Daddy, Chasing Mommy Back is On Us!

There was a torrential downpour that day, which lasted throughout the night to the accompaniment of angry thunder and violent streaks of lightning. When morning finally rolled around, one could feel the biting chill in the air outside that the storm had left in its wake.

Autumn seemed to have snuck up on Selena and took her by surprise, although she was already wrapped up in thick layers to keep herself warm.

She thought about the last Spring Festival when Pierre had left abruptly for a mission, rendering the family missing out on the chance to spend the holiday together. She could still remember this memory like it happened yesterday.

We never had the chance to celebrate the Spring Festival together as a family, she thought wistfully. With a sigh, she sat down on the wicket chair and absentmindedly rubbed gentle circles on her bump. The three musketeers had tumbled out of the house earlier that morning so that they could build snowmen and now, they were running around in the snow while shrieking with laughter.

They appeared to have hit the growth spurt and she hadn't even noticed the inches that were added to their heights. Juniper would still drop by Andy's place every week and her medical skills were getting more refined with each visit. Meanwhile, Joaquin continued with his hacking lessons with Gavin. Even though Gavin would leave for trips every now and then before returning days later, both he and Joaquin were getting along well.

On the other hand, Jameson took to breakdancing much like how fish took to water. He could now perform an entire dance segment on his own and the coach had praised him on his innate talent. Apparently, he was able to learn the steps at a much quicker pace than the other children, but his interests did not stop at dancing—he was learning guitar and drumming, along with plenty of other classes.

It was as if their family was starting to move on from their grief.

However, Selena knew that she had not been truly happy since the day Pierre left.

When a figure manifested at the doorway, the children were the first to freeze in place.

She was glancing down at her phone when she noticed that the kids had gone quiet. Looking up with curiosity, she asked, "What's wrong?"

That was when her eyes fell upon the figure at the door.

He stood in the white flurry of the snow, his height still towering and his face still as handsome as ever.

Selena slowly rose from her seat and for a moment, she wondered whether she was hallucinating.

It was not a surprise that Juniper was the first one to snap out of her reverie. "Daddy? Is that you?"

Without saying a word, Pierre squatted and spread his arms open. Upon seeing this, she sprinted across the snow and threw herself into his embrace.

She reached up and brushed her

fingers over his face, nose, ears, and

eine

the scruff that had spread over his lower jaw. Then, she turned and shouted at Selena excitedly,

"Mommy, look! It's Daddy! It's Daddy!

He's still alive! It's really Daddy!"

Tears brimmed in Selena's eyes as she gazed at the scene before her while she stood frozen in place. She was terrified that whatever she saw could have been an illusion.

Meanwhile, Pierre was approaching her with Juniper in his arms. "Did you miss me?" he asked his daughter.

"I did! I really, really missed you! They told me you were dead, Daddy. How did you come back to life? Don't people have to go through a tunnel to some other world after they're dead? I didn't know you could come back."

"I'm not dead. I came back because I couldn't bear the thought of being away from all of you."

"That's awesome!" Juniper cheered.

While the father and daughter were

sharing this warm exchange, the tears finally spilled down Selena's

cheeks as she knew that this was no illusion, However, just as Pierre was illusion about to come to a stop in front ofCòntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

her she hastily turned away and

bolted up the stairs to her room.

She didn't know how she was supposed to digest the sudden twist of events. There was a time when she had suspected that he could be alive, but it was quickly negated when she saw the hard proof being laid out before her. As a result, she could do nothing but wallow in grief.

Pierre, on the other hand, watched idly as Selena ran up the stairs. He knew how tough things had been for her these last couple of months and he saw how much her bump had grown.

"Juniper, why don't you go and play with your brothers for a bit? I'll go and check on Mommy," he suggested.

"Okay! By the way, things have been hard for Mommy ever since she had the baby, so you should make it up to her, Daddy."

"I will," he promised before he hurried up the stairs. He marched down the hallway to the bedroom and stood outside the door for what felt like a long moment, but he just couldn't bring himself to open the door.

How should I explain this to her? What am I supposed to say first? Pierre hesitated and he lifted his head as he reached out to knock on the door. Wait-why should I knock when this is my bedroom in the first place?

Suddenly, the door opened.