Chapter 250
When the time came, Ashley took Sam downstairs. In the elevator, watching her silent mother, Sam took her hand and swayed it gently.“Mommy.”
Ashley looked down.“Yes, sweetie?”
“Mommy, you haven’t been talking much lately.” Sam observed that her mother didn’t call her daily like before, and didn’t constantly ask about her whereabouts. She actually preferred this change in her mother. Lately however, aside from those changes, when they did see each other, her mom seemed less talkative. It was like her mother had become quieter, more withdrawn. Sam, her daughter whom she’d raised herself, wasn’t oblivious. It had taken her this long to notice the change because she’d unconsciously avoided facing it.
Ashley looked away.”Mommy’s tired.”
“Oh…”
Seeing her mother’s weary face, Sam didn’t push it.
The night wind was bitterly cold. As they stepped out of the hotel, the wind stung their faces. Sam, clearly chilled, stopped, clinging to her mother, burying her face in Ashley’s stomach.“It’s so cold, Mommy, Hold me.”
Sam, almost six, was getting heavy. It was a struggle for Ashley, but she bent and scooped her up.
Sam hugged her neck, her face nestled in the warmth of her mother’s neck, escaping the biting wind. The softness of her mother’s clothes was comforting. She rubbed her cheek against Ashley’s neck, enjoying the warmth.
Chase was always punctual. As Ashley reached the parking lot, his car pulled in. Seeing them, he stopped at her feet.
Sam, still in Ashley’s arms, lowered the car window and called out to her father. “Daddy, carry me inside.”
Without a word, Chase got out and took Sam. The little girl giggled, kicking her legs happily. As he leaned closer, Ashley caught a whiff of Tanya’s perfume on him–a scent absent when he was beside her earlier. This meant he had visited Tanya at the Sun residence after leaving them.
