Chapter 441: But She Could Only Harden Her Heart
Where they stayed wasn’t far from the kindergarten. It would only take them about fifteen minutes on foot.
Normally, when Zess picked them up, they went home on foot.
So, they were surprised that Wendy drove there.
"Yeah. I am bringing you to your favorite BBQ place to eat. Do you like that?" Wendy said, smiling.
"Yes! Yes!" Leah cheered, hopping happily on her short legs.
Unlike Leah being all excited, Jake’s eyebrows were tightly knitted.
Somehow, he found his mom behaving strangely.
Their mom usually didn’t allow them to have BBQ because she found BBQ unhealthy.
Jake looked at the excited Leah and he kept quiet.
They arrived very quickly at the BBQ restaurant.
Leah hopped happily as she went to order the dishes that she liked.
Jake watched as Leah ordered a bunch of things and Wendy didn’t even stop her. He found it even more strange then.
In the past, even when Wendy brought them for BBQ occasionally, she wouldn’t allow Leah to order so many things.
The BBQ was served very soon. Looking at the table full of dishes, Leah happily gave everyone a skewer each then she started eating in delight.
Looking at Leah eating happily, the smile across Wendy’s face grew bitter.
Jake noticed it and his hand that was holding a skewer paused in the air.
He handed the skewer to Wendy, saying, "Mommy, try this."
Wendy took the skewer and took a bite. She smiled, nodding. She said, "It is really delicious. No wonder Leah loves it so much."
"Mmhmm. Mmhmm. It is delicious, Mommy. If you like it, eat more," Leah said, eating while handing Wendy another skewer.
Wendy looked at Leah who was wearing a wide smile, she let out a sigh unnoticeably. Just as Leah was delighted, Wendy said, "Leah, would you go to Lake City with Jake and Zess? Go to Daddy and you can always have BBQ. The BBQ in Lake City is the authentic one. Their BBQ is truly delicious."
"Sure!" Leah replied subconsciously. She actually didn’t hear what Wendy said exactly. She only heard Wendy saying the BBQ in Lake City was delicious.
On the other hand, Jake heard it clearly.
He knew it. He found his mom behaving strangely that day.
It turned out that she wanted to send them to Lake City.
"Mommy, how about you?" Jake asked.
"I will go to Lake City later. You can go first," Wendy replied to Jake’s question, hanging her head low.
Jake heard Wendy’s reply and he suddenly stood straight, shouting, "No way!"
Wendy wasn’t surprised to hear her son refusing the idea. Because Jake didn’t like his dad, Michael.
If he were to find out the reason why she was sending them to Lake City was that she had something to deal with and it was really dangerous, he would be even more against the idea to leave.
"Mommy, I am not going to Lake City. I want to stay by your side. Wherever you are, I’ll be there," Jake said.
"Me too. Leah only wants to be with Mommy," Leah finally realized what Wendy just said. She quickly added along with Jake.
Wendy already figured out her excuse. "I will be very busy... I am going to design a new product and I will need a very quiet environment. Not only are you leaving the house, but Zess will also go with you. Don’t worry, Mommy will be meeting you in Lake City really soon. So, you are only going earlier than me."
Leah frowned, she said, "Aunt Zess is leaving with us? Mommy, I will be a good girl.
When you are busy with work, I promise not to disturb you. Mommy, don’t make me leave."
...
Wendy didn’t want them to leave too, but she had no better option.
Wendy gave Zess an eye signal, signaling Zess to talk on her behalf.
Zess got Wendy’s memo and she smiled, saying, "Jake, Leah, we will be away from Mommy just for now. Mommy is busy with work. We must be considerate. If you were to miss Mommy, we can always come back to Rheinsville to visit Mommy. Look, Aunt Zess is being chased away by your mommy too. I have no choice too."
"But Mommy, Leah doesn’t want to leave you," Leah said, pouting. She was happily having BBQ earlier. But then, she felt that the BBQ didn’t taste as good anymore.
Wendy carried Leah and explained, "Leah, you are not leaving Mommy. You are just going to Lake City a few days earlier than me. I will go and look for you really soon."
"But Mommy... Leah wants to be with you," Wendy pouted, looking somber.
"Do you want to be with Daddy?" Wendy asked.
Leah nodded and replied, "Yes, but if Mommy is not coming with us, I don’t want Daddy so badly anymore."
