Clara shook her head and gave Zoe a reassuring smile. “It’s nothing.” Her gaze fell on Wesley again, and a trace of worry crossed her face. In just a month, Wesley’s figure had visibly become plumper. Is this how Francis takes care of our child when I’m not around? Wesley has a congenital heart condition, and too much weight puts extra strain on his heart. Does he not care about his son’s health at all? Instinctively, her body urged her to move toward Wesley. Just as she lifted her foot, she saw Natalie holding up her phone, while Wesley clung to her neck with a beaming smile. The intimate scene stung Clara’s eyes. The look of disgust in Wesley’s eyes at the hospital that day resurfaced in her mind, sending a sharp pain through her chest. She clutched her heart without thinking. After a long pause, she let out a self-deprecating laugh and looked away. Zoe noticed Clara’s unusual reaction and followed her gaze, but she saw nothing. Just as she was about to ask, Clara spoke. “Zoe, let’s go inside.” Zoe didn’t press further, and the two quickly took their seats in the area arranged by the event organizers. As night fell, the fireworks competition was about to begin, and more and more people gathered at the venue. Clara sat not far from Francis, her gaze occasionally drifting toward Wesley. Natalie was nowhere to be seen, and Francis was on the phone, occasionally smiling. Meanwhile, Wesley sat alone, studying the fireworks models. “Mr. Pierce, we couldn’t find the person you asked us to look for. It’s possible they’re no longer in the city,” a private investigator reported over Francis’ phone. This was the eighth investigator he had hired, and the result was always the same. Clara seemed to have vanished completely, as if she had never existed. Francis ended the call and immediately dialed the number saved under “Wifey.” “The number you have dialed…” The cold, mechanical voice from the other end filled his sharp eyes with exhaustion and frustration. For an entire month, he had been searching for Clara. Except for a single answered call, he had found no trace of her. He refused to believe that someone could disappear so completely—not a single hotel record, no travel history, no transactions. He didn’t believe she would abandon him and their child. Indeed, it had been his mistake not to take her to see the fireworks that night. But he had promised her that he would make it up to her with a grand display on New Year’s. Why is she still punishing me? “Watch out!” A familiar voice snapped Francis out of his thoughts. He turned toward the sound and saw Clara holding Wesley tightly, her face filled with worry as she checked him for injuries. “Wesley, are you hurt? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” Wesley looked up at her in disbelief. “Mommy?” After a month without seeing her, Francis hadn’t expected to find Clara here. He immediately put down his phone and strode toward them. “Clara, do you think disappearing like that is some kind of game? Do you have any idea what a mess you left behind? Do you have no sense of responsibility as a mother? You ignored me and Wesley for so many days. Even if you’re angry, you shouldn’t have abandoned him!” Francis grabbed Clara’s wrist tightly, his veins bulging from the force of his grip. Wesley had also snapped out of his shock and now looked at Clara with undisguised resentment. “Mommy, I’m so disappointed in you. Even if you don’t like Ms. Dawson, you shouldn’t have run away and left me and Daddy behind. This only makes me hate you more.” The pain in her wrist jolted Clara back to reality. She struggled to free herself, her brows furrowing. Listening to their accusations, she rubbed her sore wrist. They hadn’t seen her for a whole month, yet instead of asking if she was doing okay, if she was safe, all they did was demand why she had disappeared. A cold laugh escaped her lips. Perhaps it was because she had completely given up on them, but the pain in her heart wasn’t as sharp as before. She took a step back, the corners of her lips curling into a mocking smile. “Francis, who exactly is the one neglecting Wesley? If I hadn’t caught him just now, he would’ve fallen off the stands. Is this how you fulfill your responsibility as a father?” Francis’ face turned pale. He knew he had indeed been negligent just now, but it was because he had been busy searching for her. Seeing that he remained silent, Clara scoffed. “Francis, no matter how deeply you love Natalie, Wesley is still your son. He carries your blood, whether you like it or not.” The thought of how Francis had left Wesley to fend for himself just to indulge in his romance with Natalie made Clara seethe with anger. “There’s nothing going on between me and Natalie. We’re completely innocent. How much longer are you going to be jealous over nothing?” Francis assumed Clara had gone missing because she had misunderstood his relationship with Natalie, and his tone grew impatient. Hearing this, Wesley immediately concluded that Clara had abandoned them simply because she didn’t like Natalie. Puffing up his cheeks angrily, he scolded, “Mommy, why can’t you just accept Ms. Dawson? She’s kinder and better than you. Why can’t you learn from her? Why do you always have to fight with Daddy?” Clara’s gaze swept over them coldly. One was the man she had loved for eight years, and the other was the child she had nearly died giving birth to and had carefully raised for five years. Yet these two people, the most important ones in her life, were now accusing and misunderstanding her for the sake of another woman. How ridiculous. “If you like Natalie so much, then go ahead and call her Mommy. Don’t come looking for Clara.” Zoe had appeared beside Clara at some point, her eyes filled with disdain as she looked at the father and son. When her gaze met Wesley’s, it held a hint of complexity. She had heard everything. She couldn’t understand why Clara had ever fallen for a man like Francis. Not only was his character questionable, but he had also raised a son who treated Clara like this. She felt nothing but pity for Clara. “Who are you? This is between me and my Mommy! It’s none of your business, you old witch!” Fuming, Wesley puffed up his chubby cheeks, making him look less cute and more unpleasantly bloated. Hearing such rude words, Clara snapped. “Wesley! Who taught you to speak like this?” She couldn’t believe that in just one month, Wesley had turned into such a disrespectful and ill-mannered child. “Francis, is this your doing?” Clara’s eyes burned with disappointment as she glared at him. Francis hadn’t taught Wesley to speak this way, but in just a month without Clara, Wesley had already changed. He had been too preoccupied with work and searching for her, and Wesley’s behavior was, in part, his responsibility. Realizing this, he felt guilty and avoided her gaze. But then he quickly hardened his stance and met Clara’s eyes again. “Didn’t you want a divorce? Then from now on, you don’t have to worry about Wesley anymore.”
Cool Lady
Status: Ongoing
