He wasnât as lucky as Ellinor. At least when her mom took off, she took her along, even though she ended up living with the Mendoza family out of sheer desperation.
So in her fuzzy childhood memories, her firmest belief was that her mom loved her to bits. Even when her mom was not around, she never felt devoid of motherly love or abandoned, thanks to this belief.
As for Theo, he could hardly deny that his parents chose to ditch him; they didnât give a damn about him. His young soul surely took a heavy blow. Luckily, even though Theo grew up in the harsh environment of the Blanchet family, his personality didnât get twisted. He just became a bit cold and standoffish, which made people find him hard to approach. But deep down, he was still kind and gentle.
That was pretty darn admirable.
Thinking about all this made Ellinorâs heart soften a bit. âTheo.â
Theo was peeling shrimp for her. âHmm?â
âGive me an address.â
Theo raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding her request. âWhat address?â
She pouted a bit bossily. âSophiaâs address! Just in case you donât come back in three days, Iâll have somewhere to find you.â
Theoâs expression froze for a moment, and then a smile appeared on his face. âAre you really that scared that I wonât come back?â
Ellinor frowned. âCut the crap! Just give me the address!â
Theo fed her the peeled shrimp. âI promised to be with you in the delivery room. I will come back.â
âI donât care. Just give me the address.â
âAlright, Iâll text it to you later.â
That was more like it. Ellinor ate the shrimp he fed her, then held out her hand and gave him a thumbs-
up. âTheo, when you come back, weâre gonna stick together. But you canât lie to me or hide things from me anymore.â
Theo looked at her small hand and then hooked it with his rough, big hand. âHmm, I wonât. Iâll never do it again. From now on, Iâll listen to you in everything; weâre gonna stick together.â
Ellinor felt a bit sad while holding his warm, big hand. She really didnât want him to go.
Maybe it was because her due date was approaching and her hormones were all over the place, making her emotions fluctuate.
Soon, the Howard brothers, Balfour and Byran, came back. They chatted about other stuff, finished their meal together, and then went to the airport to see Theo off.
Before boarding, Theo lightly scratched Ellinorâs cheek. âAlright, go rest with your brother. Iâll call you as soon as I land.â
Ellinor nodded, watching Theo and his assistant, Collin, walk into the VIP passage of the airport.
Even when she couldnât see him anymore, she stood there for a long time, lost in thought.
Balfour gently ruffled Ellinorâs hair, bringing her out of her daze. âAlright, we should head home now.â
Ellinor felt a bit uneasy, her brows slightly furrowed. âI donât know why, but Iâm a bit worried.â
Understanding her feelings, Balfour tried to comfort her. âDonât worry, even though Thaddeus is a tough nut to crack, Theo isnât a pushover either. Heâll be alright.â