Although Leah liked Michael as her dad, she felt that her Mommy was more important to her.
"I am only going a few days later than you," Wendy emphasized again to convince Leah.
"Mommy, if you really want us to go..." Jake reacted differently compared to Leah.
He didn’t believe in Wendy’s explanation of her busy work schedule.
She was obviously not working then.
So Jake could vaguely guess what Wendy was up to.
At least, he was certain that it wouldn’t be anything good.
"Let Aunt Zess leave with Leah then. I will stay. When you are done with work, we will go and look for them together," Jake said solemnly, looking glum.
"Mommy, I won’t go," Jake said determinedly, shaking his head.
Leah said, "Jake is not leaving. Leah is not leaving too. Mommy, we really wouldn’t disturb you when you work. If you think that we are too noisy at home, we can stay in Grandpa’s place for a few days. Jake and I used to stay in Grandpa’s place all the time."
Timothy used to help her to take care of her two children in the past.
But they were no longer in the past.
Wendy felt so helpless.
Although she already guessed the outcome that her two children wouldn’t agree with leaving so easily.
She still felt rather helpless when she was dealing with it.
Wendy thought for a while and decided that she could only stand firm on her arrangement, "I have already completed the transfer procedure for your school. I will get in touch with your dad later when we reach home. I have booked your flight tickets as well. You are leaving at two in the afternoon tomorrow. Whether you agree with it or not, you have to leave."
Wendy suddenly changed her tone and Jake’s face grew grave.
As for Leah, she had no appetite to take another bite of her BBQ skewer.
"Mommy, you don’t want us anymore?" Leah asked. Her tears welled up in her eyes.
Looking at her daughter who was on the verge of crying, Wendy felt more heartbroken than anyone else.
But she couldn’t be soft-hearted now.
"It’s not that Mommy doesn’t want you anymore. I am only asking you to head over to Lake City a few days earlier. I promise you that I am going to look for you there in a few days’ time," Wendy comforted.
"But Mommy..." Jake wanted to say something but Wendy cut him off, "Finish up the skewers. They wouldn’t taste good anymore when they become cold."
Then, Wendy picked up a skewer and took mouthful after mouthful, hanging her head low.
She was more upset than anyone else.
...
No one enjoyed the BBQ feast.
Even Leah didn’t indulge herself in the skewers anymore.
When they reached home, Wendy began packing their luggage for them personally.
Jake and Leah grew up in Rheinsville. They had many things to pack.
After they left Rheinsville, Wendy didn’t intend for them to return anymore.
At least, they wouldn’t come back to stay for long so they had quite a lot of things to bring with them.
Wendy saw the few big boxes of things that she packed. She frowned, saying, "Bring your personal necessities with you tomorrow. I will send the rest to you by post."
Wendy then pursed her lips and paused. She muttered softly to herself, "Michael will definitely prepare on his side too. It’s okay if I don’t send either."
"Mommy..." Leah saw that Wendy had been occupied since they came home. Her eyes were welled up in tears.
She didn’t want to leave Wendy.
Looking at her daughter’s eyes filled with tears, Wendy found it extremely heartbreaking.
But she had no choice but to stand firm.
"Leah, take a look. Do you have anything else that you want to bring with you?"
Wendy asked Leah.
"Mommy, I don’t want to go," Leah repeated herself.
Wendy didn’t have the courage to look at Leah’s eyes that were welled up with tears.
She avoided eye contact with her.
She looked at the teddy bear on Leah’s bed.
It was a present from Michael. Leah had been hugging it to bed every night.
Wendy asked, "Are you going to hug the teddy bear tonight? If not, I will pack it into the box for you."
Leah cried while nodding. She answered, "I am going to hug my teddy bear to sleep.
Daddy bought this for me."
"Alright. I will put it into the box for you tomorrow. If I forget tomorrow, you have to remind me," Wendy exhorted. She took a look around Leah’s room. She was almost done with packing.
"I’m going to Jake’s room to see how well he has packed," Wendy said. She then took a deep breath, fighting back her tears. She was loathed to part with Leah too.
Leah followed behind Wendy and entered Jake’s room.
Jake was seated on the bed. The box next to him was still empty. Nothing was in it.
