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

her

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

was an odd, unsettling feeling.

Mansion, the atmosphere was starkly different, cold

Elijah was still perched by the window,

figure looked lost and

ached for him, and he approached

10:25

his eyes fixed

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

a flicker of life

Mommy knows?”

child. She knows what you’re

I miss her, does

“Yes… she does.”

she knows I miss her, why doesn’t she come back to see

in Tarquin’s heart

woman gone?

like me?” Elijah’s voice wobbled with sadness.

“No, of course not. She

why doesn’t she come back if she knows I miss

caught up in something