Kevan responded with a grunt and said to Larissa, "Well, we're off." Larissa knew that she couldn't stop Aster, so she let them off the hook. "Okay, drive safe," she cautioned with a nod. It was Aster's first time riding in Kevan's car. He sat obediently in the middle of the backseat, with his hands neatly folded on his knees. "Uncle Kevan, I'm feeling very happy," he said to Kevan.Hearing that, Kevan glanced at Aster through the rearview mirror. "Why is that?" Aster smiled widely "Because you're sending me to kindergarten!"After that, his smile faded and he asked cautiously, "By the way, Uncle Kevan … If my teacher asks about who you are, can I say that you're my daddy? " When Kevan heard Aster refer to him as his "Daddy", his chest tightened inexplicably. Instinctively, he gripped the steering wheel, nearly flooring the accelerator. Suppressing the overwhelming joy and heartache that welled up within him, Kevan replied in a calm voice, "Of course." Aster clen

Larissa sighed deeply. Aster turned to look at her with concern and asked, "Mommy, what's wrong?" Pursing her lips, Larissa ran through what she was going to say in her head before voicing it to Aster, "Aster, will you be disappointed if I turned up alone to the Fun Family Sports Day tomorrow?" He seemed momentarily stunned, probably not expecting Larissa to bring up this topic. "Can't I get Uncle Kevan to come with us?" he asked. Larissa hardened her heart and emphasized firmly, "Uncle Kevan's not your dad. You can't rely on him for everything. It is not his responsibility or obligation to help you out all the time," The excitement in Aster's eyes died down immediately. Hanging his head, he replied in a low voice that was filled with disappointment, "Well, Mommy can come alone. I won't be unhappy about it." Seeing how sensible and understanding Aster was, Larissa felt both gratified and sorry for him at the same time. Holding Aster's hand tightly, her lips twitched a

She wasn't angry with Kevan. She didn't even resent Muffin for scratching Aster."Hey," she said, suddenly changing the subject. She asked seriously, "Have you considered taking your daughter to a psychologist?"Although Muffin had always been more mischievous than Cookie since she was little, she was not a cat that would scratch people for no reason—otherwise, Kevan wouldn't have brought her to Larissa.In Larissa's opinion, Muffin's strange behavior had been caused by Bethany's mistreatment.Larissa had noticed earlier that Muffin and Cookie's soft, beautiful, long fur was particularly sparse in certain parts of their bodies—it was clearly not due to shedding, but rather, someone had been plucking their fur. There was no one else she could think of except Bethany.Previously, when Bethany bullied classmates at school, Larissa attributed that behavior to her family spoiling her. However, she likely had an innate antisocial personality or a mental illness if she abused animals for

Larissa needed a person who could remain neutral and objectively analyze the pros and cons of each choice for her. The only person she could think of who had no connection to Kevan and had a wealth of life experience was Gary.Due to the family sports day, the kindergarten started an hour later than usual.When Kevan told Larissa to head to work as he would take Aster to the kindergarten, Larissa hesitated for a moment.Noticing that, Kevan smirked and said, "I'll leave after dropping him off at the kindergarten."Larissa was taken aback, feeling a sudden pang of guilt."Alright, thank you," she replied, forcing a smile as she lowered her head.Instead of going to the hotel, Larissa went to the hospital. Gary would be discharged that day, and it was only right for her to go and pick him up.Since Gary had woken up early, he had already dressed up and packed all his clothes and belongings into a suitcase by the time Larissa arrived."Why did you come so early?" Gary stood up qui

Larissa was taken aback, "Huh?"Gary avoided her gaze and asked in a low voice, "What about your father?"Although Larissa was trembling, she put on a smile and said, "My mom said he passed away when I was very young. I've never seen my dad, and I don't even know what he looks like. That's the biggest regret of my life. Because of this, I can't bear to let my son's hopes be shattered."Gary's heart, which had just calmed down, began to ache again. He wanted to tell Larissa that he was her father.But he was worried that she would blame him for not appearing all these years, and might even refuse to acknowledge him. He wouldn't be able to maintain even a simple friendship with her."Do you miss your father?" he tentatively asked."When I was little, I thought about him, especially when I was sad," Larissa recalled the past, as if all the pain had disappeared, leaving behind a faint trace of melancholy, "But as I grew up, I stopped thinking about it because I knew it was pointless.