Chapter 6 - Noah And Ivy Ask About The Strange Man
Noah hid behind my leg, clutching the hem of my shirt while Ivy peeked out cautiously from the hallway corridor. Owen stayed asleep in his crib, oblivious to the emotional tempest raging just outside his bedroom door.
Sebastian remained kneeling on the linoleum floor, terrified to move an inch for fear of frightening the children away. “Hello, Noah... I’m Sebastian, a very old friend of your mommy’s,” Sebastian said softly, his voice trembling with unshed tears.
Noah tilted his head, studying Sebastian’s face with the sharp, analytical gaze typical of a four-year-old child. “You have the same eyes as me, mister,” Noah observed, pointing a tiny finger directly at Sebastian’s face.
Sebastian let out a broken, watery laugh that sounded more like a sob than genuine amusement. “Yes, buddy... we share the same eyes,” Sebastian choked out, glancing up at me with an unspoken apology in his gaze.
I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to let his performance soften the jagged edges of my guarded heart. “You can’t just walk back into our lives after four years and expect everything to magically fall into place, Sebastian,” I reminded him.
“I don't expect magic, Elena; I expect to spend the rest of my life earning back every single day I missed,” Sebastian vowed. Ivy walked slowly out of the hallway, holding her favorite doll as she approached the strange man kneeling before us.
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“Are you going to stay with us, or are you going to leave like the other daddies do on TV?” Ivy asked innocently. Sebastian reached out a trembling hand, letting Ivy inspect his palm before gently touching her soft curls.
“I’m never leaving, sweetheart... I’m staying right here where I belong,” Sebastian promised with absolute, unyielding conviction.
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