The Sway and Slide of Love

Rosie's voice was sharp and piercing.

It wasn't just Hendrix-even Noelle was seeing this attitude in her for the first time.

She froze for a moment, then quickly stepped forward. "Rosie, you-"

"I don't want to see him! Make him leave, Mommy! Make him go away!" Rosie buried herself in Noelle's arms as she spoke.

The IV tube in her hand was tugged, causing blood to flow back into the tube.

Afraid Rosie might hurt herself, Noelle quickly held her hand down and agreed to her request, "Okay, okay. I'll make him leave now. It's alright. Don't get upset."

As she spoke, she glanced up at Hendrix.

He stood there, lips pressed tightly together.noveldrama

Noelle thought she might have to say something more to him, but to her surprise, he turned and left without a word.

Only when he was completely gone did Rosie slowly calm down, though she still clung tightly to Noelle's

arm.

"There, there," Noelle said softly. "You don't have to see him if you don't want to. Don't be afraid. Mommy's here."

Rosie looked up at her, her eyes searching for Noelle's face before finally nodding.

"Can you tell Mommy why you don't want to see him?" Noelle asked gently.

Rosie didn't respond immediately, and Noelle didn't push her. She simply sat and waited for her quietly. After a while, Rosie finally whispered, "Because he hates me."

Noelle was stunned by her reply.

She instinctively wanted to refute

her, but before she could speak, Rosie continued, "I know he hates me. That's why he never comes to see me. That's why he forced me to apologize to that lady last time."

"No, Rosie. That's not true."

Noelle didn't want her to think like that. Although she herself wasn't sure how Hendrix felt now, she didn't want Rosie to grow up with the belief that her father didn't love her.

But at this moment, even though

Noelle really wanted to explain to her, she found herself at a loss words. After all, it was true that

Hendrix had never visited a net

And

what happened at the supermarket was also true.

At that point in time, Hendrix had been a stranger to Rosie, but he knew she was his daughter, didn't he? Yet, he didn't do anything to help her. Instead, he had insisted she apologize.

Though Rosie was young, she understood more than people gave her credit for. And that was why she had come to the conclusion that Hendrix didn't love her.

While Noelle was struggling to find

the right words, Rosie spoke first, "It's okay, Mommy. If he doesn't want me then I don't want him, either only need Mommy anyway. So, Mommy, will Mr. Pritchett become your boyfriend? Will he be my new daddy?"

"No. He's just a friend," Noelle replied.

"Really? But I think Mr. Pritchett is really handsome. If he becomes my daddy, I'll be really happy."

Noelle was surprised by her words. Then, she asked, "Do you want him to be your daddy?" Rosie nodded with hesitation.

Noelle couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright. Then, I'll try to be good friends with him and make your wish come true, okay?"

She knew Rosie's personality well. She also knew her sudden eagerness for a "daddy" was largely due to Seline constantly bringing it up in front of them.