I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 222

He and Seraphina were still in a cold war. She hadn't even looked him in the eye for days, yet she was in the mood to take Cassie camping?

He knelt down, gripping Cassie's shoulders with a far more serious tone than usual. "She's your mother. Don't you miss her?"

Cassie blinked rapidly, her lips quivering slightly. Deep down, she really did miss her mom.

Even before falling asleep last night, she had wondered why her mom hadn't called.

But Nora had been far too mean, forcing her to apologize in front of all those people. And since she hadn't come to beg for forgiveness yet, Cassie wasn't about to let her off the hook so easily.

She wanted to make her mother suffer for a few more days, to show her exactly how it felt to be ignored.

Seeing Cassie's silence, Finnegan knew her resolve was wavering.

He reached out, smoothing her hair with a gentler tone. "Cassie, it's not right to think like that. Your mom has been incredibly busy, and she finally made time to come back and see you. How can you just hide from her?"

Cassie looked up, her brows furrowing in pure confusion. "But Dad, that's not what you said before. Last time, you told me Mom was awful. You said she favored other people's kids and didn't deserve to be my mom. Why are you taking her side now?"

The brutal honesty choked the words right out of Finnegan's throat.

He never expected Cassie to internalize those angry rants he had vented in the heat of the moment, let alone remember them so clearly.

He opened his mouth to explain, but a knock at the door mercifully interrupted him.

Finnegan was helpless against her bossy, grown-up logic, but he didn't want to force the issue either.

Since he was still feuding with Seraphina, letting Cassie go out with her wasn't a bad idea. He could use Cassie as a messenger.

He crouched down and pinched Cassie's cheek. "Alright. When you go out with Seraphina, do me a favor and pass along a message. Tell her I miss her and ask her to come home early."

Hearing that, Cassie instantly covered her mouth with both hands, giggling. "Did you and Seraphina get in a fight? She hasn't seemed very happy lately."

Finnegan sighed, ruffling Cassie's hair with a trace of defeat. "Seraphina misunderstood me. She thinks I have feelings for someone else. Do your best to talk some sense into her. Tell her I don't mean anything by it, and I just want to build a good life with her."

Cassie patted her chest confidently, flashing a bright smile. "Leave it to me! Now hurry up and make Mom go away. She can visit anytime, but my camping trip with Seraphina is only for today."