Crystal's One Night of Love

Crystal froze.

“I’m not saying these to gain your sympathy,” Henry said hoarsely, “but I want to tell you that if you come back to be Skyler’s mother, you’ll never have time for yourself again, like me. Do you still want to be Skyler’s mother?”

Those words caused a wave of sadness to wash over Crystal.

How could she not want Skyler?

She stared at him, her chest heaving. She did not know what to say.

Henry reached out and caressed her face gently.

He knew she must be feeling awful, but he thought she should know because it was exhausting to raise a child, and he was worried she would blame him.

If I didn’t leave for the Kingdom of Brundela, she might still be sleeping upstairs, and maybe Skyler wouldn’t have been born weak.

Crystal did not speak for a long time, nor did she push him aside. Being parents at a time like this, they needed warmth and support from one another more than ever.

Henry withdrew his hand. “Go on,” he said gently. “I have a meeting to get to and will come by another day. You can pick Skyler up this afternoon. I’ll pick her up tonight.”

“Okay,” she said and got out of the car hurriedly, not knowing what she was running from.

Was it Henry’s gentleness, or was it the unbearable pain of the past?

Crystal was visibly distracted. She almost cut herself while peeling some fruits.

Leaning against the bed, Anna chuckled. “Put it down. You will cut yourself if you keep going!”

Crystal lowered her hand. “Mom!”

Anna beckoned her to go over. “I only found out about Skyler this year,” she said gently as she grabbed Crystal’s hand. “Henry brought her to Coldbridge. Everyone was so worried about how tiny she looked. Your granny cried for a long time, and Henry knelt by her side the entire night.”

Crystal leaned her head closer to Anna.

Anna caressed her head and continued, “Your uncle said he wanted you to have more choices instead of being with Henry for the sake of the child. That was why he didn’t turn the Hudsons down when they asked him to set you up with their son. I guess what I’m saying is to go with your heart, but don’t rush to make a decision. You two have broken up several times, after all.”

Crystal nodded. “I will give it some serious thought, Mom.”

All she wanted to do was to raise Skyler well.

Anna smiled. “Bring her over tomorrow. I haven’t seen the girl in a long time, and I miss her so much. She looks exactly like you when you were a child, but her temperament is a lot like Henry’s. She’ll be a real terror when she grows up.”

the thought of

took a taxi to pick up Skyler at half past three that afternoon.

was so proud to see Crystal at the kindergarten entrance that she held

schoolbag and bent down to wipe her sweat. “I’m going to work at the restaurant later. Would you like to have Ferropenian food with

her beady eyes.

broke, Mommy? Daddy has plenty of money!” she said in her piping

restaurant. Occasionally,

grew excited

held, then wrapped

so good!

brought Skyler to

seat near the piano, settled Skyler

usually dawdled over her meals.

steak into little pieces, which she ate with a little fork, looking very

and marveled at the power of

seat at the piano. Perhaps due to her buoyant. mood, the tunes she played

straight back. Her brown

mothers of the other children from the kindergarten are not as

with her fork and ate it

Women, being

time. It was eight o’clock.

of Skyler’s age typically go to bed at

Henry when a slender

Crystal froze.

Ewan?

up with the other day. After she turned him down,

expected to

to deduce that

she was trying to think of a way to keep her

in such a manner. He sat down and

smiled. “She’s

Ewan was stunned.

a child, he

the other hand, thought it was rather convenient. Ewan would not want to