I was so shocked that my blood ran cold. My first thought was that Rufus had found out the truth about his daughter.
But when I saw the embarrassed look on Rufus’ face, I calmed down. Beryl had lost her memory, so it was normal for her to call the first man she met “Daddy”.
I secretly breathed a sigh of relief and loosened my clenched fists.
Beryl kept calling Rufus daddy over and over again. Rufus seemed to like it, but I didn’t.
“Why does Beryl call you that?” I muttered unhappily.
“Maybe it’s because I saved her, so she relies on me now,” Rufus answered as he unwrapped the candies for Beryl.
I fell silent. Mixed feelings plagued my heart when I saw the way they interacted. I had always thought that Beryl and Arron wouldn’t be able to see their father for the rest of their lives. But the truth was that fate was amazing. After a series of twists and turns, Beryl still ended up in her father’s arms.
Fate always played tricks like this. The more we wanted to avoid something, the more impossible it was for us to run from it. For now, I could only take it one step at a time.
Crystal’s POV
It was getting late, and I knew I couldn’t stay here any longer. On the other hand, my heart wanted me to stay because Beryl was here.
But Beryl didn’t recognize me. She didn’t even want me to touch her. She seemed to be afraid of the mask on my face, and she stuck out her lower lip every time she saw it.
I was at a loss. I couldn’t take off my mask in front of Rufus. If I had known earlier, I would have chosen a less scary mask instead.
“Daddy, I’m hungry. ” Frowning, Beryl tugged at Rufus’ sleeve and rubbed her belly.
“Ask someone to have some food prepared for you,” Rufus replied.
After saying that, Rufus headed to the dining room, still holding Beryl in his arms. I stood there awkwardly, wondering if I should follow them. Rufus didn’t ask me to stay, so I couldn’t just remain. But Beryl was here, so I couldn’t just leave either.
While I was weighing my options, I heard a muffled thunder. A few seconds later, it started pouring outside.
Well, it seemed fate had made my decision for me. Smiling faintly, I hurried to catch up with the two.
In the dining room, Beryl sat obediently in a high chair and waited for the food. Now that she wasn’t hiding in Rufus’ embrace, I cautiously sat down next to her.
Beryl tilted her head to look at me with her big, doe-like eyes. After a few seconds, she burst into tears.
Tears streamed down her chubby cheeks as she reached out to hug Rufus and sobbed, “I’m scared.”
Rufus scooped her up and held her comfortingly. To me, he said helplessly, “Your mask is scaring her.”
I didn’t know what to do about it. When I was picking out a mask, I wanted to come off as cold and ruthless, so I chose a black metal one. It looked kind of steampunk, which was indeed frightening for children.
“How about taking it off?” Rufus suggested, eyeing me coldly.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, I racked my brains for a solution. Finally, I muttered, “If I take it off, she’ll still be scared. My face isn’t a pretty sight.”
Rufus glanced at me and said nothing. He just lowered his head and wiped Beryl’s tears away with an expensive-looking handkerchief.
Soon, a servant arrived with some spaghetti, and Beryl’s attention was instantly drawn away from my mask. I breathed a sigh of relief and offered to put some food on Beryl’s plate. The little girl wasn’t fond of certain veggies, so I picked out the carrots and onions from the noodles with a spoon.
Rufus was busy putting a bib on the little girl. His handsome side profile was slightly lowered, and his unprecedented patience made him look like a kind father.
My heart skipped a beat, and the long-lost butterflies started fluttering in my stomach again.
Rufus must’ve sensed my intent gaze because he suddenly turned his head to look at me. I quickly lowered my head and cut the noodles on her plate into smaller pieces so Beryl could eat them more easily.
Now that she was eating, Beryl slowly let her guard down. She didn’t mind me sitting next to her anymore, but she still resisted my touch.
The little girl must’ve been starving because she wolfed down her food. Her cheeks bulged as she chewed. I couldn’t help but wipe her greasy mouth with a tissue and then quickly withdrew my hand. Beryl didn’t have enough time to react. Rufus was so amused that he chuckled. His laughter was short and deep, like a small stone thrown into a pool, stirring up waves in my heart.
As soon as I looked up, the smile on Rufus’ face disappeared. He quickly raised a glass of water to take a sip, as though he was trying to hide his smile. However, the smile in his eyes betrayed his true emotions.
This guy seemed to be having fun.
I glared at him, feeling ashamed and annoyed. The temperature on my face rose crazily. Fortunately, I was wearing a mask, so Rufus didn’t find anything unusual.
Crystal’s POV
Even after eating, Beryl still refused to let me touch her. She flat-out rejected my attempts to even grasp her hand. The moment I touched her, she began crying.
Eventually, I gave up and didn’t get close to her anymore. Instead, I sat on the couch and watched her talk to her father.
Frustrated, I took out my phone and saw a voice message from Harry. He sent it about two hours ago.
When I clicked on the voice message, I heard a young boy’s voice saying, “Mommy, I miss you.”
As a result of being surprised, I immediately turned the volume down. Both Beryl and Rufus turned to me as soon as they heard the sound. When I saw how the two nearly identical faces grimaced at the same time, I felt a strange pang of remorse.
I let out a dry laugh and was about to say something, but Rufus bent his head and resumed his conversation with Beryl, as if he didn’t want to talk to me.
I touched my nose and felt even the air around us felt awkward.
Beryl and Rufus were engaged in a paper-folding game. Although Rufus wasn’t exactly in a cheerful mood, he patiently accompanied her anyhow.
Seeing the beaming smile on Beryl’s face, I was lost in my thoughts. Although my two children rarely brought up the topic of their father, I knew they still longed for one. I’m aware that sometimes, I might not be able to provide them the comfort and dependence they needed from a fatherly figure. Rufus was the first person Beryl saw when she opened her eyes after she had lost her memory. She was so eager to see him as his father. This was probably the strongest desire in Beryl’s heart.
It was sad and I felt guilty about it. After this incident, I realized how inadequate I was as a mother. Beryl even didn’t want me to get close to her after she lost her memory.
I sniffed and did my best to hide my grief. I was afraid that Beryl wouldn’t talk to me anymore.
“Do not feel down. Perhaps in the next days she will feel better and remember you,” Rufus said in a cold voice.
For a while there, I just buried my head down between my knees and refused to acknowledge his presence.
“How about you take Beryl home with you tonight? And then-“
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