Regretting the Wife He Threw Away

Three days later.

Cloudcrest City, Westbrook Old Town. A cozy guesthouse.

Out in the garden, where all kinds of lush green plants and bright flowers flourished, Lucky lay sprawled on the ground, tongue lolling. Sunlight warmed his face, and he squinted contentedly, utterly relaxed.

Little Nina, clutching a child's makeup kit in one hand and a tiny powder puff in the other, was busy giving Lucky a makeover with impressive seriousness for

someone her age.

A few feet away, little Mario sat quietly on a wooden bench, head bowed in concentration, twisting and turning his Rubik's Cube.

From the kitchen drifted the comforting aroma of home-cooked food.

James was busy preparing lunch.

Just then, Lorna pushed open the vintage wooden gate at the edge of the yard, glanced around the sun-dappled garden, and then closed the door behind her, sliding the latch into place.

The creak of the gate caught Mario's attention. He looked up.

Lorna walked over and ruffled his hair. "Still working on your Rubik's Cube?"

"Yeah!" Mario's eyes sparkled as he looked up at her. "I can solve all six sides now my fastest time is two minutes."

It was Stewart who had bought the Rubik's Cube for him, and Stewart who had taught him how to solve it.

"That's amazing!" Lorna grinned. "If your dad knew how good you were getting, he'd be so proud."

Mario stared at her. "Ms. Riley, have you talked to Dad lately?"

"Of course," Lorna replied, her tone light and cheerful. "He says business is going really well. Maybe he'll even make enough to come home soon and spend more time with you."

Mario's face lit up at that. "Really? Do you think he could be back before winter?" Lorna pressed her lips together, hesitating. "That...I can't promise, sweetheart." Mario's gaze dropped to the cube in his hands.

He wasn't fooled. Ms. Riley was just trying to make him feel better.

He already knew the truth: his dad wasn't overseas on business. He'd become a star in the sky-gone forever.

Noticing the disappointment on Mario's face, Lorna sighed softly. "You have to believe in your dad, Mario."

Mario stared down at the puzzle. "What about my mom?"

Lorna froze for a moment.

She'd always known Mario was sharp-perhaps even more so because he'd never had a mother by his side, making him especially sensitive to the moods of the adults around him.

But she hadn't expected him to be quite this perceptive.

He must have realized something had happened to Briony, too.

Not wanting to worry him any further, Lorna said gently, "Your mom is away on a work trip. She might be gone for a while, but don't

oy-Blair is with her. She' be

okay."

Mario felt a knot of anxiety in his chest, but there was nothing he could do. He'd already lost his dad; he didn't want to lose his mom too.

Compared to Mario's quiet sensitivity, Little Nina was blissfully carefree.

Three days earlier, she and Mario had come to Cloudcrest City with James and Lorna, bringing only Lucky along. Marlene and Carol had stayed behind.

To Little Nina, it was just a fun vacation with her godfather. She was thrilled- especially since Lucky got to come, too.

The old town was only partly

developed, and with school back in session, the tourist crowds had already thinned out. Every evening, Little Nina got to go on dog walks with James, meeting all kinds of cats and dogs along the way. She adored it.

In just three days, she'd become Lorna's number-one little fan-completely smitten.

She'd been watching Lorna practice martial arts with Mario every morning, and to her, Ms. Riley was the coolest person ever. She begged and pleaded to join in.

Lorna suspected Little Nina just wanted to play and wouldn't last through the discipline of real

training, but she let her join anyway. To her surprise, the little girl kept up-still going strong after two days, as enthusiastic as ever.

As Lorna passed by, she bent over and pinched Nina's chubby cheeks. "Are you bothering Lucky again?"

Little Nina shook her head vigorously. "No, no! I'm just doing his makeup!"

Lorna glanced down at Lucky.noveldrama

The dog lay completely still, eyes fixed on Lorna, whimpering pitifully, clearly pleading for rescue.