Chapter 179: Guilty ... For deceiving him.
Nigel didn’t stay for long ...
After talking for a while, he eventually left.
Adelyn wasn’t exactly exhausted, but after being out the entire morning and afternoon, she just wanted to lie back comfortably and rest.
So she didn’t delay. Locking the door behind her, she headed straight to her bedroom.
Climbing onto the bed, she was about to settle in when her phone buzzed.
She picked it up to check—
Eira was calling.
Without hesitation, she answered.
"Baby!"
There was a brief pause on the other end before Eira’s soft voice came through.
"Mama ... did Eira disturb you?"
Adelyn smiled instantly, shaking her head out of habit —even though she knew the girl couldn’t see her.
"No, darling. Not at all. I was just sitting here, thinking about you when you called."
"Really?"
Eira’s voice brightened immediately, and Adelyn could feel it all so easily.
Her smile deepened as she hummed softly.
"Yes. I was missing you. You don’t believe me?"
"Eira believes Mama," the girl replied, before adding slowly, "Eira missed Mama too."
"Oh ... you did?" Adelyn teased lightly.
But the next moment, Eira asked, a little hesitantly,
"Mama ... are you busy right now?"
Adelyn paused.
She didn’t quite understand the reason behind the question.
She wasn’t busy —and she was about to say so —but she stopped herself.
After a brief moment of thought, she asked instead,
"Why do you ask, baby?"
She knew the girl was growing more attached to her with each passing day.
And while Adelyn didn’t mind the closeness—
She couldn’t bear the thought of becoming something the child would depend on too deeply.
Because no matter how easy it felt to stay by her side ...
Adelyn knew the truth.
She was still an outsider in Eira’s life.
Sooner or later, they would have to face that reality.
And when that time came—
Even if Adelyn didn’t see the girl as a burden ...
She would still have to step back.
So she couldn’t let Eira form a habit around her.
That was why, when Eira asked, she chose to ask for the reason first.
If the girl ended up asking her to visit —or to come over —she would still have a reason to refuse.
But Eira’s thoughts weren’t nearly as complicated.
When she had asked, it was simply to make sure she wasn’t disturbing her.
"Eira was missing you a lot," she said softly. "If Mama isn’t busy ... Eira wanted to video call you."
Adelyn paused at that.
Given what she had decided, she should refuse.
She should tell her she wasn’t busy now —but would be soon.
And yet—
When she parted her lips, no words came out.
It was harder than she had expected.
The quiet anticipation in the girl’s voice —so innocent, so hopeful—
She couldn’t bring herself to reject it.
Her expression turned conflicted as her heart and mind clashed.
In the end—
No matter how much her mind resisted—
She still smiled.
"We can video call, baby," she said gently. "Give me a second —I’ll connect it."
With that, she switched to a video call.
The screen remained blurred for a moment before Eira’s small, pretty face appeared.
Adelyn smiled at once.
"Sweetheart, were you about to go to sleep?"
Eira’s eyes were bright as she nodded.
"Mhm. Eira was ready for bed."
"Then did you have your dinner?" Adelyn asked.
The girl nodded again.
"Eira ate earlier... alone. Did Mama eat?"
Adelyn mirrored her nod.
"I did. Just like you, I came to bed afterward."
Eira watched her quietly.
And in her eyes—
A faint longing surfaced.
As if ... if it were possible, she would come over and stay with her.
Adelyn caught that unspoken wish.
It wasn’t voiced—
But it was there, clear as day.
She sighed inwardly.
"Why didn’t you have dinner with your Dada?" she asked softly. The girl was clearly feeling lonely.
She missed her mother—
And with her father busy as well ...
Wasn’t that loneliness only deepening?
She felt bad for the girl.
But then again—
When she thought about it deeper, she could place the blame on Dylan, either. After all, he wasn’t just any father, single-handedly raising a girl at home while shuffling at work.
He was the CEO of Warren Corp —the conglomerate giant of the country. It was only natural for him to be busy.
"Is your Dada not home yet?" she asked.
Eira’s gaze shifted away from the screen.
At first, Adelyn didn’t understand—
But then the girl said, "Dada is home."
Adelyn blinked, for a second, almost failing to grasp it. But then she realized what the girl said.
He’s home?
She was about to nod and accept that when—
The camera suddenly turned.
And in the next second—
Dylan’s face appeared on the screen.
Unexpected.
His features —sharp, sculpted —looked even more striking through the camera.
Defined jawline.
Perfectly shaped lips.
A straight nose.
And those deep, abyss-like eyes...
Locked onto hers.
Wait ... they were locked onto hers. He was staring right at her, and she ...
Adelyn nearly choked, breaking into a cough the moment their gazes met.
He was looking at her—
As if waiting for her to say something she didn’t even understand.
Wait ...
Had he been there the whole time?
Had he heard everything?
Her thoughts stumbled over themselves.
Had she said something she shouldn’t have?
Before she could sort it out—
His voice cut through her thoughts.
"I came home late today due to an extended meeting," he said.
His words only confused her further.
Why was he telling her this?
"Eira had to have dinner alone," he continued. "But I’ll try not to let that become a habit."
Was he ... explaining himself to her?
The realization made her feel strangely dizzy.
Explanations didn’t come easily to most people—
Yet he offered them as if they were nothing.
Why was he so committed to this role?
It only made her feel more guilty.
Guilty ...
For deceiving him.
While she lied—
He wasn’t pretending.
He was simply accepting her lies ... as truth.
