Chapter 255: No one can steal what they already have.
Adelyn froze.
Children choosing their mothers over their fathers was natural ...
She knew that.
But ...
How was that the same?
She looked at Dylan, unable to understand what he meant.
However, Dylan showed no intention of explaining himself.
He simply continued gently stroking Eira’s hair, his gaze resting quietly on Adelyn. A faint, knowing smile curved the corners of his lips —soft, subtle, and carrying a meaning she couldn’t decipher.
It was yet another mystery about him.
One she instinctively wanted to uncover.
Yet somehow ...
It kept slipping further out of her reach.
"Mr. Warren ..." Adelyn spoke hesitantly. "You’re her father. Of course, Little Eira must love you the most. She—"
"Eira loves Mama the most."
Before Adelyn could finish, Eira tightened both arms around her mother’s neck and declared it without the slightest hesitation.
Her little face even puffed up with determination, as though she was afraid someone might misunderstand something incredibly important.
"Mama is number one."
The tiny yet unwavering declaration left Adelyn speechless.
Meanwhile, Dylan simply watched the two of them, the smile lingering in his eyes deepening ever so slightly. There wasn’t the slightest trace of jealousy or disappointment on his face.
Instead ...
He looked almost ... satisfied.
As though Eira’s answer had been exactly what he had expected all along.
Adelyn, on the other hand, only felt herself sinking into even deeper trouble than before.
If the situation had seemed slightly salvageable earlier, Eira’s firm declaration had completely destroyed that hope.
She looked down at the little girl.
But when their eyes met —those innocent yet utterly sincere eyes —she simply couldn’t bring herself to blame her.
How could she?
The little girl was only being honest.
At the same time ...
She couldn’t blame Dylan either if he misunderstood her.
After all, his daughter had openly chosen her over him.
Ready to accept whatever misunderstanding or blame might come her way, she turned to look at him.
Only to find him quietly watching her.
There was curiosity in his gaze, as though he was waiting to see how she would explain herself this time.
"Mr Warren, sometimes children don’t really know how to express what they really mean," she hurriedly explained, trying her best. "They may say one thing while actually feeling another. So ... Little Eira might love you more. It’s just that she—"
"I’m not sure about other children, Ms. Grace," Dylan interrupted calmly. "But our Eira isn’t like that."
He glanced briefly at the little girl before meeting Adelyn’s eyes again. "If she says she loves you more ..."
"...then she really does."
"Huh?"
Adelyn almost couldn’t process his words.
Before she could react further, Dylan leaned in, closing the distance between them in a single step.
Her heart skipped instinctively.
But instead of looking at her, he turned toward the little girl nestled in her arms.
"Keep loving your mother," he said gently. "But in between, don’t forget your Dada. Sometimes miss Dada too."
Only after saying that did he glance back at Adelyn.
The familiar smirk had already returned to his lips. Then he straightened and said casually, "I’ll go freshen up first. You two shouldn’t play around for too long."
Adelyn nodded almost reflexively, watching him turn around and head upstairs.
Only after he disappeared from sight did she quietly let out the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.
Little Eira looked up at her mother.
When Adelyn felt the girl’s gaze on her, she narrowed her eyes and lightly pinched her nose.
"You little devil ..." she muttered. "You nearly got me suspected of something I didn’t even do."
The little girl blinked in confusion.
Her innocent expression only made Adelyn smile helplessly.
"Mama, what did Eira do?"
Adelyn gently tapped the tip of her nose. "You still have the nerve to ask?"
Carrying the little girl inside, she walked over to the sofa and carefully set her down.
Little Eira blinked again, tilting her head to one side in complete confusion.
"You little one ..." Adelyn sighed, unable to suppress her smile. She gently pinched Eira’s soft cheeks. "You almost made your father think I was stealing you away from him."
"But Mama isn’t stealing Eira away," the little girl answered innocently.
Of course she wasn’t.
But earlier, it had been almost impossible for Adelyn to explain that.
Thankfully, Dylan hadn’t taken it seriously.
If he had ...
She truly wouldn’t have known how to explain herself.
"So you know that?" Adelyn placed both hands on her hips and looked at the little girl.
Eira nodded earnestly.
Then, without any warning, she threw herself into Adelyn’s arms again, wrapping both little arms tightly around her neck.
"Eira knows."
She rested her cheek against Adelyn’s shoulder before continuing in her tiny voice, "Mama cannot steal Eira away because Eira already belongs to Mama."
She paused thoughtfully before adding,
"No one can steal what they already have."
Adelyn was completely caught off guard. Her arms instinctively wrapped around the girl’s tiny frame.
She had never imagined Eira would think of it that way.
Almost immediately, she glanced around, instinctively checking whether anyone else had heard those words.
Only after confirming they were alone did she finally breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
"Baby ..." she whispered softly. "You can’t say things like that out loud."
Eira pulled back slightly and blinked at her.
Adelyn opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
How was she supposed to explain something like this to a child?
Should she talk about biological mothers and non-biological mothers?
Or explain what it meant to belong to someone?
Neither sounded appropriate.
In the end ...
She simply surrendered.
"Fine, fine ..." she said with a helpless smile, gently patting Eira’s head. "Little Eira already belongs to Mama."
"... So stealing you again wouldn’t make any sense."
The little girl smiled brightly and nodded with complete seriousness.
Watching her, Adelyn couldn’t help smiling too.
She was already beginning to lose against this little girl’s sweetness.
It felt as though, little by little ...
Eira was quietly making it harder and harder for her to leave.
If this continued ...
Adelyn truly didn’t know how she would ever find the strength to walk away when the time finally came.
