Josie gently shook her head as Dexter pleaded, “Can’t you give me a chance to return to your side, to make amends to you and our daughter…”
“It’s been two years, and it’s time to let go. We can both start fresh, live better lives, and no longer torment ourselves over a love that has long since withered away,” Josie replied, recounting a fact that Dexter did not want to acknowledge. She added, “In this world, there are countless couples who love each other but cannot stay together. Why must we insist on being together? The past is behind us. I am doing well, and you are not faring poorly either. We should have moved on from those times long ago.”
Dexter felt increasingly unable to understand Josie. “Is this truly what you think?” he asked.
Josie responded, “Otherwise, what? Initially, my selfishness led me to hide the existence of our daughter. Now that you know about her, I believe you will make up for the lack of fatherly love she has experienced. We are simply her parents, and that should be enough…”
“Does it really have to be this way?” Dexter’s words made Josie’s heart feel somewhat apprehensive.
Clearly, she too had things she was reluctant to let go of…
Josie pursed her lips and uttered the harshest words in the gentlest tone. “Mr. Russell, you are a good man, and you deserve even better. Why insist on dwelling on things that are long past?”
Josie couldn’t forget the pain from the past. She couldn’t let go, always struggling in her memories.
Choosing to shut herself off, she firmly imprisoned herself within her own boundaries.
“Let’s… Let’s end it here,” she said.
Each word and sentence that came out of Josie’s mouth reflected her deepest, most genuine thoughts. She wanted to put an end to everything that should have already ended between them.
“Mr. Russell, it’s getting late. You should head back… Grape is doing well. Come by when you have time to see her and spend some time with her. I believe it will make her very happy.”
Dexter felt the familiar discomfort in his chest acting up again, as if something was spiraling out of control. Subconsciously, he reached out to clutch his left chest, where a stifling sensation made it hard for him to breathe.
“Josie, what if I told you that I want custody of Grape?”
Josie was taken aback. Then, she promptly declared, “Impossible. Grape is my daughter, and no one should even think about taking her away from me, including you.”
Upon seeing her flustered demeanor, Dexter realized she was no longer the aloof figure who kept everyone at arm’s length. It seemed that Grape was indeed her true weakness.
“What if I insist on it?”
Josie clenched her teeth tightly, her eyes seemingly about to spit fire. “Then we’ll just have to meet in court.”
Dexter knew that there was not a shred of falsehood in Josie’s words. She would rather confront him in court than choose to forgive him.
Dexter remained silent, his gaze drifting toward Grape in the distance, his eyes unusually vacant. “Josie,” he asked, “Have you ever chosen to trust me?”
“The issue of child custody, at the very least, requires consultation with a lawyer. If possible, I would like to try and fight for it.” This was the last chance he gave himself.
If their child was the only thing binding them together in the present, the only link between them, then he had to hold on tightly. He feared that if he failed to hold on, he would lose her completely.
“You… Josie glared at him in anger.
She had never imagined that Dexter would actually go to such lengths. She felt utterly overwhelmed.
