Wrong Love, Final Goodbye: She'll Never Look Back

Chapter 428: Chapter 428: Deliberate Imitation

Tanya Sinclair was a little speechless; naturally she wasn’t about to go over and sit next to any of them.

She simply pulled out the chair closest to her and sat down across from the two men.

"I’m fine sitting here."

Joy and Margaret came hopping over too, and plopped down on either side of Tanya.

Seeing that, Vincent Hawthorne and Felix Kendall had no choice but to sit down next to the kids.

The two little ones chattered away, talking about funny things that had happened at school. Tanya listened, her smile softening every now and then.

"Aunt Sinclair." Margaret suddenly stretched out her little hand, gently touching the corner of Tanya’s eye. Her brows knit slightly. "Are you unhappy?"

Tanya paused for a moment, then smiled. "Auntie isn’t unhappy."

"But when you smile, you still look really sad." Margaret’s brows knitted tighter. Having lost her parents young and grown up under someone else’s roof, she was far more sensitive than other children.

Tanya pressed her lips together.

Felix watched the look on her face and spoke up in time.

"Margaret, if you want to cheer Aunt Sinclair up, how about you sing that new song you just learned for her?"

A child’s attention shifts quickly; Margaret immediately stood up and started singing boldly.

Tanya shot Felix a grateful look. Their gazes met, and Felix picked up his water glass, lifting his brows at her in a small, wordless signal.

Watching the entire exchange from the side, Vincent’s face darkened. The hand resting on his thigh clenched tight.

The dishes came out one after another, and a plate of steamed bass was the first to be served. Vincent picked up the communal chopsticks, chose the tender belly meat, carefully picked out the bones, put it in a small dish, and pushed it in front of Tanya.

"Tanya, I remember you used to love steamed bass." His tone held a careful, tentative note of flattery, peach-blossom eyes warm as he watched her.

Before Tanya could say anything, Joy leaned over first, tilting her little head. "Daddy, I want fish too."

"Okay, Daddy’ll get you some." Vincent picked up another piece, deboned it and put it in Joy’s bowl, but his gaze stayed on Tanya, clearly waiting for her reaction.

Meanwhile Felix calmly picked up a spoon, ladled a bowl of matsutake chicken soup, and set it beside Tanya’s hand.

He said lightly, "Before you start eating, have some soup first."

Then he began picking up side dishes and placing them in Tanya’s bowl as well.

There was no way Vincent could keep his cool; refusing to be outdone, he also started putting food into her bowl.

In no time, the bowl in front of Tanya was piled high.

Tanya: ""...

Joy and Margaret stared with round, bright eyes. Both kids could feel the subtle tension at the table. They quieted down and exchanged a look.

Joy was young but sharp, quick to imitate what she saw.

"Mommy, this spare rib is so yummy." She wheedled, "You should eat one too."

Tanya smiled and accepted the rib her daughter handed over. On the other side, Margaret refused to lose, tiptoeing as she scooped up a piece of sweet osmanthus sticky-rice lotus root, holding it up to Tanya’s mouth with a trembling little hand.

"Aunt Sinclair, you should eat this. It’s sweet."

Looking at the two children vying to "offer treasures," Tanya’s heart melted into a puddle. She tasted a bite from each, then stroked Margaret’s head. "Thank you, Margaret. Such a good girl."

Margaret’s cheeks flushed and she shrank back onto her chair.

Aunt Sinclair was so gentle. If only she could be her mom.

After dinner, Tanya was dragged off by the two little ones to go play on the slide.

"Daddy!" Joy turned back and called to Vincent. "Hurry up and finish eating, then come take pictures of us, okay?"

Vincent smiled. "Of course. Daddy will just say a few words to Uncle Kendall and then I’ll be right there."

As soon as Joy turned away, the gentle smile on Vincent’s face vanished completely. He set down his spoon, lifted his eyes to Felix and said in a hostile tone, "Now that we’re done eating, when exactly is Mr. Kendall planning to leave?"

Felix raised a brow. "Is Mr. Hawthorne trying to kick me out?"

"You know exactly what I mean." Vincent lowered his voice, not wanting Tanya over there to hear. "Tanya needs time right now, and you just have to stick your foot in at a time like this?"

"Oh?" Felix chuckled. "She needs time—then why don’t you give her time? She’d just been discharged and you were waiting at the hospital doors with the kid. What do you call that?"

Vincent froze, then let out a cold laugh. "Whatever’s between me and Tanya is none of your business. An outsider like you doesn’t get to judge."

"An outsider?" Felix leaned back, draping his arms over the chair like he was in his own living room. "I’m the one who saved her life, who’s been through life and death with her. And what are you to her again? The ex-husband?"

He bit down hard on the words "ex-husband." Vincent’s face visibly darkened.

"Felix Kendall, so you’re absolutely set on fighting me for Tanya?"

Felix laughed.

"A fair lady is a gentleman’s desire. Tanya Sinclair is single, and so am I. Why shouldn’t I pursue her? Heaven gave you a chance and you’re the one who mistook fish eyes for pearls."

Vincent ground his teeth in anger. "Let me tell you this—Tanya will definitely come back to me."

Felix scoffed, too lazy to keep bickering, and stood up to walk over to Tanya and the kids.

Margaret happened to have gotten her hands dirty and was scrunching up her face.

She’d always had a bit of a cleanliness obsession. When she saw Felix coming, she looked up at him pitifully. "Uncle Kendall..."

How could Felix not understand. "I’ll take you to wash your hands. Let Aunt Sinclair and Joy wait for us and we’ll come back to keep playing."

Tanya said, "How about I take her to the restroom? That’d be easier."

"Let’s go together," Felix seized the chance, glancing casually at Vincent walking over.

Joy was still playing over there, so of course Vincent couldn’t get away.

"Mr. Hawthorne, we’ll have to trouble you to wait here with Joy for a bit." Felix said with a mild smile.

Vincent: "..."

How had he never realized before that Felix Kendall had so many dirty tricks up his sleeve?

In the end Felix and Tanya went together, taking Margaret with them to the restroom. Margaret also used the toilet while she was there, and Felix waited outside.

He lowered his head, fiddling with his lighter, listening to Margaret and Tanya laughing and talking inside. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

Just then, a familiar figure suddenly appeared around the corner.

The woman was wearing a light gray knit long dress with an off-white coat over it, her long hair loose down her back as she walked down the corridor on the other side, head slightly bowed.

Her back, her figure, even the way she walked were almost identical to Tanya.

Felix’s hand paused slightly on the lighter.

He sharply picked up on a faint sense of wrongness. How could she be this similar?

Resemblance can be a coincidence, but when it’s this excessive, you can’t call it chance anymore.

Felix pocketed the lighter and strode after her. "Miss, wait a second!"

The woman stopped and turned around.

Felix’s breath hitched for a beat. Even that face, was similar.

Felix kept his expression neutral. "Sorry, your back looked a lot like a friend of mine. I mistook you for her."

"It’s fine." The woman didn’t mind. She gave him a little nod and turned away.

Felix watched her back as she left, his brows slowly furrowing.

Too similar.

It wasn’t her actual features, but the outfit, the hairstyle, even the angle of her bowed head—all of it felt deliberately copied.