Third person's POV
After Tabitha finished washing up, her mood gradually settled.
She reminded herself that she and Derek rejected each other already. Any emotional connection she had with another man was none of his business.
It was just a bit of intimate contact—what did that really mean?
Was she supposed to live the rest of her life without any new romantic experiences?
As she prepared to leave with the children, Ayla suddenly stopped, pointing at a few drops of purplish liquid on the ground. "Mommy, look."
Tabitha glanced down, puzzled about what it could be.
It looked like mulberry juice, but they hadn’t eaten any mulberries today.
The cleaning staff had done their rounds early in the morning, so how could there be such obvious stains at the entrance?
When she opened the door, she noticed that the floor had already been mopped, with water stains left behind. The staff had warned her that the floor was slippery and advised her to be careful.
Tabitha asked in confusion, "Don’t you usually clean in the morning and evening? Why are you cleaning at noon today?"
"Ms. Hartley, here's the thing. A delivery guy just had a little accident and spilled food everywhere, so we had to clean it up again."
"Got it."
Tabitha replied, thinking it was just a few drops of juice—probably someone else's mistake.
Derek didn’t show up again that afternoon, and Tabitha didn’t make a point to look for him either.
However, while watching the sunset by the sea with Ayla, she noticed the child seemed a bit distracted.
"Why aren’t you happy?" Tabitha asked.
Ayla gazed at the setting sun and murmured, "I miss Helios."
They had been together since birth. Even though they were the same age, Helios always looked after her.
When Lucian had taken them on the run, there were times they went without food. Whenever Lucian caught fish or wild rabbits, they would give her the tenderest pieces.
Once they reached the big city, no matter what delicious food they bought, they always let her eat first.
Helios was the sun, and she was the moon. Lucian had said the moon borrowed light from the sun, and they complemented each other perfectly.
Although she was happy with Tabitha, she never forgot Helios' presence for a single day.
Tabitha held Ayla tightly, feeling the same longing for Helios.
Life on the island was safe and reassuring, but she still thought of Helios.
That night, they had met and parted in a hurry, and he hadn't even had the chance to call her "Mom."
Lucian's number had long been deactivated. Since Tabitha was here faking her death, Lucian had no idea she was still alive.
If she made too much noise, she feared Derek would notice and take her and Ayla back, leaving her with no freedom forever.
Tabitha knew there was only one way to find Lucian—
To return to the island they had once stayed on and to reach out to the people there.
Perhaps someone still had contact with him, and she could connect with him through a third party.
At the very least, she needed to let Lucian know she was alive.
She had to return to Seattle, even if it meant risking discovery by Derek.
She had to take this path.
The next morning, Wilmot, who had been absent for a day, reappeared before her.
He was respectful yet distant, just like before, as if nothing had happened yesterday. "Ms. Hartley."
Ayla was thrilled to see him and immediately ran over to take his hand, "Wilmot!"
Tabitha had been making breakfast for Wilmot lately, wanting him to feel a sense of home.
"Come sit down for breakfast."
"Thank you, Ms. Hartley."
He glanced at Tabitha, "You look troubled. If there's something on your mind, you can tell me. Maybe I can help."