Although Nicole had resolved to remake the spaghetti, Maya refused to give her another chance. Maya continued wailing, demanding that Evan come over and make her spaghetti right now.
âMaya, why donât Mommy make you something else? What else do you want to eat?â
âI donât want anything else! I want Daddyâs spaghetti!â Maya wailed. Her tears spilled down her cheeks like strings of ginormous pearls.
Nicole felt both sorry and helpless.
Evan had been quite clear on the fact that he would never tell anyone his spaghettiâs secret recipe. There was no way Nicole could ask him to come over and make dinner for Maya now.
She turned to her screaming daughter. âMaya, donât cry anymore! Mommy will make it taste exactly like Daddyâs spaghetti, alright?â
âNo! I want Daddy to make it for me!â
Just as Nicole was panicking, there was a loud knock on the front door.
Nina ran to open the door. The next second, Juan and Kyle shot through the doors and dashed into the kitchen.
âMommy!â
âMommy!â
The two boys were very close to Nicole. They ran over to her and wrapped their arms around her legs.
Nicole wondered why the boys were here. Just as she opened her mouth to ask them, the door swung open again. A huge figure appeared in the doorway.
It was Evan.
âMr. Seet!â Nicole yelped, surprised. âWhat brings you here?â
âAm I not welcome here?â
âNo, not at all.â
Evan had just did her familyâs business a huge favor this afternoon. How could she tell him that he wasnât welcome at her place now?
âMommy, we missed you! Thatâs why we made Daddy bring us here.â
As soon as Juan finished speaking, Kyle jumped in and exclaimed, âYes! Daddy didnât ask us to come here or anything like that.â
As he spoke, Kyle gave his father the side-eye.
ââ¦â
Nicole understood immediately that Evan was the one who had made them come over. He had even coached the boys on how to explain the situation to her.
Anyway, Evan had come at just the right time.
Nicole glanced at Maya. Maya took one look at Evan and burst into tears again.
âWhatâs wrong?â Evan asked, concerned.
Nicole replied, âShe wants to eat your spaghetti. Iâve already made her spaghetti, but she doesnât want to eat mine.â
Evan walked over to Maya and caressed her hair gently. âDonât cry anymore! Uncle Evan will make spaghetti for you, alright?â
Maya nodded her head frantically, tears still streaming down her face.
Evan wiped her tears away. From then on, she became a little shadow that followed Evan wherever he went.
Kyle and Juan were very confused about what was going on with Maya. Why was she suddenly so close to Daddy?
Nina crossed her arms and sighed. âShe yearns for a dad too much. Every time she sees the other children being dropped off at school by their fathers, she stares at them with her huge, unblinking eyes.â
Hearing Mayaâs words, Nicoleâs heart ached.
Maya yearned for a fatherâs love.
But Nicole felt very conflicted. Should she let everyone know that Nina and Maya were actually Evanâs biological daughters?
She called Nina to her bedroom. After shutting the door behind them, Nicole asked her what she thought about the matter.
When she heard her motherâs suggestion, Nina objected immediately.
âMommy, if you tell everyone, heâs going to take us away, just like he did with Juan! We might not be able to see you again in the future! I want to stay with you, Mommy. Please donât tell everyone, I donât want him to take us away!â
ââ¦â
Nicole enveloped Maya in an embrace.
Oh, what to do now!
There was only one option left for Nicole, and that was to pray that Evan would lavish more care on Maya out of the kindness of his heart.
In the kitchen, Evan had finished cooking. He set the plate of spaghetti down before Maya, who started wolfing it down.
Seeing the girl eat like there was no tomorrow, a slight smile appeared on Evanâs cold face.
âCan you tell Uncle Evan whatâs the difference between my spaghetti and the one your Mommy made?â
Evan had tasted a bit of Nicoleâs spaghetti. It didnât taste bad at allâactually, it even tasted better than what he usually made.
After pondering on this question for a while, Maya chirped, âI want the one you made, Uncle Evan.â
Evan coaxed, âThe one your Mommy made tastes much better! You should give it a chance.â
As he spoke, he moved Nicoleâs plate of spaghetti in front of Maya.
Maya looked at it in consternation before insisting, âI want the one made by you!â
Evan smiled. âSo you donât actually prefer my cooking over your motherâs! You just like me better, donât you?â