The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 103: Chapter 103

"You're the person I've been searching for all this time," Graham said with a bitter smile.
Serena never expected this whole mess would lead to this moment. Graham's confession was completely serious, but she felt exhausted and didn't know how to respond. Back at the coffee shop, she'd already sensed where things were heading, which was why she'd cut him off.
"I know you have a child and that you were married before, but none of that matters to me. You're my muse, my inspiration. As long as I love you, I can handle anything," Graham continued.
He added, "I'd be better for you than Mr. Brannon. He's just a businessman. He doesn't understand what goes on in your mind. But I do."
Graham reached out to take Serena's hand, but she gently stepped back. "I'm sorry," she said with genuine sincerity. After everything she'd been through, she simply didn't have the emotional energy for this anymore. "Thank you for your feelings and for believing in me, Graham. You're a wonderful man."
Serena took a deep breath, her eyes soft and glistening. "I just want to focus on my career right now. As for anything else, I don't have those kinds of feelings. So I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disappoint you."
The moment Serena started speaking, Graham already knew this would be her answer. He shook his head with a defeated look.
Graham could tell that what Serena was saying wasn't just some polite excuse. She was genuinely responding to his feelings with honesty. But that only made him feel worse about the whole situation.
Serena really didn't like him that way, which meant they would never have a chance together.
Graham took a deep breath, feeling guilty about everything. "I'm the one who couldn't handle my emotions properly. I gave you a hard time all day because of it."
Serena gave him a warm, understanding smile. "It's okay. Everyone gets overwhelmed by their feelings sometimes. Besides, if it wasn't for your demands, I probably wouldn't have created something even better than that original draft."
Seeing her gentle smile, Graham felt some of his guilt ease up. He suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Rather than chasing after someone who could never be with him, it was better to stay colleagues and work side by side. "So we can still be friends?" Graham asked.
Serena couldn't help but find it amusing. "Of course. I'm not going to hold today against you."
Graham let out a relieved breath. "Thank you, and sorry for all the trouble today. I'll make sure you get extra bonus money at the end of the month as an apology."
Serena let out a soft laugh. "Well, I guess I'll have to hope this kind of thing happens more often. Can't say no to bonus money, right?"
They both laughed, and with this complicated romantic tension finally resolved, the next few days at work went much more smoothly. Before Serena knew it, it was time for Alyssa's kindergarten open house.
Serena's expression grew complicated as she stood in front of the familiar school again. But thinking about Alyssa beside her, she made an effort to pull herself together. She was here to spend time with Alyssa, and she couldn't let her mood show.
Alyssa wore a cute little purple dress today that made her look gentle and sweet, like a tiny hyacinth flower. She stayed close to Serena's side, looking absolutely adorable.
"Come on. Let's go inside," Serena said, about to lead Alyssa through the door when an excited child's voice suddenly called out from behind them. "Mommy!"
Before Serena could react, a small figure came running from behind and quickly wrapped his arms around her legs. His eyes were filled with anticipation and joy.
"Mommy, did you come to see me?" Leon had never expected the person he'd been thinking about day and night to actually show up here. He wished he could go back to the way things were before, when Serena spent all her time with him.
Seeing Serena actually standing here in front of him, Leon couldn't help but be excited.
Serena's expression remained neutral as she protectively moved Alyssa closer to her side, not wanting the crowd to bump into her. Alyssa was very well-behaved and just peeked out with one eye to look at Leon.
"Mommy..." Leon suddenly noticed that Serena was holding another child's hand. The way Alyssa was hiding behind her felt like she was taunting him, mocking him because Serena didn't want him anymore.
Leon suddenly reached out and shoved Alyssa hard. "You unwanted little brat! Don't you have your own mom? Why are you trying to steal someone else's?"
Serena never expected Leon to actually get physical. Alyssa hit the ground and just sat there stunned, not even crying—just tears welling up in her eyes from the shock.
"Alyssa, are you okay?" Serena's heart broke seeing this. She quickly scooped Alyssa up from the floor and checked her over carefully. Only when she was sure there were no injuries did she breathe a sigh of relief.
That was when it finally hit Alyssa that she'd been hurt. Tears dripped onto Serena's hand, but unlike other kids, she couldn't easily express what she was feeling. She just turned her head away from Leon and silently wrapped her arms tight around Serena's neck.
Serena's brows furrowed as she smacked Leon's hand without hesitation. "No matter what your reason is, you pushed a little girl. Did you even think about what could have happened?"
Leon had always been a bit possessive, but under her guidance, he'd at least learned to be polite and understand what sharing meant.
Now, Serena felt completely disappointed. 'Doesn't Leon know why I left? What gives him the right to blame Alyssa for any of this?' she thought.
Seeing how cold Serena was toward him while letting some other kid hold her, Leon's eyes immediately welled up with tears. He wanted to tell her he just missed his mom so much, but what he felt more than anything was anger.
'It's all Alyssa's fault. She stole my mother away from me,' Serena thought.
"What's wrong with you? You can't just hit a child like that." Eliza walked over from nearby and pulled Leon to her side, looking at Serena with clear disapproval.
The truth was, Serena had barely used any force at all. She just wanted to teach Leon a lesson. There wasn't even a red mark on his hand, but Eliza was acting like he'd been seriously hurt.
Eliza wasn't exactly quiet about it either, so people around them started staring. They had no idea what was going on, but all they could see was Serena hitting a little kid, and their looks turned judgmental.
"And Leon is your own flesh and blood. You'd actually hurt your own son for some other man's daughter? Serena, how can you be so heartless?" Eliza continued.
Leon saw that Eliza was defending him. Even though he knew she wasn't a good person, he started crying on cue. 'This is the only way to make Mom feel sorry for me and change her mind,' he thought.