minutes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
68%\u00a0<\/p>\n
I fought to keep my expression neutral, but inside, indignation flared. What kind of person abandons a child to go drinking? And why was this man allowing it to happen?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aria\u2019s tutu sparkled under the boutique lights as she stood before me, waiting with perfect posture that seemed too disciplined for a child her\u00a0<\/p>\n
age.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAria,\u201d I said gently, would you like to get something to eat while we wait for Miss Black to return? It\u2019s getting late, and I bet you\u2019re hungry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, I thought she would refuse. Her eyes darted to the security guard, who looked uncertain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think Miss Black would approve,\u201d he began.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Black has been gone for an hour while this child waits,\u201d I replied, my voice firm but quiet. \u201cI\u2019m not a stranger to Aria, and I\u2019m certainly not taking her anywhere without you accompanying us. But she needs dinner, and I doubt Miss Black would want her to go hungry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man hesitated, then sighed. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t do well in crowded places. Restaurants upset her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned back to Aria. \u201cWould you like to go somewhere quiet? There\u2019s a small restaurant just around the corner with private booths. Very\u00a0<\/p>\n
peaceful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
To my surprise\u2013and evidently the guard\u2019s as well\u2013Aria nodded and extended her small hand toward mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The restaurant was dimly lit, with high\u2013backed leather booths that created intimate cocoons of privacy. I\u2019d requested a corner booth, furthest from other patrons, and the ma\u00eetre d\u2018 had been happy to accommodate us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ar\u00eda sat across from me, her posture perfect even on the plush bench seat. The security guard hovered at a nearby table, close enough to observe but far enough to give us space.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you like pasta?\u201d I asked, scanning the children\u2019s menu.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded, then hesitantly reached into a small purse she carried. She withdrew a folded piece of paper and pushed it across the table toward\u00a0<\/p>\n
Curious, I unfolded it. My breath caught. It was a drawing\u2013clearly done by a child but with remarkable skill. The scene depicted Navy Pier, the Ferris wheel prominent in the background, and two figures in the foreground: a woman with dark curly hair holding a small girl with a tutu.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this us?\u201d I asked softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aria nodded, her eyes watching my reaction intently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s beautiful, Aria. You\u2019re very talented.\u201d I traced the lines with my fingerp. \u201cYou remembered that day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time, a tiny smile curved her lips. She reached into her purse again and pulled out a small sketchbook, flipping it open to show me\u00a0<\/p>\n
more drawings\u2013all of that same day at Navy Pier, from different angles and perspectives, but always with the two of us together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:15 Mon, Feb 20 GB\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 92\u00a0<\/p>\n
68%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something warm unfurled in my chest. This reserved, serious child had been thinking about our brief encounter for weeks, recreating it over and over in her art. I was touched beyond words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As we ate our pasta\u2013Aria taking small, precise bites\u20131 found myself growing more attached to this solemn little girl with each passing minute. She was so different from Oliver\u2019s exuberant personality, yet equally endearing in her quiet, thoughtful way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you like to draw other things too?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded, then hesitantly pointed at me, then made a gesture like turning pages.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to draw me?\u201d I guessed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded again, more enthusiastically.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be honored,\u201d I smiled, settling into a comfortable pose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was so absorbed in watching Aria draw that I didn\u2019t notice the new arrivals until a familiar voice cut through the restaurant\u2019s hushed\u00a0<\/p>\n
atmosphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our UnfiAnished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 92 2\/2\u00a0 11:15 Mon, Feb 2 DBB\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zero-stars-for-daddy-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30491\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}