Chapter 6

The unsteady lines depicted Sebastian's, Samuel's, and Louisa's childhood. There was a house, two boys, a little girl, and a mother and father. At the bottom of the drawing, Sebastian had written, "I love Mom, Dad, Sam, and Louisa. I'll protect Louisa forever." The messy handwriting reminded Selena of Sebastian's current unruly appearance. She couldn't help but laugh, and her eyes reddened. She had finally found evidence that proved she had once protected and loved her children as a mother should in this unfamiliar environment. She looked at the drawings as if she were gazing upon priceless treasures. She smoothed them out carefully and asked Cynthia for several frames. She slipped the drawings into the frames before hanging them in the hallway. She accidentally sliced her finger on the edge of a frame when she lifted it up. Blood began to bead along the tiny wound, but she didn't care. She was too busy staring at the picture of herself that Sebastian had drawn, which had kicked up a flurry of turbulent emotions within her. "What are you doing?" Sebastian had just returned from playing basketball. Sweat still clung to his forehead. When he spotted Selena standing in the hallway, he assumed that she was up to no good again and looked at her warily. His face immediately turned a brilliant shade of red when he approached her and saw the drawings hanging on the wall. He yelped in surprise and demanded, "What do you think you're doing, Selena?" Sebastian tried to rip the drawings off the wall, but Selena stopped him. "Why are you trying to take them down? They're perfect for decorating the wall. Don't tell me you're feeling embarrassed?" she asked teasingly while blinking at him. Her words made Sebastian even more embarrassed. He reached up to grab the drawing that was hanging at the highest spot and accidentally brushed his fingers against Selena's injured hand, causing her to hiss in pain and suck in a deep breath. It was only then that Sebastian noticed the cut on Selena's finger. He froze in place, wondering if she had hurt herself while putting the drawings up. A flurry of complicated emotions flickered in his eyes at the thought. "Mom, Seb, what are you looking at?" Samuel's voice came echoing from the staircase. His gaze turned inquisitive when he noticed the drawings on the wall. "Why did you hang up these drawings, Mom?" Sebastian clicked his tongue. "Making breakfast and hanging up old drawings. Can this woman's intentions be any clearer?" "She just wants to pretend to be a good person in front of Dad, so she can trick him into giving her more money for that Shaw bastard. Besides, it's not as if this is her first time doing such a thing!" Sebastian exclaimed heatedly, turning his face to the side. Selena knew that Sebastian still harbored animosity toward her, so she didn't take his words to heart. She fixed a motherly smile on her face and explained herself to Samuel. "I just happened to come across these drawings and thought they were perfect for decorating the house. What style do you like, Samuel?" Surprise flickered in Samuel's eyes. "I don't have any particular preference. This is fine, in my opinion," he answered lightly. Sebastian arched an eyebrow as he looked at Selena. "So, you're a fan of handicrafts? If you have nothing better to do, why don't you knit me a scarf? There are only a few more days left before fall begins. You'd better hurry up unless you want me to catch a cold." His words stunned Selena. She had never held a needle before, let alone knit a scarf. But it was the first time Sebastian was asking her for something. Although she could pick out the provocative tone lacing his words, she couldn't refuse him, considering how she was his mother. "Okay. Leave it to me," she said through gritted teeth. Samuel frowned in slight disbelief, but he didn't say anything else and retreated to his room. … That same day, Selena visited the shopping mall. She had looked up several tutorials at home and decided to knit a scarf for not only Sebastian, but also Samuel and Louisa. Using the notes she had made on her phone as a guide, she selected the materials she needed in the yarn shop. When Elijah returned home, he was greeted with the sight of a pile of yarn balls and knitting needles taking up most of the couch. Selena was there too, slumped to the side with a hopeless expression on her face. "Did Sebastian ask you to knit a scarf for him?" Elijah asked. "How did you know?" Selena nodded. She was just about to show off the stitching that she had just learned when Elijah said, "Samuel wouldn't ask such a thing when he knows you don't know how to knit. Stop what you're doing. Sebastian's just trying to make things difficult for you." "I know." Selena's gaze strayed away from Elijah toward the balls of yarn. She clumsily began stitching again, saying, "But I already agreed to knit one for him. Besides, I'd like to try my hand at it. Perhaps I can make it work." She looked up at Elijah, her eyes glimmering with a hint of stubbornness. "I might not have fulfilled my responsibilities as their mother in the past, but I would like to make it up to them. It doesn't matter if it takes a long time. I just want Sebastian to be happy." Emotion rippled in Elijah's heart as he studied her serious expression. There was more that he wanted to say, but in the end, he simply murmured, "Do what you want." Selena dedicated all of her time in the following days to knitting the scarves. However, she didn't forget to drop by the hospital every day to visit Louisa, not minding that Louisa continued to show her back to her, refusing to look at her or even speak a word to her. Cynthia had paid close attention to how Selena had changed. She tried to convince Louisa to give Selena a chance, but her good intentions backfired, prompting Louisa to react negatively. She screamed for them to get out of her ward, threatening to rip the IV drip from her wrist if they didn't. The immense distance between them felt especially palpable every time Selena stood outside Louisa's ward and secretly checked on her. She felt like countless needles were stabbing her heart. … The hour was late when Elijah finally returned home after working overtime. Selena was curled up on the couch, fast asleep. She only had a thin blanket draped over her. The unfinished scarf was next to her hand. Eight out of her ten fingers had bandaids wrapped around them. Elijah couldn't help but think that Selena was being especially foolish. What was the point in being stubborn if she was hurting herself? He frowned, feeling disgruntled. Although he was very gentle when he picked her up, she ended up jolting awake. Selena blinked her hazy eyes open. When she realized it was Elijah, she murmured, "You're back. Have you eaten? Let me warm up the food for you if you haven't." "No need." Elijah placed her back on the couch since she was awake. The fondness in his eyes melted away in an instant. "You don't need to wait for me to return in the future." "Why? I agreed to play the role of your loving wife until we divorce, and I intend to keep my promise. The soup I made tonight isn't half-bad. Let me warm up a bowl for you." Selena shook her head before she rose to her feet and headed into the kitchen. An unfamiliar warmth spread through Elijah as he watched her retreat, and he couldn't help but feel as if the empty manor was finally beginning to feel like an actual home. With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Elijah also entered the kitchen, saying, "Let me help you." … A few days later, the scarves were nearly completed. Selena got up and stretched her muscles. As she was helping Cynthia to tidy up the manor, she accidentally came across a contract that Elijah had left on his desk while she was arranging the documents in the study. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the contract had some flaws, so she immediately called Elijah to inform him. "You actually know about these things?" Elijah asked, unable to hide the surprise lacing his words. "Oh, please! Don't forget that I used to be the heiress of the Lowe family." Selena was notorious for being uneducated and incompetent when she was younger, which was why it was a rarity for her to be the knowledgeable one in most situations. Since she had coincidentally come across something she actually knew, she had to seize the opportunity to show off in front of Elijah. "I helped you a lot, didn't I?" Selena asked smugly, sticking her nose in the air. "You did. Looks like I'll have to prepare a gift for you to show you my gratitude." A gift? Selena's heart thumped in her chest. However, she still doubted that Elijah would be kind enough to give her a present.