A week passed, and there was still no further development from Donald. He was still lying unconscious in his hospital bed.
Stefano and Sofia missed their father, but Julian and Arcane tried to cheer them up and distract them with other things so they wouldn’t continue to feel sad.
Julian tried to play with Sofia when she came home from school. They drew pictures, played with makeup, and did other things. Meanwhile, Stefano did some activities with Arcane. He was very fond of tennis, so he played with the man.
"Is your hand okay? I’m worried that playing tennis might make it hurt again," Julian asked him with concern.
"Don’t worry. I’m used to this kind of thing. You keep Sofia company, don’t let her out of your sight," said Arcane, then kissed his husband on the forehead and walked onto the tennis court.
With no other choice, Julian sat back down with Sofia to watch the tennis match between Arcane and Stefano. This was the first time he had seen Arcane playing tennis.
His movements were so fast and his shots were powerful. His gaze was serious, focused on the tennis ball flying toward him.
"He’s so handsome..." Julian and Sofia said at the same time, causing them to turn to each other and laugh.
"You really love Arcane, don’t you? You’re so lucky to have him!" Sofia said cheerfully.
The green haired man chuckled. "Yes, I feel very lucky to have him. Many things happened, but in the end we were able to be honest with each other and be together."
The girl chuckled too, saying that their love story must be as sweet as the ones in novels. Julian could only smile when he heard this, understanding the thoughts of an 11 year old girl.
He was sure that the girl must be imagining a romantic and sweet love story all the time, not yet understanding the pain and many other things that could happen.
He didn’t want to destroy the girl’s beautiful dream, but he knew he had to remind Sofia that sometimes love doesn’t go as smoothly as expected.
"Many things will definitely happen. But all of that will surely be a test for them. Will they be able to stay together, or will their relationship become strained due to a lack of trust in each other?" he explained.
Sofia listened to this and was silent for a moment, as if processing what he had said. She then looked at her older brother, who was playing tennis with Arcane.
Before finally speaking again, her words were enough to startle Julian.
"Like my mom and dad?" she asked.
"Sofia?" Julian tried to ask again, unsure if he had heard correctly when Sofia said that.
"Like my mom and dad? They were always tested and decided not to do it together. My mom always left home, saying she had work to do. It was always my dad who faced everything alone," said the girl with a sad face and empty eyes.
Although Julian tried not to destroy her beautiful imagination about love, her family situation had long since slapped her in the face about relationships and marriage.
Julian knew that Sofia and Stefano’s family was not as beautiful as his. Even though Sofia was still so young, she already understood what was happening around her. Especially her mother, Alina, who seemed to neglect her own family.
’I don’t know how to answer her question. She must be confused about whether her father and mother love each other or not. Even though in reality, Mr. Stamford still loves her mother, Arcane. Now I understand why Arcane decided not to tell them who she really is,’ thought the man as he held Sofia’s hand.
He was certain that Sofia and Stefano’s innocent minds would think that their father didn’t love their mother.
Especially if they found out that their father had a child with another woman, it would take a lot of explaining why their father ended up marrying their mother.
"Maybe that’s how it is. Like I said, not everything will necessarily go well. But that doesn’t mean it will happen to us. If you choose the right person for you, I’m sure everything will work out," he said with a smile.
"Really?" Sofia’s eyes sparkled with hope, which he responded to with a nod.
"I’m very sure! You don’t have to let what happened to your parents dictate your life, or make you afraid to get married. If you can choose the right person, I’m sure your life will be much better. But for now..."
He lifted Sofia’s small body onto his lap and tickled her stomach. She laughed because it tickled.
"For now, you’d better focus on your studies! You’re still too young to think about having a partner. I’m sure when you’re older, you’ll understand how to find one!"
"Hehe... Ahahaha... Okay, okay! But let me go, it tickles!"
Julian felt that Sofia was still too young to know such a bitter truth. Especially now that Donald was lying in a coma in the hospital because of what her mother had done.
Unlike Stefano, the teenager was already 15 years old. He was certain that Stefano would understand much better than Sofia. Especially considering how Stefano acted more mature and always tried to protect his younger sister. When she cried, knowing about Donald’s situation, Stefano tried to stay strong for her.
However, Arcane still couldn’t tell them the truth right now. Not when the situation wasn’t completely stable yet.
The two of them then laughed, tickling each other. Distracting Stefano and Arcane, who were playing tennis, they immediately turned to look at them.
"Looks like they’re having a lot of fun." The teenage boy chuckled at his younger sister’s smile as she tried to tickle Julian’s stomach.
Arcane nodded in agreement, smiling too at the sight of his husband so happy. After everything that had happened, including their failure to adopt Luna.
He was happy to see his smile again, and promised to continue protecting that smile on his face. He wouldn’t let anything happen between them again that involved him.
"Keep smiling for me. Because your smile is my motivation to keep protecting you and stay alive."