Chapter 532
Just the previous night, he was a bachelor, a man with no child of his own, and then, in the blink of an eye, he found himself to
be the father of four.
The sudden change was overwhelming to say the least.
Caught in a moment of distraction, he felt two little tykes latch onto his legs, and another one perched atop his abdomen,
bouncing up and down, “Wake up, wake up. Where’s our mom?”
A tiny tot was sitting on Lysander’s face, leaving him breathless. With a soft groan, he reached out, gently lifting the little one off
his face. The child was chubby and soft, delightfully comfortable in his hands, but so fragile it felt as though the slightest squeeze
might have broken her.
Ever so gently, he moved the little one from his face. It was Elowen. Her head was tilted forward as if she was about to tumble
over.
Lysander remembered that Elowen had a bump on her forehead. Even a fall onto the soft bed could cause her pain. He quickly
grabbed her clothes from the back, slowly setting her down on the bed.
Sitting up, with a frown on his handsome face, he locked eyes with Dorian, who was still sitting on his stomach, “What’s all the
fuss about so early in the morning?”
Dorian felt a hint of fear under his stern gaze but his anxiety over their mother’s absence overpowered his fright.
With his innocent, dark eyes, he asked, “Where’s our mom and grandma? Where did she go?”
“Yeah, we want mom. We want grandma,” Elowen echoed with her soft, sweet voice.
Sophia, who was clinging to Lysander’s leg, added with a whimper, “I want grandma. I want mom. I don’t want to stay here,
um...”
Atticus, standing at Lysander’s feet, joined in, “Where did mom go? Give her back to us.”
Lysander felt a headache coming on. He patiently explained, “From now on, you’ll be living here. The word ‘mom’ will slowly fade
from your memory over time.” The children exchanged glances. They were young but quick to understand.
What he meant was that they wouldn’t see their mother again.
Elowen burst into tears, “No, I don’t want to forget mom. I want mom...”
“I want mom,” Sophia joined her, her lips quivering.
Dorian bit his lip, his eyes filled with hurt. His little body trembled with each breath he took, his tears rolling in his dark eyes.
Atticus stood his ground, defiantly staring back at Lysander, “We don’t want you. We want mom! We don’t want to forget mom!”
“I don’t want to forget mom,” Elowen sobbed.
“Mom...” Sophia was scared, small, and helpless.
“Give mom back to us,” Dorian’s tears fell in large drops..
Lysander had never dealt with children before, let alone four at once. All of them were crying in front of him.
His temples throbbed.
Frustration and irritation welled up within him, threatening to explode.
His cold gaze swept over the chubby, babyish faces of the four children.
He silently reminded himself, “Don’t lose your temper. They’re your own. They were just kids.”
His voice softened, trying to coax them, “Whoever stops crying first gets their favorite thing.”
But no one paid him any heed, and continued to cry as before.
Lysander clenched his teeth; no one had ever dared to ignore his words before.
But those little ones, not even as tall as his knee, dared to!
He took a deep breath, continuing, “Elowen, you love eating, right? If you stop crying, I’ll buy you whatever you want to eat.”
Elowen stopped crying. Her bright eyes, still damp with tears, Jooked at him pitifully, “Really?”
“Of course,” Lysander replied.