Hearing Cara's question, Mia quickly smiled faintly and answered calmly.
"Well... I need to go to the hospital to help Grandma take care of Grandpa. It’s not good for you to stay at home alone, so it's better to send you to the daycare. You need to be good here, okay? This way, I won’t be tired…”
The child nodded obediently, her little lips curving into a small smile.
"Okay, Mom."
In all the areas, children poured out in a rush, so crowded it was dizzying.
Mia, holding Cara, made her way towards the gate, seemingly about to leave the daycare.
Suddenly, a loud ringtone blared from her pocket. She stepped aside to let the children pass.
Struggling, Mia managed to pull out her phone. Glancing at the screen, she saw it was her mother calling.
Taking a deep breath, she quickly held the phone to her ear. A woman's deep voice came through.
"Mia, where are you?"
Hearing her mother’s question, Mia sighed and replied slowly.
"I’m at the daycare, registering Cara. I’m getting ready to head back now."
Mrs. Garcia seemed to remember something and quickly said, "Oh, I forgot you were putting Cara in daycare. That’s why I was worried and called."
After exchanging a few words, Mia hung up.
The noisy and sunny environment made Mia feel uncomfortable.
From outside the daycare, a child with a black backpack, small in stature with a sharp face, ran out quickly.
Two other children followed, chasing him and teasing him as they went.
"Cyrus is a child without a mother, no one loves him."
"Cyrus is a coward, a weakling…"
Cyrus bit his lip, tears welling up as he gripped his backpack and ran fast. He suddenly stopped, unable to hold back his anger, and yelled.
"I have a mother! I’m not a coward or weakling!"
Then, Cyrus quickly turned around, waiting for the two children to get closer before pushing them down.
"You two are the weak ones..."
Cyrus breathed heavily, his eyes red and his lips trembling.
"Hey!"
The sharp voice startled him. Cyrus stepped back in fear as a woman quickly grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up, her face showing intense anger.
"Who gave you the right to push my child?"
Cyrus struggled, flailing his arms and legs wildly, shouting helplessly.
"Let go. Let me go. They provoked me first… Let go… I’m not a weakling…"
The woman, now slightly scared, quickly set him down. Cyrus trembled, fear evident in his eyes as he slowly backed away in confusion.
The woman went to help the two children up, treating them with affection and indulgence.
Cyrus, observing all this, felt overwhelmed with emotions: grievance, loneliness, and jealousy. Why couldn’t he have a mother who loved him like that?
Mia had seen everything. She furrowed her brows.
Putting her phone back in her pocket, she carefully set Cara down on the ground.
Just then, Cyrus backed into her, and when his small back bumped into her legs, he looked up in surprise.
Cyrus's wide eyes met Mia’s. She quickly knelt to his level.
Those eyes seemed familiar, and the face, similar to Cara’s and Brian’s, made Mia wonder if this was Cyrus, the child she had once cared for.
She stood dazed for a moment before regaining her composure.
Seeing her gentle, warm demeanor, Cyrus’s face flushed, his eyes filling with tears even more.
Mia wiped the tears from Cyrus’s face and gently hugged him.
"Be a good boy, don’t cry. It’s all okay now."
Cyrus hugged her tightly. A sweet peach scent lingered at his nose. He found the scent familiar, almost like the scent his father used.
A woman with another child approached, her eyes angry as she spoke.
"Is this your child? What kind of mother are you to let your son push mine?"
Mia swiftly picked up Cyrus, soothing him. Her demeanor changed from gentle to unusually calm and indifferent.
"Did you see my child push yours? Did you not see how your child insulted mine? If you want to make a big deal out of this, we can go to the police."
Her eyes were stern and indifferent, as if she wasn’t making an empty threat.
Mentioning the police, the woman’s face turned pale. Mia’s tone didn’t sound like a joke. The anger on her face dissipated somewhat.
"It’s just childish talk… why make a fuss about it?"
At this, Mia smiled faintly.
"Just a push, no need to worry about it."
The mother and child were left speechless. The woman picked up her child and walked away.
For the first time, Cyrus felt this warm affection. It was the first time he experienced someone standing up for him. He was convinced that this woman was indeed his mother.
His father said his mother was working, but was she coming to pick him up today? Was it her?
Mia carefully set Cyrus down and, with him no longer crying, looked at him thoughtfully.
Cara, standing beside them, said nothing but slowly pulled out a tissue from her small bag and handed it to Cyrus.
"Don’t cry anymore..."
Cyrus looked at Cara slowly. The two children stared at each other in surprise.
Cara seemed puzzled and then innocently asked, "Mom… why does this brother look a bit like me?"
Mia smiled faintly, her answer still uncertain.
She affectionately watched Cyrus use the tissue Cara gave him to wipe his face.
Then, she spoke softly.
"What’s your name?"
Cyrus, not feeling the need to be cautious with strangers, quickly answered.
"My name is Cyrus… Cyrus..."
The words felt like an invisible needle piercing Mia’s heart. She felt an inexplicable fear rising within her.
Just then, at the daycare’s gate, a sports car slowly pulled up to the curb.
"Boss, it's not too late, we can still make it..."
Finn, driving, looked more embarrassed than a tomato, glancing anxiously ahead.
Only Brian, sitting in the back, radiated an icy demeanor that made everyone uncomfortable.
Finn remembered clearly how Brian wasn’t like this five years ago. It was unclear why, after the divorce, his temper had become so unpredictable.
Brian remained silent in the car, his dark eyes searching for his son's figure through the window.
He then got out of the car and quickly entered the daycare.
Under the not-too-intense sun, Brian’s eyes were still narrowed sharply.
Scanning the area, he finally spotted Cyrus.
But the child was standing with a woman nearby.
Seeing the woman, Brian’s heart tightened. The woman quickly turned around, holding the little girl’s hand, her expression showing worry and fear.