Anya looked at her timid boyfriend and suddenly felt a wave of admiration for her aunt. "If I had my aunt's skills, I could cuddle our little baby without anyone daring to stop me."
"Do you take apprentices, Aunt?" Anya asked cheekily.
Mia just sighed.
Leo wrapped an arm around Anya's neck, pulling her close. "Keep those silly ideas to yourself," he teased, stuffing a spoonful of cupcake into her mouth. "This should keep you quiet."
Molly pushed her laptop aside. "Leo, don't forget about your aunt's stuff."
Resigned, Leo went back to his task, formatting documents. Once he ensured everything was in order, he took on the role of chauffeur, driving Mia and Molly to the university to meet their advisor.
Whether it was Mia's fiery spirit or her commanding presence as a principal, the atmosphere in the teacher's office seemed to tense up when she entered. The teacher nervously offered some detailed advice based on Mia and Molly's work, which made things easier for them. They immediately started marking up their draft in the office.
Once they were done, they headed back to the car.
"Where to next?" Leo asked.
"Back to Naomi's cafe. Our laptops are still there, and we need to keep working," the two women replied.
At the cafe, they made adjustments to their work based on their teacher's suggestions. By the time they wrapped up, it was already dark.
Leo had planned a perfect afternoon, even buying movie tickets for a date with his girlfriend, but those plans were now scrapped.
As he was dropping Molly off, Anya opened the passenger door. "What are you doing?" Leo asked, grabbing her hand.
"I'm heading home," Anya replied.
Anya wasn't fooled; she knew the baby would be home by now.
Leo held her wrist firmly, "Get in. You're coming to dinner with me."
"I'm not hungry; I've been eating all afternoon," Anya protested.
"You've been snacking all day, and I haven't had a bite. Anya, don't think I don’t know what you're up to. Little Timmy won’t be home early; Uncle Conner took Aunt Cassie out, and they might not even come back tonight."
Anya paused, then got into the passenger seat and buckled up. "Alright, Chad, where are we eating?"
Molly pointed at the couple, "Go ahead, rub salt in Mia's wounds. Just as Andre says he doesn't love her, you two flaunt your love right under her nose."
Thanks to her friends, Mia was reminded of her husband's lack of affection, souring her mood even more. As soon as she got home, Andre's call came through. Her phone's caller ID displayed a photo of her husband holding their son, and without hesitation, she hung up.
Overseas, Andre was left speechless. "Is everything okay with your marriage?" Noah asked nervously.
"It's fine, just great," Andre replied, though he didn't really believe it. Did little Mia know he was avoiding her?
At 7 PM, Andre called again, but got no answer.
At 8 PM, his third call was hung up on again.
Noah came in, "Boss, someone from the Collins family wants to meet you."
"Not now!" Andre was too preoccupied with his inability to reach his wife.
By 9 PM, Henry returned from a day trip, looking as though he had been crying. Annie explained, "As soon as it got dark and we tried to undress him for a bath, he started crying for his mom."
Seeing Mia come downstairs, Henry, feeling aggrieved, burst into tears and flung himself into her arms. Just then, Andre called his wife again, and seeing Mia hang up without hesitation, Conner remembered the "secret" he had spilled that morning...
"Cassie, let’s go," Conner said, grabbing Annie and making a run for it before she could even process what was happening.
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