Chapter 248:

He pointed to the blank space beside the two figures. “Do you think… maybe you could draw me in here? Standing next to you and your mom?”

Ari looked down at her drawing, clutching it tightly. Then she shook her head. “No, I can’t,” she said simply. “This picture is just for me and Mom.”

Brandon’s smile faltered a little, but he tried to keep his tone light. “What if I buy you some ice cream? Would that change your mind?”

But Ari shook her head again, more firmly this time. “Mommy said I’m not allowed to eat ice cream.” Then she added seriously, “And I’m not supposed to take things from strangers.”

Brandon opened his mouth to say something, but she continued before he could speak. “If you want a drawing,” she said earnestly, “you should ask your own kid to draw one for you.”

She looked at him now with cautious eyes, as if she was starting to wonder if she should be talking to him at all.

Brandon blinked, caught off guard. Her innocent words cut deeper than anything else could have.

Brandon nearly told Ari the truth about who he was, but in the end, he hesitated.

He was here today for one reason only: to clear things up with Millie regarding Charles. He didn’t want complications. That was the plan.

Brandon noticed the flicker of fear in Ari’s wide eyes as she glanced around, searching for an escape route. Before she could run, he quickly reassured her, “Don’t be scared. I’m not a bad person.”

Still, it was clear she didn’t want to stay.

“I used to have a child,” Brandon said, the words slipping out before he could stop them. A flash of an image came to his mind—Millie, soaked in blood and sobbing in his arms. “But they’re gone now. Seeing you… just reminds me of that.”

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he added gently. “I only asked to be in your drawing because of that.”

Something seemed to shift, as Ari stopped fidgeting. She looked up at him with surprising seriousness, no longer on the verge of running away.

Then, with a quiet grace, she reached out and patted the back of his hand. Her small hand felt soft, and it was strangely comforting.

Brandon almost chuckled. A little girl comforting him? But the odd thing was, it worked. He actually felt a bit better.

She then spoke, her voice firm but kind, “But I still can’t draw you in. I have my rules.” Rules? What did such a small child know about rules?

Brandon raised an eyebrow, more intrigued than annoyed.

“Did your mom teach you that?” he asked.

Ari turned back to her drawing, carefully filling in the colors. Without looking up, she replied, “My mom taught me a lot.”

“But you haven’t known her long, have you?” Brandon pressed.

Ari didn’t seem bothered by the question. “She’s nice to everyone. Not just me—Charles, Alexia too.”

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