"Jake, you haven’t started packing yet," Wendy spoke gently. She knew that Jake intentionally refused to pack. She bent down and stroked Jake’s head. She forced a smile, saying, "Are you waiting for me to pack for you?"
Without waiting for Jake’s reply, Wendy continued, "What do you want to bring with you? Tell me and I will pack for you."
Then, Wendy began to pack for Jake, including his clothes and his other belongings.
Jake looked at Wendy getting herself busy with packing and looked at Leah who had been crying.
Leah was wailing in tears yet Wendy didn’t budge in her demands.
Jake knew that the reason behind why Wendy made them leave definitely wasn’t simple.
She used to be busy with work in the past too but she had never chased them away.
But looking at how determined Wendy was to send them away, Jake knew that it was useless for him to say anything else.
So, he just let Wendy pack for him.
Time slowly ticked by.
When Wendy was done packing for her two children, it was already late at night.
Zess entered the room and Wendy asked, "Are you done with packing?"
Zess nodded and replied, "I don’t have many things."
"Then... turn in early and rest well," Wendy said, patting Zess’s shoulder. She then let out a heavy sigh.
Zess looked glum. She didn’t say anything in reply but nodded.
She then turned and went back to her room to rest.
...
"Mommy, can I sleep with you tonight?" Leah asked, looking up at Wendy with her red swollen eyes that were still moist from crying.
"Sure," Wendy didn’t refuse but agreed immediately.
She looked at Jake sideways, asking, "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"
Jake had always been independent. The last time when he requested to sleep with Wendy surprised her. She wasn’t sure if Jake would accept her offer.
Jake nodded without hesitation.
The three of them were sleeping in Wendy’s room that night.
Leah was still in low spirits. Wendy took very long to coax her to sleep.
During that period of time, Jake had remained silent. Wendy turned and saw Jake’s eyes closed. So, she thought he was already asleep.
Wendy picked up her phone and checked the time.
It was already twelve midnight.
Wendy didn’t call Michael during the day because it was nighttime in Lake City.
When Rheinsville became dark, she brought her two children out for BBQ. After she arrived home, she had been busy packing their luggage. Until she put the two children to bed, Wendy finally had the time to give Michael a call.
She held her phone and snuck out of the bed.
Wendy checked to confirm that both her children were asleep before she exited her room.
She walked to the balcony. The night breeze was chilly.
The gust of breeze blew against her face and made her more alert and her head clearer.
When the call went through, Michael picked it up really quickly.
Michael’s eyes were smiling too, seeing Wendy took the initiative to call himself. He said, "Wendy, you haven’t slept yet? It’s already so late."
"Mm," Wendy pursed her lips, replying in a low voice.
"What’s the matter?" Michael heard Wendy’s somber tone and the smile on his face faded.
Wendy had yet to sleep and had called him at this late hour.
Michael suddenly had a bad feeling about it.
Wendy told him straightforwardly without beating around the bush, "Michael, I am planning to send the two children to you. Their flight is tomorrow afternoon."
His face grew grave when he heard Wendy say that.
He kept quiet for a while before he asked, "Why are you sending me the children out of a sudden?"
"Are you not happy about it?" Wendy asked.
"No. Of course, I am happy. But this is a little too sudden..." Michael was obviously delighted that his children could be back to his sides.
However, Wendy had made such a sudden decision and he couldn’t help but feel suspicious if Wendy was up to something.
"I think what you said last time was right. In Lake City, it’s your territory. It is safer there. Now that I have a fall out with HG, there is no advantage for me to keep the two children with me. It’s better for them to go to you," Wendy explained.
"How about you?" Michael asked.
"I..." Wendy pursed her lips and paused. She then continued, "I have to stay for a little longer. There are some things in Rheinsville that I have to attend to. After I take care of it, I will come over to look for you."
"HG is already doomed. What else do you need to take care of? Wendy, come back with the children," Michael said solemnly.
"HG is a place where I worked for five years after all. Now that it collapsed, it has also affected me. I don’t feel so good. If I were to leave immediately, it makes me look like someone who forgot HG’s kindness and turned my back on HG in return.
Plus, there are many big clients that I collaborated with in Rheinsville. Even if I were to leave, I have to bid them farewell in person. I am still going to work in the fashion design industry in the future. These are connections that I worked hard for," Wendy told Michael the excuse that she came up with long ago.
