The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 125: Chapter 125

Right then, a cold voice cut in from nearby. "Who said she's your daughter?"
Both Serena and Tara turned toward the sound. When Serena saw that it was Keith, she finally let out a breath of relief.
Tara, on the other hand, immediately looked flustered. She smoothed the loose strands of hair by her ear, not paying any attention to Alyssa anymore.
Serena caught the shift in Tara's attitude and gave a sharp, mocking smile before lowering her head to comfort Alyssa, "It's okay now, Alyssa. Your dad is here. No one is going to take you away, alright? Don't cry anymore."
As if she had finally found something solid to cling to, Alyssa buried herself against Serena's chest, sniffling and nodding. Her eyes were still red and puffy. The sight made Keith's expression grow even colder.
Keith looked at Tara and said, "I'm pretty sure I already warned you not to mess with us, especially not to bother Alyssa."
He wouldn't have even known Alyssa had been taken by Tara if the teacher hadn't thought to call him at the last minute. He had seen through Tara's scheming ways a long time ago.
"I... I just missed Alyssa, that's all," Tara stammered. "She's my daughter, for crying out loud."
Keith stared down at her without the slightest hint of sympathy, saying, "Alyssa has nothing to do with you anymore. She's legally my daughter. I have the adoption papers.
"If you want to take her back, go ahead and sue me. But anything else? Don't even think about it."
That one line crushed what little hope Tara had left. She glared at Serena and snapped, "It's all because of her, isn't it? Don't be so selfish, Keith. Alyssa is my daughter. Nobody in this world will ever care for her like I do.
"You're just looking for a stepmom for Alyssa to please yourself. You haven't done right by her at all."
Serena cut her off with a sneer, "So abandoning Alyssa back then was your idea of doing right by her?
"Do you even know what kind of life she had at the orphanage? What makes you think you can just waltz back in and have a say in her life now?"
Tara could only mumble a few words in protest, but Serena pressed on, saying, "If you don't leave right now, we're calling the police. Let's see how they'll handle this.
"Just so you know, kidnapping someone else's child can land you in prison."
Unable to argue her way out, Tara backed down the moment she heard how serious the consequences could be. She gave Keith one last reluctant glance and immediately turned to leave in defeat.
Keith let out a deep breath. When he turned back around, his expression had softened considerably.
He picked Alyssa up gently and said, "It's okay now, Alyssa." Then, he looked over at Serena, eyes filled with both gratitude and apology. "Thank God you were here. If not, Tara might've actually taken her."
Serena shook her head, signaling that it wasn't a big deal. But when she looked at Alyssa's condition, her worry deepened. "Alyssa was really frightened this time. Tara's words don't get to me. But Alyssa..."
"I'll take care of her and help her calm down once we get home," Keith said, his voice quiet with concern.
He was just as worried. After all, Alyssa had been overly sensitive to the world around her lately. The smallest shift in her environment could make her little body tremble. Now, they needed to get her home as soon as possible.
"Alright," Serena replied. "We'll talk later then."
She stood there and watched as Keith carried Alyssa away. Only after a long pause did she exhale and furrow her brow, wondering, 'What kind of mother does something like that?'
Keith had just gotten Alyssa back home and wanted to prepare some warm water for her. But the second he stepped out of her room, he heard her lock the door behind him.
"Alyssa?" He immediately sensed something was wrong. Back when things were worse, Alyssa used to lock herself in like this and completely shut everyone out.
Ever since Serena entered their lives, Alyssa hadn't relied on that habit in a long time.
"Can you please open the door, Alyssa?" Keith asked gently. "I'm here, whatever it is, I'll be with you."
When no sound came from the other side, his heart sank even further. He quickly pulled out his phone and called Serena. Then, he sent a message to Nate as well.
Nate happened to be out of town for a conference. But when he got word about Alyssa, he knew right away her condition had worsened and quickly phoned in.
When Keith told him what happened, Nate went off on the phone. "What the hell is wrong with Tara? People who dump their own kids should be locked up forever. Maybe then she'll learn her lesson."
Nate added, "I won't be able to make it back anytime soon, so we'll have to trouble Ms. Gray again. Alyssa really trusts her. If anyone can get through to her and get her to open the door, it's probably her.
"As long as she can talk Alyssa out of it, we won't have anything to worry about."
There was no need for Nate to point it out. It had always been Serena who could comfort Alyssa.
At times, Keith couldn't help but feel like a failure of a father. In her most vulnerable moments, Alyssa couldn't even turn to him for support.
Thankfully, Serena arrived not long after. "How is Alyssa doing now?"
She had been worried ever since she got home, afraid something might happen, so she hadn't even changed out of her clothes. The moment she got the call, she rushed over.
Keith shook his head and glanced at the tightly shut door. "She's still in there. It's completely silent in there. I'm worried. Otherwise, I wouldn't be bothering you so late."
Serena said, "Don't worry about it. She's the priority right now."
She immediately set down her bag and walked over to Alyssa's door, her voice soft as she spoke. "Alyssa, it's me, Serena. Can I come in?"
When the door stayed completely still, Serena's chest tightened. Just as she was starting to panic, the door suddenly opened, revealing Alyssa's little face, streaked with tears.
Serena couldn't help but frown and gently pull her into her arms. "You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you anymore. We're all here for you. How about I tell you a bedtime story, hmm?"
The moment Alyssa stepped out, Keith finally let out a breath.
When Alyssa gave a tiny nod, Serena turned to meet Keith's gaze before following the little girl into the room.
It was over thirty minutes before Serena tiptoed out of the room. Keith, who had been sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands, got up immediately when he heard her. "Is Alyssa—"
Serena hushed him, shook her head, and lowered her voice to say, "She's asleep now. I think she'll be okay. Hopefully she'll feel better after a good night's rest."
For Keith, that was enough. As long as Alyssa could sleep, he could finally breathe easy.
Serena added, "I'm worried she might wake up again later. I'll stay with her tonight, just in case."