Seraphina’s face, already not pleased, turned extremely unpleasant the moment she saw Anna step out from behind Desmond.
"President Sinclair, what a coincidence! Are you out shopping with friends too?" Anna acted as if she had just noticed Seraphina, displaying just the right amount of surprise on her face.
Seeing Seraphina not answering and looking at her with an unpleasant expression, she seemed to realize and hurriedly explained, "President Sinclair, don’t get the wrong idea. Desmond is just accompanying me to buy a birthday gift for a friend today. I was afraid I wouldn’t make the right choice, so I asked him to come along. You..."
"Enough. I have absolutely no interest in why you two keep appearing here," Seraphina interrupted her, shifting her gaze away as she spoke.
Jude watched the scene unfold before him, seemingly realizing something as he looked at Desmond with a hint of anger in his eyes.
"Mommy, I’m tired. Let’s go home." Jude approached and shook Seraphina’s hand, without looking at Desmond at all from start to finish.
"You still haven’t told me who this man is. Why are you out shopping with him? And with Jude?" Desmond reached out to grab her, his tone unpleasant.
"Ha," Seraphina laughed angrily, turning to look at Desmond, "Why do I need to explain to you why I’m out shopping with my friend? Is it just allowed for you to shop with another woman, but not for me to shop with another man? What kind of relationship do we have? Why do I owe you an explanation?"
"President Sinclair, don’t say such words in anger. Desmond and I... there’s really nothing between us, what happened last time was just an accident, I can explain it to you." Anna quickly jumped in, not waiting for Desmond to speak.
"Shut up! Who gave you the right to interject when I’m talking to him!" Seraphina turned her head to look at Anna, her eyes sharp.
Seeing her , Anna inexplicably panicked, instinctively stepping back a few steps.
Seraphina no longer paid attention to her, staring fixedly at Desmond. Seeing him remain silent, the last bit of light in her eyes gradually extinguished, and with her other hand, she pried away the hand Desmond was using to hold her.
"Desmond Fairchild, I hope the next time I see you, you’ll have that signed contract for me." These words seemed to exhaust all of Seraphina’s energy.
Simon, noticing her pale complexion, quickly stepped forward to support her, and Seraphina did not refuse.
Desmond’s hand by his side twitched slightly, but Jude suddenly glared at him angrily, his eyes slightly red, "You are not allowed to , and you are not allowed to come back."
Desmond only felt a turmoil in his heart. He wanted to pull Seraphina back, wanted to explain to her, but was at a loss as to how. He didn’t even know why he’d become .
Today was Anna’s first time seeing Jude, and looking at his face that closely resembled Desmond’s, she was utterly shocked and glanced at Desmond, suddenly arriving at a suspicion in her mind.
Seeing Seraphina’s condition, Simon was really uneasy about letting her drive home, so he took both mother and child back to their house.
"Thank you so much for today. We’ll discuss the collaboration in detail when you visit my office in a few days." Seraphina forced a tired smile.
Simon intended to ask about the man earlier, but seeing Seraphina in this state, he decided not to, simply reminding Jude to take care of her before leaving.
"Mommy, don’t be sad." Jude rushed over to hug Seraphina, murmuring softly.
"It’s okay, aren’t you tired? Go rest in your room for a bit." Seraphina patted Jude’s head as she spoke.
Jude knew that Seraphina wanted some quiet time alone, so he reluctantly returned to his room.
Seraphina sighed and dragged her weary body back to her room, sitting before the vanity, quietly gazing at herself in the mirror.
The woman in the mirror looked exhausted, her eyes filled with sadness, resembling a soulless walking corpse.
Seraphina didn’t understand how things had ended up . She had indeed stumbled on the same issue twice.
She remembered Camille’s earlier advice for her to return to the island for treatment, something she had refused at the time, but now she was wavering...
In Jude’s room, he recalled the day’s events on the street, his small face tightening. He opened his computer to search information on the ugly aunt who was with Desmond today. Although his mommy hadn’t told him, he understood the reason for her anger and was determined to avenge her.
A few days later, Rosalie returned from abroad, arriving in Bayside City at ten in the evening. As soon as she landed, she hurried to Seraphina’s home, following the address Simon had given her earlier.
"Who is it?" Jude heard the knocking, stepped onto a stool, and looked through the peephole. Upon seeing Rosalie at the door, he excitedly opened it.
"Godmother!" Jude stepped up to hug Rosalie.
"Sweet Jude, where’s your mommy?" Rosalie asked as she ruffled his hair.
Hearing Rosalie’s question, Jude immediately grabbed her hand, saying, "Mommy’s in her room. I’ll take you to her."
When Rosalie entered the room, she immediately saw Seraphina sitting on the balcony, clad in white pajamas, looking thinner, as if she were gazing at the nightscape outside. Rosalie almost mistook her for the Seraphina from a few years ago, her eyes reddening, nearly crying.
A few days ago, when she received a phone call from Simon abroad, he vaguely hinted that Seraphina and the biological father of her child seemed to have some issues, which had left her in a strange state. After dealing with her matters at that fastest speed, she booked a flight to come back.
Rosalie took a deep breath, pretending as if nothing was amiss, cheerfully saying to Seraphina, "Seraphina! I’m back, aren’t you happy? Is it a surprise?"
Surprised upon hearing the voice, Seraphina turned her head. Seeing Rosalie, she broke into a delighted smile, but tears quickly slipped from the corners of her eyes.
"Oh dear, why are you crying? I know you missed me a lot, but there’s no need to be this happy just because you see me, right?" Rosalie’s nose turned sour as she walked over to hug Seraphina.
She had always known about Seraphina’s bipolar disorder, which swung between two extremes—one of intense excitement and the other of intense depression. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel_fіre.net
When Seraphina had just reached abroad, she was in a state of intense depression, silent for days on end, as gloomy as a mushroom growing in the corner.
Rosalie had painstakingly seen her return to normal and would not watch her revert to her previous state.