Fire

"You will be okay, dear" she cups her face lovingly wearing a warm smile.

"It all depends on your determination. If you want to get better, then stay strong" he informed his child boldly without sweet talking her to death. She shot him a deadly look.

"Thank you very much, Aunt Em." Christine smiled.

Soon the doctor entered the room after a soft knock, and Blake recoiled.

"Greetings, you must be her parents" the doctor paused.

"Excuse me, Ma. Can I talk to you about your daughter?" the doctor asked her politely, she exchanged a weird gaze with him and he cleared his throat.

"Well, you can say anything to us... we are her parents" and surprisingly, he went with the flow. She blushed shyly.

Weeks later, Christine got discharged from the hospital after taking a few medications and treatment from experienced doctors. Christine returned home looking healthily and the hygiene system of the mansion was changed by Blake.

He notified all the maid(s) to regularly use their nose mask and hand glove, and Christine was frequently sanitized. Christine had to spend a few days at home in order not to catch any kind of disease, she started wearing long white socks before her footwear.

When there is money, there is order.

The memo arrived that Christine will be graduating from elementary school by the weekend and her assigned project was sent over to her. With the help of Emerald, Christine had no stress during this period.

She made sure to cut out the cardboard papers which Christine uses in building a paper house. It was colorful and beautiful.

Christine made use of glues to stick the papers together, glitter glues to make the house flashy and scissors with other elements. And she made sure to guide Christine rightly into creating one magnificent building.

"Aunt Em, can I ask you something?" Christine asked politely.

By this time, they were in Christine's room putting her project where it deem fit. She sighed and turned to Christine who's sitting on the soggy moderate bed tucked with a pink blanket and duvet.

"Ask ahead, dear," she said.

"Why do you love me? Is it to gain my daddy's attention or you have another motive?" Christine asked anxiously with her eyes not breaking away from Emerald's shaking eyes.

She cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Well you see, Christy dear" she begins walking close to her.

"Loving you is one thing and loving your father is another" she smiled softly and Christine sighed.

"Now I'm lost in this proverb of yours" Christine frowned slightly but it did not last.

"I will explain further. If I love your father, I will go directly to him rather than using you as my bait" she let out a reassuring smile while Christine nodded in affirmative.

"I love you for you, and not because I want to impress your dad" she smiled arranging Christine's hair, Christine smiled brightly.

"I wish you were my mother, I really wish" they embrace tightly for minutes.

The sunny afternoon weather, the street is less populated but inside cafes, restaurants had a lot of patrons. Somewhere there to take cover for the burning sun, killing time over coffee while others were real genuine customers.

In the Dash Diner, downtown. Blake and Shirley were seen sitting across each other with expressionless faces, their orders having already been laid on the table.

"What is your problem? Why did you call me out here?" Shirley was truly testing her ex- husband's emotion. He has already called it off with her yet she is still persistent. She doesn't want to leave without her child but now, she also doesn't want to end the marriage at all.

Is he really sane?

"Blake, I must have offended you in the past. I'm sorry" she begins.

"Right now, I strongly regret my decision of breaking up with you ..." she said in a crooked sad voice and he cut her off, not necessarily but because she took a pause.

"If you are driving this route, I'm not interested to discuss this with you" he sighed.

"The day I told you it's over, it is really over between us. I won't take you back" he spilled bluntly on her face and she gasped in shock.

Shirley has known her ex- husband for years, yet she couldn't tell when he really meant any work. This marriage was really for the contract and since she ended it, he was super happy.

"I'm doing this because of our child. Growing up with her mother will really be a hard blow on her" she informed impatiently.

She sounded all caring and concerned but in the past she never showed affection towards the child she claimed to be her daughter. Even if Blake agrees to give her a second chance, does Christine want her mother back?

In most cases, blood isn't thicker water. Sometimes, friendship prevails over kinship.

"Emerald is already taking extremely good care of her" he said calmly in a tone meant to trigger her jealousy and it worked.

Shirley rolled her eyes in disgust and annoyance.

"But she isn't your wife nor Christine's mother!" this time she could hardly control her temper, she yelled in anger.

Some patrons' attention swayed towards their table, but in shame he waved at them and they returned back to their business. He sighed.

"It doesn't matter. Your child will acknowledge her and sooner or later, she may be my wife" he sneered in mockery.

"I remain Christine's mother till the day I die" she recalled out of anger.

"You will be a one-sided mother whose love has no receiver" he informed vividly, holding a mocking smirk.

It angered Shirley even more.

"This your action must bring you painful repercussions, and I won't fail to report to my parents" she roughly stood from the steel chair.

"I'm leaving the state to report your action to my parents. You must lose to know what failure taste" she slammed her hand on the table and beneath it was the bill, she took her designer bag and left the diner.

Immediately, he exhaled in relief.

"What a woman" he muttered to himself, shaking his head in disbelief.