She relaxed her furrowed brows and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, before stepping out of the bathroom.
It was the weekend, and Charlotte had slept till breakfast. By the time she got out, Jordan had already prepared breakfast.
After placing the bowl on the table, Jordan paused slightly and gave an almost indiscernible sigh, "Sis, come eat."
All the children dutifully took their seats at the table, seemingly afraid of upsetting Charlotte again. Even the usually restless Grace and Hank sat quietly and ate their food, without the usual squabbles.
The meal was exceptionally silent. Charlotte looked up at her children, a sight that softly tugged at her heartstrings.
She tightened her grip on her chopsticks, trying to keep her tone as light as possible.
She chuckled and said softly, "It’s the weekend today, let’s go out and have some fun after breakfast."
As her words fell, the children were momentarily stunned before they glanced at each other.
There was suppressed joy in their eyes, but also an undeniable worry.
A warmth spread through Charlotte’s heart. She reached out and gently touched Chad’s chubby cheek, whispering, "You don’t have to worry. Mommy’s in a good mood today. Let’s go have some fun."
Her face wore a bright smile, though it couldn’t quite mask her bitterness and fatigue.
Jordan couldn’t bear to see her looking this way. He lowered his gaze and took a mouthful of food, saying, "How could a great event exclude me?"
He grinned, teasing, "I can be an emotionless tool, but there’s a condition..."
Jordan made a gesture of counting money and sighed, "I’ve been running low on cash lately. Dad has frozen my card."
His words easily dissolved the tense atmosphere. Charlotte ruffled Jordan’s hair and chided playfully, "It’s all the wining and dining you do. You only have yourself to blame."
Unhurt, Jordan grinned and served Charlotte a piece of meat.
After breakfast, they all got ready and got into the car. Charlotte sat lazily in the passenger seat, leaning against the car window. She had put on light makeup, effectively masking her pale complexion.
Seeing the bright weather and hearing the children laughing and chatting in the backseat lifted her spirits.
Jordan started the car and turned around, asking, "Where are we going?"
At his words, Grace’s eyes lit up, "Uncle, you’re the best! I’ve always wanted to go to Disneyland!"
As she finished, Hank glanced disdainfully at his sister, "Uncle, don’t listen to her. Let’s go to the amusement park. That... Disneyland is too far."
Following a round of laughter, the children eventually decided by majority to go to the amusement park.
Despite a setback, Grace showed no signs of annoyance. Her delicate face was filled with mischief, "Fine then, go ahead. I’d like to see who can beat me at bumper cars."
Hank crossed his arms and huffed dismissively, "Child’s play."
Meanwhile, the other three children distanced themselves, as if they didn’t want their intelligence to be tainted.
Looking at the children from the rearview mirror, Charlotte felt moved.
Days like these... she wondered how much longer they would last.
Jordan immediately caught onto Charlotte’s gaze. Teasingly, he replied to Hank’s comment, triggering another round of laughter in the car. The most update n0vels are published on novel•fire.net
Before long, the car rolled to a stop in the theme park’s parking lot.
As it was Saturday, the amusement park was bustling with people. Afraid of losing the children in the crowd, Charlotte and Jordan held their hands tightly and entered the park.