Chapter 44
Marissa had been waiting downstairs at Paisley’s apartment for quite a while now. She’d been planning to wait for Dominick so they could pick up Grayson together, creating the illusion that they were united as a couple.
What Marissa hadn’t anticipated was Paisley showing up with r kids in tow, catching her standing there alone. Even more unexpected was the sight of Grayson obediently walking next to Paisley, looking at her with so much trust and expectation.
In her relationship with Dominick, Marissa’s biggest leverage had always been Grayson’s dependence on her. She knew that if she lost that, marrying Dominick would become almost impossible. Se, she couldn’t–and wouldn’t–let that happen.. Thankfully, when she called out Grayson’s name, he immediately ran to her.
Marissa’s face broke into her usual bright smile as she hugged Grayson affectionately. He grinned and asked excitedly. “Did you come to pick me up, Marissa?”
“That’s right. I came to pick you up and take you home, Marissa replied, nodding. Then, catching sight of Paisley approaching from the corner of her eye, she deliberately asked, “Have you missed me these past couple of days, Sonny?”
Grayson hesitated for a brief moment but then answered firmly Yes. After that, he buried his face in Marissa’s embrace, hiding his guilt
The truth was, he only thought about Marissa on the first day he arrived. In the days that followed, he hadn’t thought about her at all. But he knew he couldn’t say that–it would hurt her feelings.
Grayson felt like she treated him just like a real mom would, and he couldn’t bear to make her sad.
Marissa secretly let out a sigh of relief. She had noticed the brief hesitation in Grayson’s response just now, but fortunately. his answer and behavior satisfied her. At least, from Paisley’s perspective, he still seemed closer to her.
Marissa then continued, “Have you been behaving yourself at someone else’s house?”
Grayson was genuinely unsure how to answer her. He pondered. I probably haven’t been that well–behaved… I even threw a tantrum this morning. Unable to respond, he could only glance at Paisley, looking to her for help.
Paisley hadn’t expected to see Marissa downstairs at her place, but she wasn’t particularly surprised either. After all, with Marissa and Dominick about to get married, Paisley figured it wasn’t unreasonable for Marissa to come pick up the child in his place.
At that moment, Paisley watched them interact, looking like a real mother and son, but she felt no particular emotion. If this had happened four years ago, it might have broken her–she might have crumbled, fallen apart, or pushed Marissa away from her child.
But now, Paisley wouldn’t react. She had long since moved on from the emotions she’d once poured out. Even if Grayson were to call Marissa Mom now, she wouldn’t feel a thing.
Noticing that Paisley didn’t react as she had anticipated, Marissa was slightly disappointed. She straightened up, still holding Grayson’s hand, and smiled, “Dom’s coming back today, so I came early to pick up Sonny. Thank you for looking after him these past few days, Ms. Sutton.
Paisley raised an eyebrow slightly, finding Marissa’s behavior at this moment a bit contrived. So, instead of playing along. Paisley replied in a calm, detached tone. “Since you’re here. I’ll hand the child over to you then. His stuff is still upstairs. Wair here, and I’ll bring them down.”
The implication in Paisley’s words was clear–don’t bother coming up to her place.
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21:58 Mon, Jan 27
Chapter 14
Marissa naturally caught on, and her eyes flickered briefly. But he maintained her smile and replied, “Til have to trouble you with that then
Soon after, Paisley brought Grayson’s belongings down and handed them to Marissa. “That’s all from me. I’ll head back now. Take care
Paisley couldn’t care less about pretending to get along with Magasa. She hadn’t thought highly of Marissa before, and now she had even more disdain.
What Paisley truly hated, though, was the version of herself from back then–the one who let Marissa push her to the edge. breaking her down and making her lose her sanity.
Seeing that Paisley was about to leave without even sparing him glance, Grayson grew anxious and instinctively took two steps toward her. Marissa naturally noticed this, her expression darkening as she pulled him back.
“Ms. Sutton, wait a moment, Marissa called out to Paisley. Then urning to Grayson, Marissa said, “Go wait for me in the car. Sonny” She clearly had something to say to Paisley that she didn’t want Grayson to hear.
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