Leo swallowed hard and softly urged, "Let's head back."
Anya shook her head stubbornly, feeling guilty for Chad getting kicked out. "I'm sorry, Chad."
"There's no need to apologize. I should be thanking you. Anya, I've never felt this relieved before. You voiced my fears, allowing me to face my uncle. Thank you for giving me the strength."
Anya's voice trembled with tears. "Chad, I want to go with you."
"Go back," Leo said gently.
Anya shook her head, clutching Leo's shirt hem, afraid of being left behind.
"I'll come back for you. My girlfriend is here; I have to come back for her," Leo reassured.
Anya's face flushed, guessing the truth but still wanting confirmation. "Chad, your girlfriend, where is she?"
"Right in front of me."
Leo called out to Mia and Molly, who were peeking around the corner, "Come on out."
Mia and Molly, both married women, sheepishly walked out, embarrassed about spying on the couple.
"Leo, your uncle was just hot-headed. Give him a couple of days to cool off. I'll talk to him at Maplewood Estates, and you can come back to stay," Mia suggested.
Knowing his uncle's temper, Leo entrusted Anya to them. "Take care of my girlfriend for me; I'll be back for her."
Leo got into his car and drove away, feeling an unprecedented sense of relaxation as he saw the three figures getting smaller in his rearview mirror.
Mia and Molly weren't sure how to react at that moment.
Anya was utterly baffled, not even having agreed before Chad had officially declared her his "girlfriend."
Standing between her aunt and her aunt by marriage, she looked from one to the other with a face full of timidity and blush. "Aunt, Auntie, Chad just called me his girlfriend."
Mia put an arm around Anya. "Yes, we heard. Let's go back."
Anya hesitated. "I'm scared to go back."
She feared her family's reproach.
Mia comforted her. "Don't worry, your auntie is here with you."
Molly added, "And your aunt isn't going anywhere. Trust me, no one at home will blame you."
But whether to announce their new relationship status at home was something the sisters weren't sure about.
Back in the Cedillo family living room, Chad was trying to calm Hansen down. "Dad, Leo has his own dreams and aspirations, which is a good thing. He's still young; let him explore for a few years. If all else fails, he has our family to fall back on."
Andre's attention was solely on his son, no longer competing for it.
Henry, sitting on his father's lap after crying for a while, realized no one was consoling him and stopped, pouting and snuggling into his dad's embrace.
As the three women entered the living room, Anya hesitated at the door.
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