Third person's POV
Derek fumbled his way down the stairs with the railing, when suddenly, Hedwig tugged him away from the scene.
Once his figure disappeared from sight, Jasper, twirling a comb in his hand, remarked coolly, "So, are you planning to change your mind?"
Tabitha shook her head. "Jasper, I can't stand by and let Derek die. Despite everything he did to me before, I just can't."
"Have you forgotten what he did to you all those years ago?" Jasper pressed.
"Not a day goes by without remembering," Tabitha replied, her voice steady. "I'm doing this out of selfishness—I can't bear the thought of the children losing their father. At least with him alive, even if they're with me, they still have a father to hold onto. What if something happens to Kyrian? What would become of the child?"
Jasper asked, "Do you still love him?"
"Would I have gone to such lengths to escape him and hidden from him all these years if I did?" she retorted.
Jasper softened. "I just don't want to see you fall for him again. That man's a devil. Don't let his pitiful state now deceive you."
"Rest assured, I know what I'm doing. Thanks for today." Tabitha added, "You massaged me for so long. That's enough for today."
Jasper had more to say but swallowed his words. "Alright, get some rest," he said before leaving.
Jasper left with a forced smile, but as the door closed, his expression turned cold, his gaze icy as it followed Derek's retreating figure.
Tabitha, after washing her hair, leaned against the window, gazing at the full moon. She lied to Jasper.
For three and a half years, she had thought she had moved on.
But when she heard that Derek had been poisoned and was on the brink of death, she had been plunged into panic and helplessness.
She had rushed back, driven not only by concern for her child, but also by an inner refusal to let him die.
She knew she shouldn't feel this way, so she decided to heal him quickly and send him away before things got more complicated.
From a distance came a sound like a flute. Hedwig sat on the balcony of Derek's room, playing a tune.
The child adored Derek, but Tabitha didn't know how to tell her that he wasn't her father.
If Derek found out she had someone else's child, would he harm Hedwig?
Three years had passed, and Tabitha was uncertain of the person Derek had become.
Hedwig stopped playing after a few tunes, patted Derek's hand, and guided him to bed.
Derek stroked her head and said, "Good child. Any father would be proud to have a child like you."
Hedwig's lips curved into a smile.
Derek felt a soft touch on his cheek and realized Hedwig had kissed him. He was overjoyed.
"Hedwig, do you like me?" he asked.
Hedwig responded with the chime of her bell.
Derek, understanding her affirmative reply, said happily, "I like you too."
Hedwig's heart swelled with joy.
She took off the beaded necklace from her neck, strung with five-colored silk, and tied it around Derek's wrist.
"Is this for me?" Derek asked.
Hedwig shook her bell again.
"Thank you," Derek said, caressing the special beads. A gift from his daughter, he vowed to treasure them always.
Hedwig left Derek's room with a happy heart and returned to Tabitha. Tabitha patted the spot beside her, and Hedwig nestled into her embrace like a puppy.
She wrote the word "daddy" in Tabitha's palm.
Looking into her green eyes, Tabitha realized for the first time how complicated the situation was.
How could she explain to Hedwig that the fathers of her and her brother were different people? And with Hedwig so happy now, revealing the truth would only dampen her spirits.
Tabitha, who doted on her child, chose not to disclose the truth.
"Do you like him?" she asked.
Hedwig nodded, her eyes sparkling. Tabitha, not wanting to spoil her joy, said, "But we must keep this a secret; otherwise, he might take me away and lock me up."
Hedwig was confused—Daddy seemed so gentle, how could he harm Mom? But trusting her mother's words, she nodded obediently.
"Good child. If you like him, spend more time with him these days," Tabitha said.
Helios and Ayla had reached school age and were studying abroad, leaving only little Hedwig by Tabitha's side. Coupled with Hedwig's inability to speak, Tabitha had always been particularly indulgent toward her.
Mother and daughter, wrapped in each other's arms, gradually drifted off to sleep.
In the quiet of the night, Spike was busy shoveling manure in the shed at the back. He and Alma would head to the vegetable garden at dawn the next day.
Derek, not fully recovered, had retired early.
The surroundings were utterly silent.
Suddenly, he heard Tabitha's voice and jolted awake.
"Tabitha!" he cried out, rushing to the door.
"Tabitha, is that you?"