Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem

Chapter 33

Elysia emerged from the bathroom to find Emmett had whipped up her favorite comfort meal – a bowl of chicken soup. He had sprinkled chopped green onions and cilantro on top, just the way she liked it, along with a pair of sunny–side–up eggs.

Emmett had a natural flair for cooking and a genuine interest that made everything he touched turn to deliciousness.

A warm feeling bubbled up inside Elysia as she approached Emmett and planted a smacking kiss on his cheek.

“Emmett, you’re the sweetest, like a warm hoodie on a chilly day,” she cooed.

Emmett’s cheeks flushed a rosy hue, his shyness evident. But when he noticed the bruise on Elysia’s face, a shadow of concern crossed his features, and his eyes welled up.

“Mommy, can I sleep with you tonight? I wanna be close to you.”

Elliot and Evan, hearing this, turned their hopeful gazes towards Elysia.

“Of course, you can,” Elysia chuckled.

“Yay! I’ll tell Mommy a joke to make her laugh.”

“I’ll give Mommy a massage.”

“I’ll help Mommy fall asleep.”

Laughter and love filled the small room, a testament to their tight–knit bond.

But as she looked at her three little ones, Elysia’s heart skipped a beat, a strange surge of emotion washing over her. It was as if a piece of her complete heart was missing.

crept up every time they gathered

in her

something–or someone–was absent, yet she couldn’t

was an odd, unsettling

at the grand Number One Mansion, the atmosphere was

a plate of spaghetti upstairs, where Elijah was still perched by the window, staring out toward the front door.

small figure looked

ached for him, and he approached gently. “Elijah, come on, eat

10:25

move, his eyes

Tarquin tried to coax him. “If you don’t eat, Mommy will

mention of Mommy, a flicker of life sparked in Elijah’s hollow

knows?” he asked

there’s a special bond between mother and child. She knows what you’re feeling, and she

miss her, does she

“Yes… she does.”

if she knows I miss her, why

Tarquin’s heart deepened.

that heartless woman gone? Why wasn’t she

she not like me?”

of course not. She must

come back if she knows

Elijah’s head. “Maybe she’s caught up in something right now,