The Love that Never Really Dies

Actually, Sebastian had no liking for calzone. He was a picky eater since he was young. Being a member of the Hayes family, he grew up living a good life. Once he tasted the food and disliked it, the chef wouldn’t prepare the same food again. Calzone first appeared on the Hayes’ dining table that year when Sasha and her family visited them. The Hayes’ had the kitchen prepare this particular dish for them, knowing that they loved Italian dishes. At that time, Sasha clearly remembered that the boy who was five years older than her had only taken a bite of the calzone. He said it tasted awful. Sasha retrieved her gaze as the piece of memory surged within her mind. She cast her eyes downward to focus on feeding her daughter.

A few seconds later, she heard Matteo asking, “Daddy, does it taste good?” “Not bad.” This time, Sebastian elegantly finished the whole calzone. Instead of showing disgust, he nodded approvingly at the savory flavor that lingered on his tongue. Sasha was dumbstruck. Was I hallucinating? Did he just say that it’s not bad? But I remembered him hating it after just one bite… In a state of confusion, Sasha fixed her eyes on Sebastian. As if he sensed her gaze, the man suddenly looked up, his eyes meeting hers. Sasha was startled, and she almost dropped her cutlery. Why do I keep looking at him? I must be out of my mind! At that instant, she had her heart in her throat. She quickly retrieved her gaze and then helped fetch Vivian the dipping sauce, avoiding his eyes. Luckily, Sebastian’s ringing phone spared her from further embarrassment. It was a call from the office, and the man hurried off as soon as he ended the call. As Sebastian’s figure vanished from sight, the naive Vivian suddenly leaned closer to her, whispering in her ear,

off. Since Sasha would be staying with them, the kids didn’t bother to ask for their dad. After taking their showers, they rushed to Sasha’s room for a bedtime story. Of course, Sasha was more than willing to spend more time with the kids. She had made it a habit to tell Matteo and Vivian bedtime stories when they were living together. Now that Ian had joined them, the story-telling session became all

a good night’s sleep after that. The next morning, Sasha was awakened by the continuous knocks on the door. “M-Mommy, are you awake? It’s V-Vivi... Mommy, wake u-up!” Sasha was instantly wide awake at the sound of Vivian crying. She quickly climbed out of bed to answer the door. Standing outside her room was Vivian in her pink pajama with tear-stained cheeks, holding a bunny plush. Sasha was worried upon seeing the poor little girl shedding tears. She crouched down to hug her. “What’s wrong, sweetie? Why are you crying? Tell me, what happened?” She thought Vivian was not used to living in a new place. The next moment, Vivian threw herself into her mom’s arm, sniveling sadly. “Mommy, I want to go to preschool… with Ian and Matt… but he doesn’t allow me to…” With that, she once again broke into tears. Preschool? Her words reminded Sasha that the kids still needed to attend preschool. It had