The Sway and Slide of Love

A child's emotions were simple and straightforward-they would instinctively gravitate toward those who were good to them.

Beatrice was always kind and warm. Every time she saw Rosie, her face would always light up with a gentle smile, so it was only natural for Rosie to like her.

Hendrix, however, was a different story.

Their first meeting left a terrible impression on Rosie, and if Noelle remembered correctly, Hendrix had never smiled at Rosie even once.

Whenever Rosie saw him, he always had a stern expression. Adding that to their bad first encounter, it was no surprise Rosie disliked him.

Seline indeed hadn't seen Rosie in a long time, so they were both especially excited to see each other today.

After lunch, Seline took Rosie to the arcade. She was a pro at the claw machines, and by the time they left, they had a pile of stuffed animals. The two of them happily gave away most of their winnings to the kids outside the mall.noveldrama

Rosie loved doing things like that.

While she was busy handing out the toys, Seline finally found a chance to ask Noelle, "So, how is it going?"

Noelle looked a bit confused. "How's what going?"

"You know... How has it been living with Mrs. Freeman?"

"It's been fine. Rosie's adjusting really well.

"And did you happen to see Hendrix?"

Noelle paused for a second. But at this point, there wasn't much point in hiding it, so she nodded. "Yeah, I've seen him."

"For real? When? Where? What was his attitude like?" Seline's reaction was immediate and intense.

Noelle glanced at her and said, "Why are you so worked up?"

"I'm not! Who said I'm worked up?"

Seline's defensive tone only made Noelle chuckle. She then said, "I saw him

today. He brought his girlfriend home to meet Mrs. Freeman. So yeah, that's how I happened to run into him."

"Hold up. Did you just say girlfriend?"

"Yeah, she's quite pretty. I think her name was An—"

"No! I mean, he has a girlfriend?" Seline gritted her teeth. "Unbelievable! That scumbag! He just can'tstay single for a second huh? Rosie barely recovered from her surgery, and now, he's already bringing a new girlfriend home to meet Mrs. Freeman?"

"Well, he's free to do so if he wants," Noelle said calmly. "He's done his part as a father the moment he underwent the surgery for Rosie's sake."

"That's the bare minimum! Go out and ask anyone on the street-who in their right mind would just stand by and watch their own kid's condition get worse without doing a damn thing? Even animals don't turn on their offspring!

"Not only did he play hard to get, but he even threatened you! Someone like him should-"

"Enough," Noelle cut her off, which made Seline frown.

"It's already in the past. As long as Rosie is healthy, nothing else matters to me," she added.

Just then, she realized Rosie had been gone for a while. Her expression changed instantly as she turned to look for her, only to see Rosie walking toward them, holding someone's hand.

"Mommy, look! It's Mr. Pritchett!"

Rosie had an excellent memory. Even though she'd only met Dylan once in the hospital, she recognized him instantly when she saw him again.

Looking at Rosie adoringly, Dylan simply let her lead him. But when he looked up and saw Noelle, a warm smile quickly spread across his

face the same one that el.ne

remembered so well from the past.