Side Chick Era... Over

Loving Mom 4

Theo curled his lip. “My lactose intolerance is much better now. The doctor said it’s fine if I eat a little now and then. But Mom always wants to control me—make me do what she says.”

That word—control—coming from a five-year-old’s mouth, felt too heavy, too strange.

Carter was just about to respond when his phone rang.

He answered, and Kelly’s voice came through from the other end.

“Carter, are you home now?”

“Yes.”

“Sharon hasn’t come back yet, has she?”

He paused for a moment. “Why?”

“I think I just saw her…” Kelly’s voice hesitated. “She was having dinner with a young man. They seemed… close.”

She fell silent for a beat, then carefully asked, “Is it because of what happened earlier today? Did something upset her again? Carter, maybe you should explain things to her properly.”

A chill slipped into Carter’s eyes.

Sharon didn’t come home to cook—because she was out on a date?

His voice turned colder without him realizing it. “Where is she?”

Kelly gave him an address.

“I got it,” he said, and hung up.

…

In the restaurant, John Westin looked at Sharon steadily.

“Have you really made up your mind?”

She nodded. “Shaluna was something my mother custom made just for me… and I gave it up for my family, for five whole years.”

Her voice trailed off as she let out a quiet sigh. A hint of wistfulness flickered across her face.

“If you return, you’ll have to perform regularly. It’ll be exhausting. You won’t have much time left—for your

of irony flashed

what about Carter?” John asked. “Will

of Carter, her gaze turned

his permission. This

a long moment. “But he won’t allow

don’t need

she recalled how she’d once distanced herself from John—just because of something Carter had

murmured, “I’m

apologize to me. It’s me who should be sorry. I promised your mother I’d protect you. But I didn’t have the strength to keep that promise.

was her senior. The two had studied violin together under her mother since childhood. Now, John was one of the most celebrated

temperament had propelled him beyond the classical music world, turning him into a heartthrob with fan followings rivaling top-tier

to someone like Carter, a man with real capital behind

your fault,” Sharon

get

“Sharon,

to see Kelly, dressed in a

disliked—twice in one

cold.

smiled sweetly. “Don’t be upset, Sharon. I just found it strange—Carter rarely goes home, and

light, face gentle—an image of innocence

seemed

the taunt beneath Kelly’s

the flicker of smugness in Kelly’s

time is all taken up by you, Kelly? Are you really

She grabbed Sharon’s hand, anxious to

I didn’t

Sharon yanked her hand away. “If you’re not pretending, then you really don’t know your place. And women

out a shriek and

a tall figure caught

“Kelly, are you okay?”

had gone pale. When she looked up and saw who it was, her eyes immediately brimmed with tears, as if she had

Sharon didn’t mean to. Please don’t be

finally

drew together, voice

“Sharon, apologize to Kelly.”