Chapter 450:

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The sight of them only made him cry harder. He stretched out one small finger and pointed at them, choking out, “No… Uncle Connor, Joslyn, do not get divorced.”

The adults exchanged a look, caught between distress and helpless amusement.

Hazel hugged him closer and hurried to coax him. “Sweetheart, you misunderstood. Connor and Joslyn are not getting divorced. They are doing very well together.”

“Liar! I heard it…” Jeffrey sobbed so hard that his words came out broken. “You said divorce…”

Connor got up and walked over. Lowering himself in front of Jeffrey, he reached out with his uninjured hand and gently wiped the tears from the child’s face.

“Jeffrey. Joslyn and I will never get divorced. Not now, not ever.”

Jeffrey sniffled, his large eyes still glistening with doubt. “Really?”

Joslyn came over as well and crouched beside Connor, keeping her gaze level with Jeffrey’s. “Jeffrey, I promise you. I will never leave Connor. How about we make a pinky promise?”

As she spoke, she held out her little finger.

Jeffrey looked at Joslyn, then at Connor. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly lifted his chubby hand and hooked his pinky around hers.

𝘙𝖾a𝘥 f𝗋𝘰𝗺 𝘺𝗈u𝗿 ph𝘰𝗻е оn gаlո𝘰𝘷𝘦𝗹s.c𝗼𝗆

“Forever and ever, no take-backs,” Joslyn said softly.

“Forever and ever, no take-backs…” Jeffrey repeated in a muffled voice, still thick with tears, though the fear on his small face finally began to ease.

“You cannot break your promise!” he added.

Jeffrey’s and Joslyn’s thumbs pressed firmly together.

“I never go back on my word.” A smile softened Joslyn’s face as she reached out and tapped Jeffrey lightly on the tip of his nose.

The tears clinging to Jeffrey’s eyes vanished into laughter. He nodded again and again, answering in a bright voice, “Yeah.”

With that, the small incident finally came to an end, and the child’s sobs dissolved completely into giggles.

Only then did Hazel and Marlin release the breaths they had been holding. Their gazes met briefly, and they smiled at each other, but that smile carried a quiet understanding.

A child was often the sharpest measure of a household’s mood. Even when he could not explain it clearly, Jeffrey sensed the adults’ emotions and used his own clumsy, sincere way to show concern and affection.

Hazel lifted Jeffrey into her arms again, and then looked toward Connor and Joslyn with a grin. “See how worried he was? From now on, you two have a little supervisor watching you. You had better behave properly and not disappoint him.”

When they finally left Hazel’s place, the night had already passed nine.

Outside, darkness had settled heavily over the streets. The cold air cut against any patch of uncovered skin, while the inside of the car remained warm, quiet, and sealed away from the winter chill.

The car had just driven out of the neighborhood when Connor’s phone suddenly rang.

“Mr. Newman, I am sorry to disturb you at this hour. Something urgent has happened at the office…”

Connor’s brows drew together as he checked the time. “I understand. I will arrive within half an hour.”

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Message from Noa: We’re in the final quarter of the year, my dear ones, hang in there! God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. (ɔO‿=)ɔ ♥

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