Chapter 7

With a mixture of trepidation and anticipation simmering in her heart, Selena waited for Elijah to return in the evening. She had mentally prepared herself for him to go back on his word, so she was caught off guard when he actually returned with two gift bags in his hands. "Why are there two?" she asked in surprise, unable to mask the curiosity in her voice. "They're for Sebastian and Samuel," Elijah answered calmly, not missing the way the corners of her lips curved downward. "I thought the present was supposed to be for me?" she asked, whining subconsciously. Belatedly, Selena realized what Elijah's plan was. Her dejection melted away in an instant, replaced by a delighted expression. "Samuel! Sebastian! I have something for you!" she called, ushering them to come downstairs. When they were settled on the couch, Sebastian glanced at the limited edition book that Samuel was holding before looking at the limited edition skateboard accessories in his hands. A wary expression appeared on his face as he looked at Selena cautiously, as if he was trying to figure out her schemes. "Why did you suddenly give these to us, Selena? You didn't knit a scarf for me, did you? So, you're trying to win me over with this instead. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You've never kept your promises. How dare you claim that you've changed? You were just toying with me from the start, weren't you? I'm not going to accept this." Sebastian tossed the skateboard accessories on the couch before getting to his feet. He was about to leave when Selena blocked his path, explaining, "No, you're wrong. I did knit a scarf for you!" "Show it to me then. Don't just say that you did." Selena's face turned a bright shade of red upon hearing his words. It wasn't that she didn't want to show him, but the scarf that she knitted was a far cry from the one she imagined in her head. It looked abysmal, so she wasn't willing to show it to him. "I… I…" Sebastian became convinced that she didn't actually knit a scarf as he watched her stammer. He looked at her with disdain. "What did I tell you, Sam? This woman is a chronic liar. She lied to us in the past, and she's continuing to lie to us in the present." "Don't be so harsh, Sebastian. She did knit a scarf for you, but she didn't want to show it to you because she wasn't happy with it." They looked toward the sound of Elijah's voice. While they were distracted, he had grabbed the three scarves of different colors and patterns from Selena's room. However, the finished products looked more like tangled balls of yarn than actual scarves. Threads were sticking out everywhere, and the colors clashed rather than flowing smoothly into one another. As a result, the scarves looked rather absurd and almost fantastical, making it difficult for the person looking at them to focus on any one part. "What? Are you telling me these hideous things are supposed to be scarves?" Sebastian asked, utterly bewildered. He never would have guessed that the balls of yarn were supposed to be scarves. But when he recalled how abysmally clumsy Selena was, everything seemed to fall into place. "You—" Sebastian wanted to use the opportunity to hurl a few more insults Selena's way, but he was forced to swallow his words when he noticed Elijah glaring at him. Meanwhile, Selena's face had turned as red as a beet after hearing Sebastian refer to the scarves as "hideous things". She had poured her blood, sweat, and tears into knitting them. She just hadn't anticipated the final results to look so terrible. She hastily stepped forward and snatched the scarves out of Elijah's hands, hiding them behind her. She would make them disappear forever if she could. Seeing how crestfallen she looked, Elijah couldn't help himself and said, "She put in a lot of effort into knitting those scarves for you. Didn't you notice how most of her fingers are injured?" As Sebastian looked at the wonky pattern on the scarves, he couldn't help but recall how Selena had also injured herself that day while hanging the drawings on the wall. His eyes flashed as he said, "It's too ugly. You can give the scarf to me after you knit a nicer one." He then picked up the skateboard accessories before retreating to his room. Meanwhile, Samuel, who had remained silent during the entire exchange, finally spoke up. "Thank you, Mom," he said softly before he also returned to his room. A belated smile broke across Selena's face when she realized that Sebastian hadn't continued humiliating her. He had even given her more time to knit a nicer one for him. "Sebastian was happy just now, wasn't he, Elijah? He was happy to see the scarf I knitted for him, right?" Elation was written all across Selena's face, and her eyes were overflowing with joy. In a fit of excitement, she approached Elijah and gripped his shoulders as if he had the answer that she was waiting for. Elijah hummed in acknowledgement. Selena's smile widened before he could say anything else. She grabbed the scarves and dashed toward her room, shouting, "Thank you for today! I'm going to start knitting a new batch of scarves right now!" Elijah could feel his emotions wavering as he watched her retreating back. A thought flashed through his mind—Selena had truly changed. … Selena had just sat down and was about to start knitting a new scarf when her phone started ringing. Jordan was calling her. She hesitated for a moment before ultimately deciding to pick up. "Can we meet, Selena? I need to talk to you," he said in a pleading tone. Although Selena didn't want to get involved with Jordan, she decided that she needed to solve this issue once and for all, so she agreed to meet him. They agreed to meet in a cafe. Selena had only just sat down when Jordan began speaking immediately. "Selena, I admit that I was in the wrong in the past. Please give me another chance. Don't ignore me. Let's start over again." Selena felt a little helpless and speechless as she looked at him. Jordan was aware that she was a married woman, and yet he continued to cling to her like a leech. He even presented himself as a devoted lover in an attempt to paint himself as a good person. She rolled her eyes at him, saying, "It's impossible for us, Jordan. I came here today to tell you that the past is in the past. I've forgotten all about it, and I have no desire to remember it. Let's not contact each other anymore." "How can you be so ruthless, Selena? We were so happy together in the past—" Selena interrupted Jordan before he could continue. "Am I not making myself clear, Mr. Shaw? I just want to live my life and take care of my kids now." She stood up and tried to leave, but Jordan blocked her path. "Don't be so cruel to me, Selena. Just because you forgot the past doesn't mean that it was erased. What about the relationship that we shared?" The relationship that they shared? It was nothing more than a mortifying mistake that was made by two fools. Selena was reaching the end of her patience. She frowned and said, "Please have some self-respect, Mr. Shaw. Our past ended a long time ago. It's pointless to bring it up. I'm Mrs. Cole now." However, Jordan wasn't willing to give up just yet. His eyes shone with a stubborn glint as he asked, "How can you say it's pointless? You were so deeply in love with me. How could you just forget about your feelings? Did Elijah force you to do this?" "This has nothing to do with anyone. I was the one who made this decision." Realizing that Jordan had no intention to yield, Selena hatched a plan on the fly. She raised her voice and said, "Elijah will be here any moment now. He told me he's coming to pick me up. He's not going to be happy if he sees you behaving like this." Jordan froze when he heard that Elijah was on his way. However, his tone suggested that he hadn't given up yet. "Don't give up on me, Selena, okay?" "I have other business to attend to, Mr. Shaw, so I'll be taking my leave now. Don't contact me anymore."