Chapter 7 She Had No Choice but to Make the First Move

When Galatea arrived home, Mia had prepared a feast awaiting her, and Harry and Elisa greeted her with particularly good behavior.

"To celebrate Mom's first day on the job, Mia made lots of yummy dishes, and we helped too!" Elisa's eyes crinkled into crescents, her shallow dimples making her cherubic face even more endearing.

"It’s been a tough first day at work. Go wash up, and let's eat," Mia offered with a warm, welcoming smile.

Galatea forced a weary smile despite her growing discomfort at the scene before her, nodding in agreement to preserve the mood. "Sure."

The atmosphere at the dinner table was cozy as the four of them began their meal.

"Mom, are there handsome and wealthy bachelor doctors at the hospital?" Elisa was particularly interested in the subject.

"If there are, Elisa and I could help you scout for one," Harry chimed in teasingly.

"All you care about is stuff like that," Galatea scolded lightly, tapping Harry on the head, and continued, "Starting tomorrow, you two are going to practice the piano every day until school starts."

Both kids pouted, deeply dismayed by the announcement.

"Mom, we're not really into piano," Harry protested.

"Yeah, Mom, we're not exactly rolling in dough, so let's not waste the money," Elisa added.

Galatea fell silent. She had always struggled to persuade her two children.

"Seriously, Mom, didn’t you come back here to find us a dad?" Elisa inquired, leaning in closer.

"I've already told you before, you don't have a father."

She had been legally married to that man, but she'd never met him – he had been in a coma for three years by then, and now another six had passed.

"Are we conjured up from dust by God?" Harry couldn't help but chuckle.

That comment made both Galatea and Mia laugh.

After dinner, the two young ones obediently took their baths and settled down with their books and Legos, leaving Galatea alone in the study.

Today was her first day on the job at Serenity Heights Medical Center, and she had been fired without even knowing where the obstetrics archive was located!

‘My son, you must wait for me; I will find you!’ Galatea thought determinedly.

Meanwhile, at the Knight's residence, Caspian was calling out "Mom!" as if by telepathy, seeing Galatea's face in his dreams.

"Caspian?" Alaric had stayed up all night by his side and gently woke him as he started talking in his sleep at daybreak.

Caspian slowly opened his eyes to Alaric's soft voice, looking past him in a daze, only to realize it had been a dream – his mother wasn't there.

"Awake?" Alaric asked tenderly, cautious not to upset him further.

During his sleep, Cormac had administered medication, and now his alternate personality had completely subsided.

Caspian sat up slowly, his eyes landing on Alaric's injured arm. With a heavy sense of guilt, he muttered, "I'm sorry, Dad."

Alaric took a glance at his wound and reassured him, "It's just a scratch, nothing serious."

But Caspian remained downcast, as if he had made an unforgivable error, and stayed silent for a long while.

"I was wrong too, for losing my temper with you yesterday," Alaric admitted softly.

"No, it was all my fault," Caspian replied, still not lifting his head.

"Let's not dwell on the past, okay? Are you hungry?" asked Alaric gently. "What would you like to eat? I'll whip something up for you."

"I'm not hungry," Caspian said, looking at Alaric. "Can I sleep a little longer?"

His dreams had been filled with Galatea's warm embrace, a sensation he desperately wanted to cling to. Would he be able to slip back into that dream if he continued to sleep?

"All right, get some more rest. I'll make you something delicious and wake you up when it's ready."

"Thanks," Caspian said.

Meanwhile, Galatea had spent a sleepless night, her mind preoccupied with Mrs. Marigold and her lost son.

The only leads to finding her son were through Mrs. Marigold or the Serenity Heights Medical Center. Searching for Mrs. Marigold was like looking for a needle in a haystack, especially now that her suburban mansion had been demolished.

Knowing that Mrs. Marigold was at a dead end, she had no choice but to start with the medical center. She couldn't leave until she uncovered some information there.

Determined, she decided to seek out Alaric once more.

So, the next morning, she left early. Her son, Harry, woke from his sleep upon hearing her leave and rushed to awaken Elisa, who bunked below him.

"Elisa, Elisa!"

"What?" Elisa groaned, barely opening her eyes. She was still sleepy.

"Mom's left early again, but it doesn’t seem like she’s off to work. Should we follow her and see what she’s up to?”

“I’m staying. I need sleep,” Elisa muttered, then closed her eyes and dozed off again.

After speaking, Harry glanced out the window. Galatea was already moving away quickly, so he hurriedly got dressed and followed.

Since the day his mother had made plans to return to their home country, he had sensed that something was off. She was hiding something, and he was intent on uncovering it.

Galatea hailed a cab, and Harry, not far behind, did the same. When they reached their destination, Harry was shocked.

"What a luxurious mansion community," Harry marveled. It was the kind of place he'd only seen depicted on TV shows, home to the wealthiest of the wealthy. What could his mom be doing here? Could his father be living in one of these mansions?

Galatea arrived outside the Knight family’s villa and took a deep breath to remind herself aloud, "You have to be patient to find your son. Don't pick a fight, just bear with whatever comes!"

After mentally preparing herself, she rang the doorbell, and Liona answered the door.

"Hello, does Mr. Knight live here?" Galatea knew she needed to be polite since she was the one asking for a favor.

"Yes, how can I help you?" asked Liona.

"My name is Galatea. I'm a doctor from Serenity Heights Medical Center. Mr. Knight had an examination with us earlier, and I was in charge of it. I'm here to deliver his medical report," Galatea explained, knowing that without this pretext, she wouldn't be allowed inside.

"Oh, you're Dr. Galatea? Please come in." Recognizing her as a doctor from Serenity Heights Medical Center, Liona let her in.

"Mr. Knight, Dr. Galatea from Serenity Heights Medical Center is here with your medical report," Liona informed Alaric, who was busy cooking for Caspian in the kitchen.

Hearing this, Alaric came out of the kitchen dressed in casual home clothes and an apron.

Galatea was taken aback – did this man actually cook for himself?

"Why did you let her in?" Alaric despised Galatea now.

"Dr. Galatea said she came to deliver your medical report, so I let her in," Liona quickly apologized.

"Get out!" Alaric spat to Galatea, his tone exceptionally hostile.