He thought back to what Sophia said. Tristan did seem a little different.
The man squinted. He studied his sonâs face closely but didnât notice any changes.
Suddenly, a memory of a girl heâd seen earlier in the park surfaced in his mind. Her face seemed familiar.
Moreover, when he saw her laughing and chatting with that man, he felt a strange sense of unease in his chest.
Who was she?
Had they met somewhere before?
At the Blanchet Villa.
It was dinner time when Ellinor and the kids returned.
Marissa, hearing the commotion, came out to greet them.
Ellinor and Veronica led the three little ones inside, while Moran had already gone back to school.
Despite her age, Marissa couldnât resist holding her great-grandchildren, so she picked up the lightest, Layla.
âLayla, tell Granny. Did you have fun today?â
Layla, hugging Marissaâs neck, nodded. âYes! Very fun! And your food was really good. Mama, my brothers, and I all loved it!â
Her sweet-talking great-granddaughter made Marissa beam with joy. âIs that so? Then I will cook something delicious for you every day.â
Layla agreed with a smile. âYay! But Adrian was not very happy today. He got scolded by Mama for running off.â
Upon hearing this, Marissaâs brows furrowed. âWhat? Adrian ran off on his own?â
Layla nodded vigorously. âYes! You need to scold Adrian; he canât make Mama angry anymore! Mama almost cried today because of him!â
Marissa placed Layla down and reached for Adrian to hear his side of the story.
But âAdrianâ dodged her like she was a stranger and quickly hid behind Ellinor.
Marissa was hurt by his reaction. âWhatâs wrong, Adrian? Why wonât you talk to me? I just want to ask what happened. I wonât scold you. Come, come here.â
Adrian still clung to Ellinorâs leg nervously.
He was not Adrian. He came here because he liked this gentle lady.
But this place was completely strange to him, as were the people. He was instinctively afraid.
Even at home, Sophia rarely took him out. He spent most of his time with his father, hardly ever encountering any other people.
He was afraid of strangers, except for this gentle lady who brought him home.
Noticing her sonâs fear, Ellinor said to Marissa, âLet it go, Granny. I just scolded him earlier. Heâs probably a bit scared. You can talk to him later; he should be fine by then.â
Marissa looked at her great-grandson with concern and then back at Ellinor. âEllinor, what actually happened? Is what Layla said true? Did Adrian almost get lost today?â
Ellinor nodded. âYes, he saw a toy that he liked with some other kids and just ran off to find them. But thankfully, I noticed quickly and found him. Iâve lectured him about it; he should know better now.â
Marissa sighed in relief. âEllinor, youâve really taken on a lot. Taking care of three kids by yourself is not easy. Theyâre at an age where they can be quite mischievous, and things can go wrong if you take your eyes off them for a second. Iâm glad you were there.â
Ellinor just smiled. âTheyâre my own children. Itâs not a burden.â