Chapter 897


    He felt like it was his duty, as their child, to fix the rtionship between his mom and dad. But the truth


    was, he hadn''t been able to help at all.


    And now, Agnes was filled with regret.


    Why had she argued with Jared in the hospital room? It must have hurt Nocturne deeply.


    "Sweetie," Agnes finally said, "I won''t be giving you a little sister. Having you is more than enough for


    me. I just want to see you get better and grow up."


    Nocturne exhaled slowly, stubborn as ever. "But Mom, if you had another baby, you could watch both of


    us grow up. Wouldn''t it be nice to have a livelier house?"


    Jared had seen through his son''s act long ago.


    "I''m sorry," Jared suddenly spoke up. "Your mom and I weren''t fighting, we were just trying to work


    things out. Sometimes that''s how adults solve problems. Arguing doesn''t mean we don''t love each


    other. In fact, it''s often because we care so much that we fight. I hope you can understand that."


    Nocturne fell silent.


    It was the first time Agnes had seen him truly considering Jared''s words. Nocturne was a bright kid,


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    with his own take on the world. But that intellect came at a price. He''d lost some of that innocent


    simplicity that children have, burdened by the weight of the world''s worries at a far too young age. He


    was only four, after all, and shouldn''t be feeling the pain of the world like an adult.


    Agnes'' heart ached.


    Regardless of where things with Jared would end up, whether they stayed together or not, thest thing


    she wanted was for Nocturne to get hurt. He''d never longed for a father before, but now that he had


    Jared, the idea of forcefully taking away that precious father-son bond seemed too cruel to him.


    Caught in her internal conflict, Agnes didn''t notice Nocturne looking up.


    "Let''s eat," he said simply.


    A feast of sushi spread out on the table, the scent of grilled eel and miso soup filled the air. Nocturne


    seemed to cheer up a bit, managing to eat half his te. Agnes, on the other hand, had lost her


    appetitepletely.


    Back at the hospital, Nocturne was still awake. Jared sat by his bedside, telling him stories. They


    weren''t the typical fairy tales, but rather tales of the cosmos – subjects Agnes barely grasped.


    Seated on a nearby couch, she was peeling apples, semi-tuned into their conversation revolving


    around theplex topics of time and space. It brought her a transient sense of happiness.


    Eventually, Nocturne drifted off to sleep.


    Agnes turned to Jared. "Let''s make a pact," she suggested.


    Jared''s gaze, icy and expectant, met hers.


    Her words were like a slow, torturous cut to Jared. Pretend? Act as if they were in love?


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    He couldn''t do it because he had never stopped loving her. How could he pretend?